Bourbon Deals With Property Owner’s $22K Overdue Water Bill
Posted
Carol Anders-
BOURBON – The Bourbon Town Council spent several minutes Tuesday discussing how to resolve a potential settlement for properties owned by Karen Holmes. Holmes owns four properties in town, and all four no longer have water services due to an outstanding water bill of $22,234.75. Holmes continues to occupy the home at the corner of Thayer and Sunset streets. No water has been provided by the town for at least two years. In addition, electric service to at least three properties has been shut off by NIPSCO. Wastewater Superintendent Steve Stacy said he believes Holmes is bringing in water to flush the toilets. Clerk-Treasurer Kim Berger said town attorney Mark Wagner is in favor of accepting a cash settlement of $10,000 if it can be negotiated. Holmes is offering $9,000; however, she wants the town to clear liens on the properties to keep them from being sold in a tax sale and an eight-month extension to pay for services. Council members said they are not in favor of the settlement as proposed. “If we are going to lose $12,000, then I would rather pay Mark (Wagner) to fight it in court,”P.J. Hanley said. Hanley, Les McFarland and Larry Wattenbarger unanimously voted to suspend all services to Holmes, including trash and leave debris pickups. They instructed Roger Terry, street department, to pick up trash containers at all of the properties. The council agreed to consult with Wagner for further action. In other business: • Bourbon High School Alumni President Francis Berkey asked the council for a reduction in the Matchett Center rental cost for its annual meeting. The group had been paying $200, and the price was lowered to $150 for one year. Berkey noted that the number of alumni had dwindled, resulting in less money for the organization. She said attendance at the event varies from 80 to 120, depending on which graduation year class they are honoring, • The council approved the part-time hire of Tim McIntyre at the street department and full-time hire of Steven Walsh at the wastewater department on a vote of 2-0-1. McFarland said he will continue to abstain from voting until a consistent hiring practice is in place. He said that the council provides oversight on hires, but he has no knowledge of applicants being considered. It was noted that Wattenbarger did sit in for a recent interview, but only as an observer. It was recommended that a policy draft be submitted for council consideration. Hanley said the draft could include an option for a council member to sit in on all interviews. • Stacy received approval to perform a smoke test on the town’s filtration equipment. He said they had pumped 8.5 million gallons of water during the last few weeks of rain; the usual amount is approximately 5 million gallons. • Installation of privacy doors in park restrooms could be completed this week. The majority of restroom renovations has been completed. • Fencing for the proposed dog park for Westwood Park has been ordered and will be installed after the restroom renovations are complete. • The council approved tax abatements for the Bates Corp. and Indiana Composite. The original tax abatement for Indiana Composite included wording for 198 employees, but there are only 30. The council agreed to review the matter in one year to give the company time to grow. • Hours for disposing of yard waste at the town’s dump have been extended to Saturday. Police will open the gate at 8 a.m. and close it at 4 p.m. Signs are posted to limit dumping to yard waste only. Officers and other town employees will monitor the usage to help ensure that other waste is not dumped. Bill Martin, police chief, said over 10 pounds of litter illegally dumped is subject to a $250 fine.
