WINONA LAKE – Winona Lake Town Council approved an early buyout and new contract to handle municipal duties.
Town Manager Craig Allebach said the town’s budget has taken a “pretty good hit from COVID” but the town has managed to “hold the line for the budget this current year.”
However, because of dwindling revenues and constraints from fundings from the motor vehicle highway fund and streets, the town’s street department has seen a 40 to 60% cut.
Winona Lake has contracted Inframark for 20 years to handle the street department municipal duties that include everything from maintenance to water lines, picking up brush and plowing snow-covered streets.
That is coming to an end, effective May 5.
The Council approved an early buyout to end the agreement with Inframark for $138,000. By doing that, Allebach said the town will save about $1,800 in 2021.
On May 6, SiteWorx will become the town’s new agency to handle the municipal duties.
Allebach said the town will see an additional savings of roughly $141,000 in 2022 by switching.
Allebach said if residents see the Inframark employees out before their exit May 5, to thank them for their service to the community.
“This is strictly just for budgetary issues,” he said, adding residents should not be concerned with the quality of services moving forward.
“We expect it to be just as good or better,” Allebach said.
The next Winona Lake Town Council meeting is 6 p.m. May 18 at Town Hall.
