District 5 News:
Hello,
News from the latest town council meeting November 17, 2010.
The Solar System Model and Trail ribbon cutting and opening on Saturday, November 13, 2010, was a success/ we had about 200 in attendance and the rain held off long enough for many to walk the trail. It is now officially open for use and the remaining solar system panels are going in. The trail is located along the west entrance drive to Meijer off of German Church rd and extends all the way to 600 west. The next phase is the planning and right of way acquisition is the Buck Creek Trail portion headed north along the creek. This is being initially funded by state money left from the original Pennsy Trail state grant.
I gave a report on the Hancock Economic Development Council. In the past year or so the HEDC has been instrumental in bringing business to Hancock County, not in Cumberland yet but getting closer. Interdell coming in up at Mt. Comfort area means employees will be looking for housing and Cumberland will almost certainly be on the list. Stanley/Black and Decker in Shelbyville has decided to consolidate that factory with one in Connecticut and relocate both to the Eaton plant in Greenfield and Covance has almost doubled the number of jobs they have in the past 2 yrs. There is also a company relocating from Marion County to Fortville which is bringing jobs. I believe that any companies coming to Hancock county, especially the west side, is good for the county and good for Cumberland because all of those employees will have to live and shop somewhere and hopefully some will look at Cumberland. The HEDC has a couple of more possibilities that I can not elaborate on yet. I can say that a majority of the businesses that locate here come as leads through the HEDC and with out that organization the possibility of growth would drop a good amount.
The purchase of GEM utilities has gone through and the town is now in the process of working on the billing system integration with our current version.
The town council has voted in favor of approving the Autumn Woods changes requested by the potential developer Pulte Homes by a vote of 4-1 with mine being the nay vote. I expressed my concern that we were allowing the requirements to fall back down to what they were when asked for originally years ago.
The Washington street project is wrapping up for the year and INDOT has told us they hope to have the barrels gone by the end of November. The street lights are still an issue as a billing question with INDOT and the manufacturer being behind schedule have delayed their construction and install.
The town legal council has introduced an ordinance regard the owning and keeping of farm livestock on properties with in the town limits. We had an issue where horses, goats and other farm animals were being kept at a residence in the old part of town. We have since had at least one resident request that changes to this be made to make is possible to keep a small number chickens for personal egg supply be included. This change was included in the final introduced draft.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland town council.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Town News 11/3/10
District 5 News:
Hello,
News from the latest town council meeting November 3, 2010.
Chief Crooke introduced Sheriff Elect of Hancock County, Mike Shepherd. Shepherd has worked with our chief over the years and he is looking forward to working with him in the future. He is making visits to all of the localities in Hancock county to better foster communication.
There will be a Solar System Model and Trail ribbon cutting and opening on Saturday, November 13, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. at the EARTH panel of the solar system. This is located along the west entrance drive to Meijer off of German Church rd. Everyone in the community is invited to attend. There will be guest speakers possibly including a NASA astronaut. The trail is already a big hit with many citizens using it on a daily basis.
Buck Creek Fire Department, reported that the Department was recently donated one engine, one heavy duty rescue vehicle and two ambulances from the Volunteer Corporation of Castleton (also known as Lawrence Township) because of the merger of Lawrence Township with Marion County. This will also provide them with about 20 additional, trained, volunteers. I also reported that I received a call from Mel Branson, Township trustee, about the newly acquired equipment and where it might be used. Though the Town cannot afford it now, it would be nice if perhaps in the future the town could build its own station and the Buck Creek Fire Department would staff it with the equipment and volunteers. This may help cut back the amount we pay for fire service from Buck Creek. We will have to see what the future holds.
The Hugo Street and Cumberland Proper Phase II storm drain projects are coming right along. They have been walked-through by Wessler and Council members, and bids should take place soon. They have been talking with residents in the area affected. We have identified these as major, urgent project for the next fiscal year as Hugo street is sinking in many spots and the proper phase II area is the part of old town south of Washington st and still retain the original sewer system which has been falling apart for years and causing other infrastructure issues.
