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| 3/4/2008 7:00:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Gross Takes Seat On
Mentone
Council
David Slone
Times-Union Staff Writer
MENTONE - For the past two years, Jill Gross sat in the back of the Mentone Town Council meetings, listening in as just a resident.
As of Monday night, she is now an official member of the council.
In January, councilman Roger Long resigned from the board after serving a term. A caucus was held in February, with the two candidates for the open seat being Gross and former councilman Mark Hughes. Gross was chosen. Monday night, Clerk-Treasurer Barbara Ross swore Gross in.
"I come to all the meetings. I am interested. I've lived here for 32 years," Gross said as to why she wanted to serve on the council.
One of the things Gross said she would like to see happen is for the Mentone council to increase from a three-member board to a five-member board. She said she thinks a three-member board is more divisive.
Jill and her husband, Jerry, have owned their own business, Jerry's Body Shop, for 29 years. She also drives an ambulance for the Mentone EMS.
She is the president of the EMS board. A member of Mentone United Methodist Church, she serves as the church's treasurer. She also serves as treasurer at the Bell Memorial Library in Mentone.
Jill, who will be 50 this year, was born in Warsaw, raised in Atwood and graduated from Warsaw Community High School in 1976. Jill and Jerry have two daughters.
In other business, the council:
n Approved an ordinance for an additional appropriation for $40,000 from the Economic Development Income Tax. The ordinance will be sent to the state for approval, which Ross said will take 15 to 20 days.
The money will be used to upgrade a 2-inch water main to a 6-inch water main on Jackson Street extended to North Oak Street, and to install two fire hydrants. The cost includes $5,800 for engineering fees and $30,000 to $35,000 for Flecks to do the work.
n Heard from Ross that the town received a letter from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources that the DNR approved Mentone's ordinance for flood waters. Ross said town attorney Larry Beeson told her that he is waiting for a similar letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
n Established a Rainy Day Fund. Ross said the town had to establish the fund because the town has some excess EDIT and County Option Income Tax monies. To spend the excess, the money has to be put in a Rainy Day Fund.
n Approved purchasing two posters for $79.95 each from Occupational Safety and Health Administration. One poster is about the ergonomics program, and the other is about injury and illness prevention.
If the town doesn't purchase and post the posters, the town could be fined $7,000 for each violation.
n Approved for Utilities Superintendent Eric Carlin to trade in the department's two-year-old Bobcat for a new one and a street sweeper attachment for $9,850.
In previous years, the town rented a sweeper for $800.
The new Bobcat and street sweeper attachment will be purchased from Bobcat of Warsaw.
n Heard from Town Marshall Jim Eads that the radar unit for the police department came in. The unit was purchased for $1,300 through a grant from KCODE. It has not been installed as of Monday.
Eads also reported that the police department purchased water search and rescue vests for $98 each.
"We looked at a bunch of them," Eads said. "We purchased one for each truck."
For the Mentone Police Department monthly report, 18 incidents were reported; there were 10 cases, and six major cases.
Six adults were arrested, and two were felonies.
Under uniform traffic tickets, seven were traffic related. There were 43 traffic-related warnings and two ordinance violations. Two warrants were served, and two accidents reported.
The three reserves worked 57, 66 and 20 hours.
The Mentone Town Council are President Tim Croy, Jack Simpson and Gross. They meet on the first Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the Mentone Community Emergency Services Building.
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"I come to all the meetings. I am interested. I've lived here for 32 years," Gross said as to why she wanted to serve on the council.
One of the things Gross said she would like to see happen is for the Mentone council to increase from a three-member board to a five-member board. She said she thinks a three-member board is more divisive.
Jill and her husband, Jerry, have owned their own business, Jerry's Body Shop, for 29 years. She also drives an ambulance for the Mentone EMS.
She is the president of the EMS board. A member of Mentone United Methodist Church, she serves as the church's treasurer. She also serves as treasurer at the Bell Memorial Library in Mentone.
Jill, who will be 50 this year, was born in Warsaw, raised in Atwood and graduated from Warsaw Community High School in 1976. Jill and Jerry have two daughters.
In other business, the council:
n Approved an ordinance for an additional appropriation for $40,000 from the Economic Development Income Tax. The ordinance will be sent to the state for approval, which Ross said will take 15 to 20 days.
The money will be used to upgrade a 2-inch water main to a 6-inch water main on Jackson Street extended to North Oak Street, and to install two fire hydrants. The cost includes $5,800 for engineering fees and $30,000 to $35,000 for Flecks to do the work.
n Heard from Ross that the town received a letter from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources that the DNR approved Mentone's ordinance for flood waters. Ross said town attorney Larry Beeson told her that he is waiting for a similar letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
n Established a Rainy Day Fund. Ross said the town had to establish the fund because the town has some excess EDIT and County Option Income Tax monies. To spend the excess, the money has to be put in a Rainy Day Fund.
n Approved purchasing two posters for $79.95 each from Occupational Safety and Health Administration. One poster is about the ergonomics program, and the other is about injury and illness prevention.
If the town doesn't purchase and post the posters, the town could be fined $7,000 for each violation.
n Approved for Utilities Superintendent Eric Carlin to trade in the department's two-year-old Bobcat for a new one and a street sweeper attachment for $9,850.
In previous years, the town rented a sweeper for $800.
The new Bobcat and street sweeper attachment will be purchased from Bobcat of Warsaw.
n Heard from Town Marshall Jim Eads that the radar unit for the police department came in. The unit was purchased for $1,300 through a grant from KCODE. It has not been installed as of Monday.
Eads also reported that the police department purchased water search and rescue vests for $98 each.
"We looked at a bunch of them," Eads said. "We purchased one for each truck."
For the Mentone Police Department monthly report, 18 incidents were reported; there were 10 cases, and six major cases.
Six adults were arrested, and two were felonies.
Under uniform traffic tickets, seven were traffic related. There were 43 traffic-related warnings and two ordinance violations. Two warrants were served, and two accidents reported.
The three reserves worked 57, 66 and 20 hours.
The Mentone Town Council are President Tim Croy, Jack Simpson and Gross. They meet on the first Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the Mentone Community Emergency Services Building.
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