Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MENTONE – Mentone Town Council approved spending $10,000 for the town’s portion of a grant for a utilities master plan for the town.
Clerk-Treasurer Amanda Yaprak said she and Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd had a meeting Sept. 14 with representatives from Michiana Area Council of Governments and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs about a master utility study.
The master utility study would analyze the entire town’s water, sewer and wastewater and give them a plan for renovating or future issues the town may have.
Yaprak said the town will eventually have to make a five-year plan, “this is state mandated for all the town utilities and streets. This will help us plan to make that five-year plan.” If there’s any major projects, the town will have the backup study to apply for further grants.
There will be community input sessions where the town can gather any complaints and individual issues, she said.
Councilman Tim Croy asked if the study would cover just what the town currently has or if it would include anything extra. Yaprak said the study should address if the town made any expansions, how capable the town is to do that or if the town should make any plans to increase their capability.
The grant for the study is through Community Development Block Grant funds. The total plan is $90,000 and the town’s share would be $10,000.
Yaprak said next week would start the town’s planning and data gathering for the study and the call for grant applications are in January and February.
Earlier in the meeting, the council held a public hearing for its proposed 2027 budget.
The total proposed budget is $750,500. The casino/riverboat fund is $16,000. The rainy day fund is $0. The general fund is $577,700. The public safety local income tax is $25,100. The local road and street fund is $22,000. The motor vehicle highway fund is $102,700. The cemetery fund is $12,000. The cumulative capital import fund is $5,000.
There were no public comments.
The council will adopt the budget at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a quote from Brooks Construction Co. Inc. for $82,790 for the pickleball court for phase two of the Mentzer Park upgrade.
• Approved a quote from Gaunt & Son for a walking path for $65,500 with an additional project cost of $32,150 for a horseshoe loop for phase two of the Mentzer Park upgrade.
• Accepted a donation of land within the town of Mentone from the Alice J. Hardesty Trust.
• Received a new petition for annexation for property owned by the Brian and Pamela Romine Trust.
The area proposed for annexation is generally east of Ind. 19, west of Tucker Myers & Hackendorn’s addition and north of the residential properties north of West Harrison Street. The annexation area is about 50.1 acres.
On Sept. 23, the council tabled a decision on the petition after a public hearing because both trustees had not signed the petition by that point.
Town attorney Austin Rovenstine said since the town received a new petition, it started a new timeframe for the petition.
The council will have a public hearing on the new petition at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 4.
• Heard trick-or-treating is from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 31. There will be a costume judging contest starting at 7:30 p.m. at Mentone Elementary School.
• Had a first reading for an ordinance about cross-connection and backflow.
Cross-connections are actual or potential connections between a potable water supply and nonpotable water plumbing. Backflow is the unintended reversal of water flow through a cross-connection, which can result in a potentially serious public health hazard, according to the Environmental Protection Agency website.
Rovenstine was told by Shepherd the Indiana Department of Environmental Management was requesting the ordinance. The ordinance is almost completely based on IDEM’s template, but Rovenstine did change some things to make it specific to Mentone.
Rovenstine summarized the ordinance. It defines what a cross-connection is. The ordinance generally prohibits cross-connections, subject to limited exceptions which require town and IDEM approval.
The ordinance imposes a duty on Shepherd to establish inspection and reinspection programs where those limited exceptions are in existence. It also allows Shepherd the right to request entry and affirmation for inspection and provides refusal to allow that entry or information is deemed evidence a cross-connection is there.
The ordinance gives Shepherd the authority to discontinue services for people in violation of the ordinance and procedures for the discontinuation of services.
The ordinance also states backflow devices are not allowed to be installed below the ground.
There will be a second reading during the council’s Nov. 4 meeting.
• Heard the Mentone Makers Market and Antique Fair will be from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 10 and 24.
• Heard from Dr. Shelly Engle, who is running for Tippecanoe Valley School Board District 3. She introduced herself to the board.