The town manager gave an update on the Washington street project and mentioned INDOT’s focus is currently on the stretch between Town Hall and Grassy Creek (Kroger). INDOT will install a new concrete manhole structure at Hugo Street that will replace the current brick one at no cost to the Town. It was also reported that several side streets will be closed for up to two weeks at a time (for curing) in order to install crosswalks. This depends upon the weather (temperature and rain). If weather delays this, it will be next spring before they finish crosswalks. There have been issues with the project recently with town underground assets being discovered during the project and we have been very fortunate that INDOT has agreed to replace or repair to remedy the issues at not cost to the town. The pipes and lines they have found were not on the town maps but are part of our system.
Central Indiana Power, the Town, and the Valley Brook Village Home Owner’s Association have come to an agreement that will not be costly to either the HOA or the Town concerning the tree trimming along 21st Street. It will cost approximately $20,000 to move the power lines and put them under ground at CIP’s cost. They are still working on obtaining Right-of-Way from two home owners necessary to use to go between their houses. I am glad to see this remedy and thanks to the HOA representative for their work on this. I stated to the town and CIP that the lines were underground before the work was done and I was going to hold firm to my stance that they should be put back underground and avoid cutting down trees.
The town street department is currently in leaf pick up mode and pretty much on schedule. Hopefully the leaves fall before the snow flies. Areas of Cobblefield, and Valley Brook Village are not routinely on the schedule do to the low number of trees and hence low number of leaves but we do pay into the town for pick up as part of our taxes, so if you have leaves rake them towards the edge of the road but not in the road and call the town to be sure they know to come by.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland town council.
Hello,
News from the latest town council meeting November 3, 2010.
Chief Crooke introduced Sheriff Elect of Hancock County, Mike Shepherd. Shepherd has worked with our chief over the years and he is looking forward to working with him in the future. He is making visits to all of the localities in Hancock county to better foster communication.
There will be a Solar System Model and Trail ribbon cutting and opening on Saturday, November 13, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. at the EARTH panel of the solar system. This is located along the west entrance drive to Meijer off of German Church rd. Everyone in the community is invited to attend. There will be guest speakers possibly including a NASA astronaut. The trail is already a big hit with many citizens using it on a daily basis.
Buck Creek Fire Department, reported that the Department was recently donated one engine, one heavy duty rescue vehicle and two ambulances from the Volunteer Corporation of Castleton (also known as Lawrence Township) because of the merger of Lawrence Township with Marion County. This will also provide them with about 20 additional, trained, volunteers. I also reported that I received a call from Mel Branson, Township trustee, about the newly acquired equipment and where it might be used. Though the Town cannot afford it now, it would be nice if perhaps in the future the town could build its own station and the Buck Creek Fire Department would staff it with the equipment and volunteers. This may help cut back the amount we pay for fire service from Buck Creek. We will have to see what the future holds.
The Hugo Street and Cumberland Proper Phase II storm drain projects are coming right along. They have been walked-through by Wessler and Council members, and bids should take place soon. They have been talking with residents in the area affected. We have identified these as major, urgent project for the next fiscal year as Hugo street is sinking in many spots and the proper phase II area is the part of old town south of Washington st and still retain the original sewer system which has been falling apart for years and causing other infrastructure issues.
The town manager gave an update on the Washington street project and mentioned INDOT’s focus is currently on the stretch between Town Hall and Grassy Creek (Kroger). INDOT will install a new concrete manhole structure at Hugo Street that will replace the current brick one at no cost to the Town. It was also reported that several side streets will be closed for up to two weeks at a time (for curing) in order to install crosswalks. This depends upon the weather (temperature and rain). If weather delays this, it will be next spring before they finish crosswalks. There have been issues with the project recently with town underground assets being discovered during the project and we have been very fortunate that INDOT has agreed to replace or repair to remedy the issues at not cost to the town. The pipes and lines they have found were not on the town maps but are part of our system.
Central Indiana Power, the Town, and the Valley Brook Village Home Owner’s Association have come to an agreement that will not be costly to either the HOA or the Town concerning the tree trimming along 21st Street. It will cost approximately $20,000 to move the power lines and put them under ground at CIP’s cost. They are still working on obtaining Right-of-Way from two home owners necessary to use to go between their houses. I am glad to see this remedy and thanks to the HOA representative for their work on this. I stated to the town and CIP that the lines were underground before the work was done and I was going to hold firm to my stance that they should be put back underground and avoid cutting down trees.
