Since 1882 ~ Successor to The Poseyville News and The New Harmony Times • New Harmony, IN
“Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.” Posey County’s only locally-owned newspaper
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
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Volume 134 Edition 7
Leaders tout communities in ‘State of County’ lunch By Valerie Werkmeister Posey County leaders were given an opportunity to express pride for their respective communities and projects during the annual State of Posey County luncheon held at the Ribeyre Gymnasium Annex in New Harmony last Wednesday. The event was sponsored by the Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce and included Bruce Baker, President of the Poseyville Town Council; Joe Straw, New Harmony Town Council President; John Tucker, Mount Vernon City Council President; Carl Schmitz, Posey County Commissioner President; Alan Blackburn, Vice President of the Posey County Council and John Taylor, Director of the Posey County Economic Development Partnership. Baker was chosen as the first speaker. He expressed his enthusiasm for his role in local government. “Local government provides more of the day-to-day services for the quality of life of our residents than any other part of the government and I think everybody needs to know that. We do it with less funds. We have it in our heart to do it,” Baker said.
He also expressed concern over what the outcome will be in regards to the business property tax issue. Baker said his town council has decided to place ‘things on hold’ until state legislators make a decision. He added that the loss of this tax equates to a one-quarter loss in the general budget for Poseyville. “They’ve talked about replacing it. I don’t know where they’re going to get it but I hope they do because it’s going to cause problems for schools, counties, towns and cities if they don’t,” Baker said. Baker noted that Poseyville has experienced some growth north of town and as a result, utilities were extended. He said the town is poised and ready for future growth. “We’re proud of what we’ve done in Poseyville and we want to continue to grow,” Baker said. Joe Straw was next in line to speak. He informed the group that New Harmony is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year which kicked off with a special New Year’s Eve party at the Granary.
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Mount Vernon Mayor John Tucker speaks during the State of the County luncheon last Wednesday. The event was held at the Ribeyre Gymnasium Annex in New Harmony and included city and county leaders. Posey County Commissioner President Carl Schmitz is pictured on the left and John Taylor, Director of the Posey County Economic Development Partnership is seated on the right. Photo by Valerie Werkmeister.
Poseyville utility rates go up
Left to right are State Representative Jim Tomes, State Representative Wendy McNamara, State Representative Tom Washburne, and Eighth District Congressman Larry Buschon were on hand for a Town Hall Meeting this week in New Harmony. Photo by Lois Gray
New Harmony meets leaders
By Lois Mittino Gray Eighth District Representative Larry Buschon began the Saturday morning Town Hall Meeting in New Harmony with an enthusiastic greeting noting the great turnout and packed seats. He presented a ten minute update on his view of goings-on in Washington DC, followed by presentations from local State Representatives Wendy McNamara and Thomas Washburne and State Senator Jim Tomes. After their individual updates, the quartet fielded questions on many topics ranging from common core standards and minimum wage increases to business personal property tax and even a convention of states to affect change in government. Buschon explained that right now DC is a very partisan environment and the House is trying to do business that will stabilize things. “We passed the Ryan budget agreement. It’s not what I would have wanted, but it ensures no shutdown this year,” he said. The budget is billons less than what was projected last year. Buschon said that with Crane Naval Center in his district he makes sure that training and support for troops is properly funded. “Congress only votes on 40 percent of the national budget called discretionary money. The other 60 percent of the budget is on au-
topilot and that includes things like Medicaid and Medicare. We need to get a handle on that spending as it is going up and on the debt ceiling. I just don’t see us tackling the big stuff the people want us to this session in Washington.” When asked about the minimum wage going from $7.25 to $10.10 for federal contractors, Representative Buschon expressed his disdain for President Obama circumventing Congress and mandating it. “This is a bad idea to raise it that much. Historically it does nothing to raise the poverty level and some may lose their jobs as employers look to cut costs. It’s purely political and skews the market in the wrong direction. Bad economics,” he said. “Just read what Bill Gates says about it.” Wendy McNamara began by thanking the county for hard work keeping the roads clear and told New Harmony residents that all four legislators would do what they could to advertise the upcoming Bicentennial. She is proud to sponsor a bill being heard on Monday that requires landlords to disclose if meth was ever made or dumped in it when a house is sold. The Criminal Justice Institute was to begin keeping house lists in 2007 and did not
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By Valerie Werkmeister Members of the Poseyville Town Council approved two new ordinances that raise the water and sewer rates for its customers during last week’s February 12, meeting. A rate hearing was held prior to the start of the council meeting. No remonstrators were present or spoke during the hearing. Customers will be billed for a minimum of 2,000 gallons of water at a cost of $29.40 which is a $3.54 increase over the current bill. The water rate for 4,000 gallons increases from $44.70 to $50.84. Customers who use 6,000 gallons of water will see a $7.44 increase on their bills. Sewer rates also reflect slight increases over the current bills. The first 2,000 gallons increase from $31.20 to $37.20. Those who use 4,000 gallons will see a $9 increase and 6,000 gallons used will reflect a $12 increase on their bill. The new rates will be in effect during March usage and customers will see the change reflected on their bills in April. Julie Mayo informed the council members that the utility office is now able to collect payments using customer’s credit or debit cards. A two percent fee is added to the bill for this convenience. Town Council President Bruce Baker commended the work of the town employees on their quick action during the recent boil order. A water main break forced the entire town to boil water for a few days until state lab tests confirmed the water was safe to drink. It was noted it was the first time in the town’s history the entire town was under the boil order. In the past, only isolated areas
