T
P C N SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Volume 137 Edition 41
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
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Commissioners hear rezoning concerns Blairsville property owner wants commercial status By Dave Pearce County government was moving along in mundane style during Tuesday morning’s Posey County Commissioners meeting. That was, until the commissioners heard a request that the property at 8493 Highway 66
in Blairsville, Ind., will be rezoned from R3 (Residential) to B2 (commercial) status. A hush came over the nearly-full room as Posey County Commissioners president Jim Alsop recused himself from the discussion, citing a nepotism issue to one of the
parties involved in the request. According to Executive Director of the Posey County Area Plan Commission Mindy Bourne, the request had been tabled once by the zoning board. Bourne said the applicant had not given a clear answer as to the in-
tended use of the property should it be rezoned. Currently, there is a house and storage units located on the property. After hearing the request, the board decided to send the request to the commissioners with no recommendation as to whether or not to grant the rezoning request. Bourne indicated there were re-
monstrators present at both the meetings. The location currently has “grandfathered” approval for the storage units and should the owner want to add more storage units to the property, it could be done with a special use permit with current zoning, according to Bourne.
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Oeth: Jail project progressing By Dave Pearce Members of the two Posey County governing bodies were informed about the progress of the $16.4 million jail construction project on Tuesday. The information and question/ answer session was presented during a joint meeting of the Posey County Commissioners and the Posey County Council. Posey County Sheriff Greg Oeth presented the majority of the information.
“This really began back in 2012,” Oeth told the members. “We started seeing some issues in jail population that weren’t going well. If you remember, we had a methamphetamine explosion here in the county and we went out and arrested numerous individuals in big round-ups. Those folks came into the facility and they didn’t leave. That exposed some things on the facilities side of the house.” Some of the items exposed includ-
ed needed improvements in medical care and other basic things such as feeding the jail population. The jail reached a point in 2012 when all the cells were filled to capacity and individuals were being held in what was designed to be temporary holding facilities. Facilities such as the “drunk tank” was being renamed to be used as cells so they
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Board, teachers sign new contract By Lois Mittino Gray Putting signatures on paper to a two year agreement between the Mount Vernon School Board and the NEA Mount Vernon Teacher’s Union was the highlight of the October 2, school board meeting. The agreement was the product of several discussion sessions held these past few months between the two entities. Connie Jesch, the NEA Mount Vernon Treasurer, signed on the dotted line representing the teachers, who ratified the contract prior to the evening meeting. NEA Mount Vernon President Staci Reese signed the agreement for the current school year and 2018-2019, at a later date. The new contract mainly resolved salary issues. A sal-
ary schedule for newly-hired teachers set the starting salary for teachers with zero years experience and a Bachelor degree at $34,811. With a Master’s degree, a newcomer gets $35,947. The set schedule covers up to five years of experience and education levels up to Master’s Degree + 18 hours. Every continuing teacher, who was rated last year as “effective” or “highly effective”, will receive an additional $1,068 added to their base pay. If a teacher was rated “Ineffective” or “Needs Improvement”, they will receive no additional money. Teachers do not receive a pay raise
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Landon Upshaw and Lauren Earhart were crowned homecoming queen and king Friday night at Mount Vernon High School. Photo by Garry Beeson
Council hears ’18 budget ordinance
Nettie Nottingham and Garrett Walker, both St. Philip School eighth-graders, were named the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival King and Queen. Photo submitted
Briefly JFK Dinner: PC Democrats October 11, 6:30 p.m. MVSHS, MV Marrs Burgoo: Marrs Elementary School October 14, 4 p.m. 9201 Highway 62 E, MV Dinner Fundraiser: At The Cross Mission October 14, Noon - 4 p.m. 716 Locust St., Door 9, MV Ham and Turkey Dinner/Auction: Savah Community October 28, 5 p.m. Savah Community Center Beauty and the Beast: Films by the Front October 14 at sundown Riverbend Park
More information on these and other events inside today’s Posey County News
(USPS 439-500)
By Lois Mittino Gray At its September 28 meeting, members of the Mount Vernon Common Council heard the first readings of six ordinances, received a good news announcement on the Lawrence Addition truck problem and discussed more on those darn cats. Attorney Beth McFadin Higgins opened the meeting with a spate of ordinances she prepared that needed first readings to get the ball rolling. One was an ordinance establishing salaries and wages for the appointed officers and employees of the City of Mount Vernon for the Year Ending December 31, 2018. (see sidebar). The next item was the first reading of the 2018 budget ordinance establishing appropriations and tax rates for
City employee salaries By Lois Mittino Gray Ever wonder what city employees make as a salary for their public service? Members of the Mount Vernon Common Council introduced an ordinance at its September 28 meeting establishing pay rates for 2018 from taxpayer funds for maximum salaries and wages. It was passed on first reading and reflects a $1,000 across the board increase to offset COLA expense. Both Police Chief Tony Alldredge and Fire Chief Wes Dixon will make $50,013 per annum. A Police Captain earns $46,091, a Lieutenant makes $45,179 and a Sergeant earns $44,559. Patrolmen are paid $43,129 annually, with a little less for those on one year probation. Patrolmen can earn $110 per day when they work one of 14 holidays, while ranking officers receive $120 a day if they work any one of them. The Animal Control Officer Gene Youngblood makes $36,655 per annum.
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Mount Vernon asking residents to return surveys The City of Mount Vernon is seeking to obtain a grant for a water project to benefit residents in portions of the northwest section of the city. To aid with that process, the city is requesting assistance from residents in that area. Some residents in the City of Mount Vernon recently received a survey from the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana (EDCSWI). That survey is the first in a series of steps to help the community qualify for grant funding which, if awarded, will help with the costs associated with the water project. The potential grant opportunity is available through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and requires information to be submitted by a random selection of households located within the proposed service area. The City of Mount Vernon encourages residents who received the survey to complete it and return it in the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope to the EDCSWI. Survey responses are kept strictly confidential by the EDCSWI. Individuals with questions about the survey or the potential grant opportunity are encouraged to contact Carol Hagedorn or Karen Conia with the EDCSWI at (812) 423-2020 or at 318 Main Street, Suite 400, Evansville, IN 47708.
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Old stomping grounds PC native back as Conservation Officer By Lois Mittino Gray “I don’t have kids, but I borrow them to do fun stuff,” Keith Wildeman said with a grin. Posey County’s newest Conservation Officer involves himself in all kinds of activities that engage young people in learning about the outdoors. At our first meeting, he just finished teaching Mount Vernon Junior High School students a session for their ten hour hunter safety certification course. Although he’s only been officially on the job since Labor Day, the new officer is not new to this area. He is a Posey County native “returned back home” after being away for eighteen years. Officer Wildeman and his wife, Sara, grew up in the St. Philip area and attended Mater Dei High School. As a young boy, his love of the outdoors developed
Officer Keith Wildeman and his wife Sara are happy to be resettled in Posey County again. Photo by Lois Mittino Gray
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