The town street department is currently in leaf pick up mode and pretty much on schedule. Hopefully the leaves fall before the snow flies. Areas of Cobblefield, and Valley Brook Village are not routinely on the schedule do to the low number of trees and hence low number of leaves but we do pay into the town for pick up as part of our taxes, so if you have leaves rake them towards the edge of the road but not in the road and call the town to be sure they know to come by.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland town council.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
town council news 10/6/10
District 5 News:
Hello,
News from the latest town council meeting September 15, 2010.
The council voted on the 2011 budget. It passed with a vote of 4-1 with mine being the lone NAY vote. I have raised concern about the increase in the budget and the whole process. We were told we could make cuts but once it is introduced it is more complicated to make any changes with out everyone in agreement. In my opinion the budget, with any cuts or changes needs to be done before it goes to public introduction then it can be voted on in a timely manner with out any chaos. All of my concern may have made a difference because the council members have asked that the department heads look at their budget and reduce it back to 2010 levels so there will be no increase in the totals. My hopes are that they go back down close but may be a bit above 2010 due to increases in costs for equipment, supplies and contractors. I did make my own proposals for changes amounting to 250k reductions. These may be doable or may not but felt it was my job to help find cuts where I saw the potential.
The bridges are in on the Pennsy trail. There is however some paint touch up needed which will be addressed by the manufacturer. This trail project has gotten so much interest from the press, the local residents and other distant entities that it really has me amazed.
This fall there is a referendum on the ballot for the schools. Everyone should go to the MVCSC web site to learn about it and even calculate the amount it will increase your tax bill. For a home with a total assessed value of around 175,000 the tax bill for this will be about $100.00 give or take. Now for a TOTALLY personal view. It does make me angry that the schools and government spend our tax dollars bailing out businesses, the financial sector and home buyers who bought more than they could afford. It makes me angry that the school boards use our tax dollars to build taj mahal’s for schools (nice marble floors and glass roofs do not make a child any smarter). But it is even more disheartening that these kids will be expected to pay back all of this spending and now we have to tell them they can not get the full range of education they need with out paying more to the schools for teachers and classes. They are the ones who are going to suffer at both ends. We really do need music and art and AP classes, I think we really do need forms of physical education in school because many Americans are unhealthy and it starts in childhood.
They have laid the final coat of surface on Washington street from town hall the Buck creek. They have also moved some of the barrels to the side of the road. I continue to ask to have them get all the barrels gone and be done with that end soon.
The owner of GEM utilities would still like to sell us the utilities and since he has made a huge rate increase I think the customers would like it as well. The town is still looking at a financing arrangement and I will be designed so there is no more outlay by the town and the payments will be made by those customers.
The farmers market will be wrapping up the season on Oct 30th and we will have entertainment in the form of a rock/reggae musician from Tennessee. We will also have a classic car cruise in that day so if you have a classic or antique car and want to bring it out you are very welcome. No fee, just hang out and enjoy the cars, music and market.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland town council.
Hello,
News from the latest town council meeting September 15, 2010.
The council voted on the 2011 budget. It passed with a vote of 4-1 with mine being the lone NAY vote. I have raised concern about the increase in the budget and the whole process. We were told we could make cuts but once it is introduced it is more complicated to make any changes with out everyone in agreement. In my opinion the budget, with any cuts or changes needs to be done before it goes to public introduction then it can be voted on in a timely manner with out any chaos. All of my concern may have made a difference because the council members have asked that the department heads look at their budget and reduce it back to 2010 levels so there will be no increase in the totals. My hopes are that they go back down close but may be a bit above 2010 due to increases in costs for equipment, supplies and contractors. I did make my own proposals for changes amounting to 250k reductions. These may be doable or may not but felt it was my job to help find cuts where I saw the potential.
The bridges are in on the Pennsy trail. There is however some paint touch up needed which will be addressed by the manufacturer. This trail project has gotten so much interest from the press, the local residents and other distant entities that it really has me amazed.
This fall there is a referendum on the ballot for the schools. Everyone should go to the MVCSC web site to learn about it and even calculate the amount it will increase your tax bill. For a home with a total assessed value of around 175,000 the tax bill for this will be about $100.00 give or take. Now for a TOTALLY personal view. It does make me angry that the schools and government spend our tax dollars bailing out businesses, the financial sector and home buyers who bought more than they could afford. It makes me angry that the school boards use our tax dollars to build taj mahal’s for schools (nice marble floors and glass roofs do not make a child any smarter). But it is even more disheartening that these kids will be expected to pay back all of this spending and now we have to tell them they can not get the full range of education they need with out paying more to the schools for teachers and classes. They are the ones who are going to suffer at both ends. We really do need music and art and AP classes, I think we really do need forms of physical education in school because many Americans are unhealthy and it starts in childhood.
