Greg Fitzloff, business development partner with KEDCo, provides an update to the Etna Green Town Council on plans for the establishment of a residential tax increment finance district in town. InkFreeNews photo by Liz Shepherd.

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

ETNA GREEN — Etna Green Town Council is addressing an issue with flooring at the Heritage Park building.

At a Nov. 15 meeting, Clerk-Treasuer Patti Cook said the town had to pay for the building’s floor to be re-waxed after it was trashed with silly string following a party rental.

“It looked like they had trampled on (the silly string) and they just left it,” said Cook. “They left balloons, they left a mess.”

Cook said the re-waxing, which cost the town $650, was needed because the silly string was embedded into the floor. The town requires a $200 deposit for building rental, which Cook received from the renter and intends to keep because of the damage.

Council agreed to schedule an executive session for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, to speak with the responsible party about the issue.

In other business, the council approved an ordinance regarding unsafe buildings in town limits. No one from the public attended the meeting to comment on the ordinance.

Town Attorney Nick Jacobs said the ordinance will give the town more options to address dilapidated buildings. He noted the council would be the executive department that administers the ordinance by placing warnings on unsafe properties.

Jacobs also said the ordinance would allow for the establishment of an enforcement authority, which would be an individual approved by council to look at an unsafe building and complete an assessment. The ordinance further allows for the establishment of a hearing authority, which is in place for property owners to contest against the ordinance. Council can act as the hearing authority or approve a separate entity to act as such.

A utility rate study for the town was also presented by Cook to council. Cook presented the proposal on behalf of Baker Tilly, a CPA firm. Baker Tilly is responsible for analyzing the town’s water and wastewater rates. In a December 2021 report, Baker Tilly saw a decrease of about $47,000 in cash flows for the year for the sewer utility.

“The sewer utility saw a hit because Winona (Powder Coating) has installed their own wastewater facility,” said Cook.

Cook said Baker Tilly wanted to know if the town would like to have a rate study done.

“If (Baker Tilly) does the rate study and we jump on this right away, we won’t have to raise the rates so much,” said Cook. “If we wait, we would have to increase about 20%, and nobody wants that to happen. That’s a major concern.”

The town has not had to raise its sewer rates since 2010.

Council agreed to have a rate study completed by Baker Tilly.

Greg Fitzloff, business development partner with Kosciusko Economic Development Corp., also attended the meeting to provide an update on a proposed residential tax increment financing district for the town.

Fitzloff said the Kosciusko Redevelopment Commission will hold a public hearing on the TIF district on Jan. 3, 2023. Triton School Board passed a resolution approving the TIF’s establishment during a Nov. 14 meeting. Fitzloff said KEDCo would come back to council for a final declaratory resolution in March 2023.

“They were quite frankly, thrilled,” said Fitzloff about the school board. “They were very interested, very excited to see that project might be moving ahead.”

Fitzloff also emphasized the importance of ensuring town residents have a general understanding of the TIF’s establishment.

A public hearing for residents to further learn about the TIF establishment process will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, prior to the council’s regular meeting at 7 p.m. Fitzloff will be in attendance to answer any questions.

Council Member Jason Hanes updated the council on plans for a walking trail near Heritage Park. Hanes has a meeting with Rich Haddad, president and CEO of K21 Health Foundation, in early January. Etna Green has a $200,000 pledge from K21 to use for health and wellness opportunities in the community. The idea of creating a trail for residents has been frequently mentioned in the council’s discussions on how to use the pledge.

Hanes said the town’s plan for the trail needs to be finalized and that engineers with USI Consultants Inc. will be present at the council’s December meeting.

In other business:

• Santa Claus will be at Heritage Park from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17.
• The town will also be holding a Christmas light contest again, with further information to be posted on the Etna Green Community Page.

The council’s next meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13.