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Mike Cox, Kosciusko County 9/11 Remembrance Planning Committee member, reminded the Warsaw Common Council at their meeting Tuesday the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is Friday and he invited everyone to the local parade and ceremony.
The parade starts at 6:30 p.m. in Boggs Industrial Park, travels east on Center Street to North Indiana Street and then down to Central Park where the ceremony will take place at about 7:15 p.m.
Keynote speaker as part of the program is Mark Eaton, who many may remember as Susie McEntire’s husband. Cox said he’s heard Eaton speak and thinks people will enjoy hearing him.
“This is the 25th and is in our 250th year of our democratic republic. We just would like for everyone to turn out,” Cox said.
Ceremony attendees should bring their own lawn chairs. There will be hot dogs, chips and homemade ice cream.
In other business, the council:
• Approved on second reading an ordinance to transfer $3,516.78 and $573,514.30 out of now-dissolved TIF (tax increment finance) funds into the consolidated Northern TIF Fund. The council approved the ordinance on their first ordinance at their last meeting.
• Held a public hearing and approved on first reading an ordinance for an additional appropriation of $580,700 from the airport deprecation fund. No one from the public spoke for or against the ordinance. The second reading will be at the council’s next meeting, Sept. 21.
Airport Manager Nick King explained, “As you guys are aware, we partnered with the county to repave our east/west runway. The first year, when we partnered with them, we weren’t sure how to transfer the funds, so we’ve been doing a lot of learning.”
With Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen’s guidance and working with the county, he said the easiest way was to put the money in the airport’s depreciation fund as it doesn’t fluctuate the tax rate at all.
“Doing that moving forward, which is what we’re doing here - it’s in my budget, I should say, for ‘27 - so this is just the additional appropriation that we need to do to use that funding that was provided by the county,” King said.
The county provided $500,000 of that funding, with the remaining $80,700 coming from the airport’s fuel business.
“As you guys know, every dollar we make, 95 cents goes into our general fund, 5 cents goes into our depreciation fund. I don’t think I will need to use all of it, but I would rather do one additional appropriation and get through the project than get into it and find an issue and then have to come back and do a second one,” King said.
• Approved Warsaw Police Department Chief Scott Whitaker’s request to transfer $30,000 from operating supplies to repairs and maintenance. The purpose of the transfer is to replenish funds due to the unforeseen air conditioning projects in the dive and forensics room, including the cost for electrical work.
• Held a public hearing and approved on first reading an ordinance confirming the speed limit of 25 miles per hour in Shadow Lakes on Ontario Lane, Victoria Lane, Lake Tahoe Trail, Saint Clair Court and Lake Placid Drive. The ordinance came with a full recommendation of approval from the Warsaw Traffic Commission.
Shadow Lakes was annexed into the city several years ago from unincorporated county jurisdiction. A city ordinance needs to be in place for the city to enforce the speed limit that was in place under the county’s jurisdiction.
No one from the public spoke for or against the ordinance. The second reading will be at the council’s next meeting.
• Approved two conflict of interest statements. One was for Jeffrey Thompson, equipment operator, who sells straw to the city; and the other is from Dan Robinson, of Robinson Construction and West Hill Development LLC, who serves on the Warsaw Economic Development Commission and Board of Aviation Commissioners.