They have laid the final coat of surface on Washington street from town hall the Buck creek. They have also moved some of the barrels to the side of the road. I continue to ask to have them get all the barrels gone and be done with that end soon.
The owner of GEM utilities would still like to sell us the utilities and since he has made a huge rate increase I think the customers would like it as well. The town is still looking at a financing arrangement and I will be designed so there is no more outlay by the town and the payments will be made by those customers.
The farmers market will be wrapping up the season on Oct 30th and we will have entertainment in the form of a rock/reggae musician from Tennessee. We will also have a classic car cruise in that day so if you have a classic or antique car and want to bring it out you are very welcome. No fee, just hang out and enjoy the cars, music and market.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland town council.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Town Council News 9/1/10
District 5 News:
Hello,
News from the latest town council meeting September 1, 2010.
The Cumberland Arts goes to Market was a big success. Twice the size of last year and at times so many people walking down Saturn that you couldn’t squeeze by. We had some great arts vendors, the farmers market vendors and music and performances at 2 tents. The rain even held off except for the one 10min rain about 2:30.
We had a guest from the Hancock County Education Alliance (HCEA) speak to the council. There has been many meetings about this topic in Greenfield of late and many citizen groups involved. He did say that they were going ahead with opening and will be using empty building space until an investor comes on board and builds at Progress Park and that they will be leasing any structure not building it.
We approved the spending of funds on inside and outside video cameras for around town hall. These funds are from a JAG grant and a Homeland Security grant.
We are also looking at alarm systems for the town buildings but will need to check the current budgets for these departments before we can determine weather to go ahead or not.
The town is working with Central Indian Power regarding the trees vs power line issue on 21st st and Buck Creek road. The lines were moved from in ground to above ground when 21st was rebuilt. Now the trees are growing up around the power lives and CIP wants to cut them down. We will continue to work with them on this issue.
The town is having DEA drug toss on Sept 25th. Residents are encouraged to bring there out dated prescription and over the counter drugs to the town for proper disposal by the DEA. Just use a marker to cross out any names or cut the name of the label but leave the drug name intact which will make it easier to dispose properly.
We received what I believe to be the final draft of the 2011 budget and I am very disappointed that it has an overall increase of over 500,000 and we have no large project currently scheduled for the next year. The increases seem to be across all departments which to me if we are going to increase for a big project then that fund is where we would have the increase. The first budget that I was in office for was the 2009 which had a increase of 5% and I voted against it. The 2010 budget had a decrease of 8% and I felt we were moving in the right direction. Now this 2011 budget has a 12% increase and I will be voting NO. I offered some suggestions to help get the budget down but they were not included. One Council is asking for 35,000 to pay a professional firm to maintain the plantings in the medians being build down Washington st. Another councilman was pushing for spending 750,000 to expand town hall. This last one did not make it in but the previous one was at a lesser amount. I was asking for funding for another police officer and that may not happen as I had hoped.
The Pennsy trail is still on schedule to open on time this fall (NOV 1) and there will be a ribbon cutting scheduled around that time.
The Washington street project is many months behind schedule and will miss the completion date of this fall and will be finished in the spring. I will again be asking that all of the barrels be removed from the road way before winter weather sets in.
We will be looking at preliminary work to rebuild the sewer and roadway on Hugo. There are many spots where the road is starting sink into the ground due to storm sewer breakdowns.
The Farmers Market is still going until the end of Oct and I will be there this sat 9/11 to work the towns welcome tent. Stop by and get your weekly produce and say Hi.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland town council Dist 5
Hello,
News from the latest town council meeting September 1, 2010.
The Cumberland Arts goes to Market was a big success. Twice the size of last year and at times so many people walking down Saturn that you couldn’t squeeze by. We had some great arts vendors, the farmers market vendors and music and performances at 2 tents. The rain even held off except for the one 10min rain about 2:30.
We had a guest from the Hancock County Education Alliance (HCEA) speak to the council. There has been many meetings about this topic in Greenfield of late and many citizen groups involved. He did say that they were going ahead with opening and will be using empty building space until an investor comes on board and builds at Progress Park and that they will be leasing any structure not building it.
