At the Pierceton Town Council meeting on Monday, Sept. 11, are from left: Town Council President Matt Brubaker, Vice President Janet Castle and Member Tom Barker. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

PIERCETON — Pierceton is now looking at a budget of a little more than $1.3 million for 2024.

At its meeting on Monday, Sept. 11, the Pierceton Town Council noted it would have a public hearing on the budget at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, at the Pierceton Community Building.

The public is welcome to voice any concerns then with the 2024 budget.

The proposed budget stands at $1,349,539, which is $306,217 less than the town’s 2023 budget.

It breaks down to: $15,000 in the rainy day fund; $518,016 in the general fund; $20,500 in the local road and street fund; $135,900 in the motor vehicle highway fund; $110,000 in the cumulative bridge and street fund; $5,400 in the continuing education fund; $15,200 in the park fund; $15,000 in the park non-reverting fund; $10,000 in the building demolition fund; $8,000 in the cumulative capital improvement fund from cigarette tax; $15,000 in the cumulative capital development fund; $65,000 in county economic development income tax (CEDIT); $211,000 in the redevelopment general fund; $3,866 in the opioid settlement restricted fund; $1,657 in the opioid settlement unrestricted fund; and $200,000 in the American Rescue Plan Act fund.

People may also see a breakdown of the budget on Indiana Gateway by going to budgetnotices.in.gov/unit_lookup.aspx, selecting Kosciusko as the county and then scrolling down and selecting Pierceton.

At its meeting Monday, the council did approve rolling over some unspent money from several funds for 2023. However, leaders clarified after the meeting that those monies are separate from the 2024 budget amounts even though they may be spent by the town in 2024 if the council so chooses.

If citizens cannot make it to Thursday’s public hearing to voice their concerns on the budget, they can still in a group of 10 or more object to it by reaching out to the town up until Thursday, Sept. 21.

The council is planning to adopt the budget at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, also at the community building.

Wedding Venue

The council also agreed to lend its support to Ashlee Ryman seeking to establish a wedding and event venue at the old Pierceton United Methodist Church building.

That support is needed as Ryman has to have the county OK the use of the building being switched from public to commercial use.

Income Surveys

The council also mentioned income surveys should be going out soon to residents in Pierceton and the surrounding area.

The surveys are needed as part of Pierceton’s participation in the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs’ Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program.

The state created HELP to assist local governments with spending their American Rescue Plan Act money from the federal government on projects to better their communities in four specific areas: Advancing E-Connectivity; Enhancing Quality of Place; Promoting Community Wellness; and Strengthening Local Economies. Kosciusko County was selected to participate, and county representatives invited any of the county’s cities and towns to take part as well, with Pierceton being one of the towns to join.

Pierceton wants to use monies to improve sidewalks in town and do a utility study. The state is to provide special funding to add to Pierceton’s funds if the town can prove the projects benefit a majority of people deemed lower- to moderate income, thus where the surveys come in.

There will be two groups of surveys coming out, both from the Michiana Area Council of Governments, which will go to randomly selected people. The one linked to the utility study should go out to some people outside the area of Pierceton as the town’s water utility serves a section greater than the physical town.

In other business, the council:

• OK’d moving full-time Deputy Town Clerk-Treasurer Kelly Engle to part time. Her salary will still be $17.51 per hour. It also OK’d hiring Bambi Hyde as a full-time deputy town clerk-treasurer at a rate of $1,280 biweekly.
• Heard that the amphitheater at Pierceton-Washington Township Park had been vandalized, but footage was captured on the town’s security cameras. Town Marshal Jim Bumbaugh is to work on charges.
• Agreed to set the town’s trick-or-treat hours for 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.
• Heard that OMCO is having a trunk-or-treat from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. People and organizations are welcome to join to hand out candy.

The council’s next regular meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9, at the community building.