We approved the spending of funds on inside and outside video cameras for around town hall. These funds are from a JAG grant and a Homeland Security grant.
We are also looking at alarm systems for the town buildings but will need to check the current budgets for these departments before we can determine weather to go ahead or not.
The town is working with Central Indian Power regarding the trees vs power line issue on 21st st and Buck Creek road. The lines were moved from in ground to above ground when 21st was rebuilt. Now the trees are growing up around the power lives and CIP wants to cut them down. We will continue to work with them on this issue.
The town is having DEA drug toss on Sept 25th. Residents are encouraged to bring there out dated prescription and over the counter drugs to the town for proper disposal by the DEA. Just use a marker to cross out any names or cut the name of the label but leave the drug name intact which will make it easier to dispose properly.
We received what I believe to be the final draft of the 2011 budget and I am very disappointed that it has an overall increase of over 500,000 and we have no large project currently scheduled for the next year. The increases seem to be across all departments which to me if we are going to increase for a big project then that fund is where we would have the increase. The first budget that I was in office for was the 2009 which had a increase of 5% and I voted against it. The 2010 budget had a decrease of 8% and I felt we were moving in the right direction. Now this 2011 budget has a 12% increase and I will be voting NO. I offered some suggestions to help get the budget down but they were not included. One Council is asking for 35,000 to pay a professional firm to maintain the plantings in the medians being build down Washington st. Another councilman was pushing for spending 750,000 to expand town hall. This last one did not make it in but the previous one was at a lesser amount. I was asking for funding for another police officer and that may not happen as I had hoped.
The Pennsy trail is still on schedule to open on time this fall (NOV 1) and there will be a ribbon cutting scheduled around that time.
The Washington street project is many months behind schedule and will miss the completion date of this fall and will be finished in the spring. I will again be asking that all of the barrels be removed from the road way before winter weather sets in.
We will be looking at preliminary work to rebuild the sewer and roadway on Hugo. There are many spots where the road is starting sink into the ground due to storm sewer breakdowns.
The Farmers Market is still going until the end of Oct and I will be there this sat 9/11 to work the towns welcome tent. Stop by and get your weekly produce and say Hi.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland town council Dist 5
Friday, August 13, 2010
Sad, sad, sad
The Demoncrats have had control of the entire federal government for almost 2 years yet the President has accomplished nothing. Nothing to get us out of the recession, nothing to decrease unemployment. The only thing he has done is increase the deficit and debt and blame others for the problems he said he could fix.
We have Nancy Pelosi, who talked about getting rid of bad apples in government and two of her parties members in her own house are in ethics troubles, Rangel and Waters (one has already played the race card). The President went through numerous Democrats to fill positions in his cabinet when he took office because they kept with drawing their names due to past tax and corruption issues.
Two more state house reps in New Hampshire are tweeting and blogging how they feel Sarah Palin should have some type of mortal injury.
The Dem governer of Illinois is currently on trial for corruption, which seems to happen a lot there.
It's just sad. I am only waiting now for them to blame the republicans for making them corrupt.
UDPATE: and we have a winner. Waters from Cal just had a press conference where she blamed Bush for her corruption.
We have Nancy Pelosi, who talked about getting rid of bad apples in government and two of her parties members in her own house are in ethics troubles, Rangel and Waters (one has already played the race card). The President went through numerous Democrats to fill positions in his cabinet when he took office because they kept with drawing their names due to past tax and corruption issues.
Two more state house reps in New Hampshire are tweeting and blogging how they feel Sarah Palin should have some type of mortal injury.
The Dem governer of Illinois is currently on trial for corruption, which seems to happen a lot there.
It's just sad. I am only waiting now for them to blame the republicans for making them corrupt.
UDPATE: and we have a winner. Waters from Cal just had a press conference where she blamed Bush for her corruption.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Town News 8/4/10
District 5 News:
Hello,
News from the latest town council meeting August 4, 2010.
The city of Indy passed the operations of the water system to Citizens gas and they will in turn retain the water service advisory board which the town manager is on. I bring this up so that we will know how things are going and hopefully avoid the dramatic increase in water bills that Veolia was considering.
A couple of Tuesdays ago the road construction crews hit a gas line on Washington Street shutting down the road and diverting traffic (bog rigs included) down Hugo Street. This street was in bad enough shape already and in need of complete rebuild (road is breaking up and the sewer underneath has fallen apart). We will need to rebuild the road it is just a matter of how soon and this traffic may have made it more urgent.
Don’t forget the farmers market on Saturday mornings and Tuesday afternoons. There are a lot of items in season now and we have most of them at the markets. I will be working the market Aug 14th and remember the Cumberland Arts goes to Market on Aug 21st where not only will we have the regular market but also a huge arts and crafts fair stretching from town hall along behind speedway to the First Baptist Church on Muessing. I will be working the info booth from 1-3 and am sponsoring the live demonstration tent.
I have formally asked for the council consensus on having the legal consultant write an ordinance allowing and supporting our officers to check the legal residency status of individuals they stop or arrest if they feel there may be an issue. I feel that illegal immigrants in this country do in fact weigh down our economy and I do feel that they take legal Americans jobs in many areas. I also feel that with other states passing legislation targeting them that they will quite possibly move to Indiana causing our state to have to deal with.
The towns National Night Out event was a big hit. We had fire trucks, K9 search and rescue units and the Indy mounted police there with three horses. Food, drinks and chips. We also had a car seat safety check where citizens could have car safety seats checked for proper installation.
We are currently in the budget process and will be having a public hearing soon to introduce it and take public comment. We will then vote on it at a subsequent meeting per state regulations. Watch for the date if you want more info and want to come to speak. I will send out a reminder once the date is set. The budget for 2011 is going to be even tighter and I am trying to hopefully find the funds for another officer for the police dept. Our officers make less than their counterparts in Greenfield and Indianapolis so it is hard to find and keep good officers but I feel the chief does a very good job of this.
The Pennsy trail is moving along and we are waiting for the delivery of the bridges. We passed a trail rules ordinance which states what the rules for use are. Basically the obvious things like pets must be on leashes, if on a bike give right of way to pedestrians, pick up after your self and your pets, etc.
We introduced and ordinance to establish a “fund” (where the money the state sends us is put until used) for the CEDIT money we have received this year and also introduced the ordinance putting the funds in the account. At this point we do not know if CEDIT will continue past Nov but we had to make a place to put the funds we are getting this year.
That is about it for now. If you have any questions just call or email and I will try to get right back to you.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland Town Council Dist 5.
Hello,
News from the latest town council meeting August 4, 2010.
The city of Indy passed the operations of the water system to Citizens gas and they will in turn retain the water service advisory board which the town manager is on. I bring this up so that we will know how things are going and hopefully avoid the dramatic increase in water bills that Veolia was considering.
A couple of Tuesdays ago the road construction crews hit a gas line on Washington Street shutting down the road and diverting traffic (bog rigs included) down Hugo Street. This street was in bad enough shape already and in need of complete rebuild (road is breaking up and the sewer underneath has fallen apart). We will need to rebuild the road it is just a matter of how soon and this traffic may have made it more urgent.
Don’t forget the farmers market on Saturday mornings and Tuesday afternoons. There are a lot of items in season now and we have most of them at the markets. I will be working the market Aug 14th and remember the Cumberland Arts goes to Market on Aug 21st where not only will we have the regular market but also a huge arts and crafts fair stretching from town hall along behind speedway to the First Baptist Church on Muessing. I will be working the info booth from 1-3 and am sponsoring the live demonstration tent.
I have formally asked for the council consensus on having the legal consultant write an ordinance allowing and supporting our officers to check the legal residency status of individuals they stop or arrest if they feel there may be an issue. I feel that illegal immigrants in this country do in fact weigh down our economy and I do feel that they take legal Americans jobs in many areas. I also feel that with other states passing legislation targeting them that they will quite possibly move to Indiana causing our state to have to deal with.
The towns National Night Out event was a big hit. We had fire trucks, K9 search and rescue units and the Indy mounted police there with three horses. Food, drinks and chips. We also had a car seat safety check where citizens could have car safety seats checked for proper installation.
We are currently in the budget process and will be having a public hearing soon to introduce it and take public comment. We will then vote on it at a subsequent meeting per state regulations. Watch for the date if you want more info and want to come to speak. I will send out a reminder once the date is set. The budget for 2011 is going to be even tighter and I am trying to hopefully find the funds for another officer for the police dept. Our officers make less than their counterparts in Greenfield and Indianapolis so it is hard to find and keep good officers but I feel the chief does a very good job of this.
The Pennsy trail is moving along and we are waiting for the delivery of the bridges. We passed a trail rules ordinance which states what the rules for use are. Basically the obvious things like pets must be on leashes, if on a bike give right of way to pedestrians, pick up after your self and your pets, etc.
We introduced and ordinance to establish a “fund” (where the money the state sends us is put until used) for the CEDIT money we have received this year and also introduced the ordinance putting the funds in the account. At this point we do not know if CEDIT will continue past Nov but we had to make a place to put the funds we are getting this year.
That is about it for now. If you have any questions just call or email and I will try to get right back to you.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland Town Council Dist 5.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Town news 7/7/10
Hello,
Here is the latest from the town council meeting on 7/7/10.
The IURC approved the purchase of GEM utilities but did not approve the financing. The commission, which consists of a few new persons, made the decision that a private utility owner can not sell a utility for more than what they themselves actually have invested. Meaning that there is no allowance for increased value including any portion donated to the utility by a developer. We are still looking into how they can make that determination. This statement will deter anyone from ever starting a utility in a rural area and put Indiana back about 100 yrs since it will force the state to allow well and septic systems.
We passed a water conservation ordinance that follows Indy water guidelines. This will come into play only during times of drought. The mayor of Indy can call for a water emergency and Indianapolis' water ordinance and ours comes into play restricting water of lawns, washing cars, etc until the emergency is lifted. It has been almost 30 yrs since we had a drought that required this so they are few and far between. Indy had asked all municipalities they serve to adopt some type of rules.
We also adopted a couple of changes to the large vehicle parking ordinance providing for an increasing scale of fines for future violations and the ability for the town to tow a vehicle after the 4Th offense. Large commercial/construction vehicles parked on the town streets become a safety hazard with decreased visibility around them. If residents are aware of vehicles like this being left for more than 24 hrs they should contact the town.
IN DOT has informed the town that the US40/Washington street project is 90 days behind schedule due to the rainy June. (my personal opinion is that it is due equally to the fact that the crews float from project to project day to day).
The Pennsy trail project is moving along and the two bridges are being built in the factory and will hopefully be shipped to us soon.
I have over 50 persons in the email distribution list for the farmers market and one thing I can tell everyone is that if there is something you need at the market get there early. There was a large amount of produce at this past Saturdays market and by 10:30 am it was almost all gone. If you would like to be on the email list for the eNewsletter just reply to this email and I will add you to the list.
That is about all from this past week. More in the future.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland town council.
Here is the latest from the town council meeting on 7/7/10.
The IURC approved the purchase of GEM utilities but did not approve the financing. The commission, which consists of a few new persons, made the decision that a private utility owner can not sell a utility for more than what they themselves actually have invested. Meaning that there is no allowance for increased value including any portion donated to the utility by a developer. We are still looking into how they can make that determination. This statement will deter anyone from ever starting a utility in a rural area and put Indiana back about 100 yrs since it will force the state to allow well and septic systems.
We passed a water conservation ordinance that follows Indy water guidelines. This will come into play only during times of drought. The mayor of Indy can call for a water emergency and Indianapolis' water ordinance and ours comes into play restricting water of lawns, washing cars, etc until the emergency is lifted. It has been almost 30 yrs since we had a drought that required this so they are few and far between. Indy had asked all municipalities they serve to adopt some type of rules.
We also adopted a couple of changes to the large vehicle parking ordinance providing for an increasing scale of fines for future violations and the ability for the town to tow a vehicle after the 4Th offense. Large commercial/construction vehicles parked on the town streets become a safety hazard with decreased visibility around them. If residents are aware of vehicles like this being left for more than 24 hrs they should contact the town.
IN DOT has informed the town that the US40/Washington street project is 90 days behind schedule due to the rainy June. (my personal opinion is that it is due equally to the fact that the crews float from project to project day to day).
The Pennsy trail project is moving along and the two bridges are being built in the factory and will hopefully be shipped to us soon.
I have over 50 persons in the email distribution list for the farmers market and one thing I can tell everyone is that if there is something you need at the market get there early. There was a large amount of produce at this past Saturdays market and by 10:30 am it was almost all gone. If you would like to be on the email list for the eNewsletter just reply to this email and I will add you to the list.
That is about all from this past week. More in the future.
Joe Siefker
Cumberland town council.
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