‘Weighted grades’ considered By Valerie Werkmeister North Posey High School (NPHS) is considering converting how it calculates students’ grade point averages (GPA) based on the level of difficulty in the class. The process is known as ‘weighted grades.’ NPHS Principal Dr. Scott Strieter, discussed the matter with MSD of North Posey School Board members during their meeting Monday, February 10. Weighted grades are simply based on the level of difficulty some classes are compared to others. Some feel that an ‘A’ grade in an Advanced Calculus class should represent more achievement than an ‘A’ grade in re-
Posey’s EMS continues to be costly Posey County may be in the market for a new ambulance. Emergency Medical Services Director Chuck Thompson discussed remounting costs with the commissioners during their meeting last Tuesday, February 4. A remount basically involves placing the current ambulance ‘box’ with a new engine and chassis. Thompson said he received a $98,000 quote – a price a little higher than he anticipated. Commissioners agreed that if a remount costs that much, it may be wiser to just purchase a new ambulance. While weighing the pros and cons of purchasing a new ambulance or going ahead with a remount, Thompson stated it would take approximately two months to complete the remount work. That means, Posey County would be without one of its four ambulances. Thompson reported there were a total of 2,378 runs and approximately $670,000 collected last year. Of that amount, 1,079 were in Mount Vernon; 466 were in New Harmony; 390 in Poseyville and 343 were in St. Phillips area.
The county is still weighing its options and is trying to be as savvy as possible with the funds. Commissioner Jim Alsop stated the county has been putting money aside for the purchase of a new ambulance and that they are just trying to search for the most cost-effective option for the county. Steve Schenk’s request to purchase a 6,000 tank to hold the county’s total patch mix was approved. Schenk stated the purchase would save the county time and money by not having to make frequent trips to Boonville each week. Approval of the Local Public Agency contract that involves the county-wide bridge inspection program was tabled. Schenk stated approval from the Indiana Department of Transportation is necessary before the commissioners can approved the contract. When ap-
Retrospective .... A 4 Legals ...........B9-10 Classifieds.....B5 B8 Community ...... A 5
have had to boil their water. Council members Ron Fallowfield and Steve Ahrens also commended the town on their hard work removing snow and ice from Poseyville streets. Poseyville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Neaveill informed the council he is working with the insurance company on a property damage incident involving the Wadesville Fire Department. He advised the damage to his department’s property was minimal. The fire department will host a chili supper on Sunday, March 2. They will serve peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as well as desserts. Neaveill stated J & S Communications of Evansville has donated a 50-inch LED TV for the department to raffle during the supper. The cold weather has made it problematic to fight the rash of fires the department has been battling. Neaveill stated the department has had just as many fire calls as they have medical calls so far this year. Unsafe heat sources and chimney fires are to blame for a bulk of the fire-related emergencies. The council approved a quote from Keyfund software to purchase budgetary software at a cost of $6,750. The new software will make record keeping more efficient and provide real-time updates during data entry. Mayo also requested approval for a new lease agreement on the postage meter. The current lease has expired. The new lease will cost $186 quarterly which is a $3 decrease from the recently expired lease. The council approved her request. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 12, at 4:30 p.m. in the town hall.
proved, this two-year contract will cost $228,950. Commissioners approved bonds for the Auditor and Recorder. A $30,000 bond was secured for Auditor Kyle Haney and a $15,000 bond was approved for Recorder Martha Breeze. Jon Neufelder of the Purdue University Extension Services Office addressed the commissioners and informed them that the extension office’s annual meeting has been changed. Instead of holding the meeting in February, they will now be held in November. He also passed out information to the commissioners on the benefits of 4-H and how it can make a positive difference in children’s lives. The next commissioner’s meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, February 18, at 9 a.m. in the Hovey House in Mount Vernon.
Deaths ............... A 3 Church ............. A 7 Social ................ A 6 School ............... A 9
medial algebra. Yet, there is nothing simple about creating the guidelines to determine how to score and weight the grades for each class. Strieter explained the idea had been discussed and researched in 2008. Local universities were consulted and it was determined they used their own formula to review transcripts and determine student GPA’s. However, since that time, the universities have decided to stop this time-consuming process prompting North Posey to reconsider their own involvement in the process.
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Briefly Troop 387 to host Pancake Breakfast/Spaghetti Supper The fundraiser event is scheduled Saturday, February 22, and will be held at the Poseyville Community Center, 60 N. Church Street in Poseyville. The pancake breakfast will be from 7 a.m. -10:30 a.m. and for a minimum donation of $5, the menu will consist of pancakes, sausage, eggs, and choice of coffee, milk or orange juice. The spaghetti dinner will begin at 4:30 p.m. and last until 7:30 p.m. The menu will include spaghetti, garlic bread, salad and choice of drink. Desserts will be available for sale. A minimum donation of $7 is requested. Tickets will be sold in advance and will also be available to purchase at the door. Anyone interested in purchasing tickets may call Julie Reynolds at 812-453-0062, Kim Epley at 812-575-9492 or Valerie Werkmeister at 812-499-4917
Community Center to host rummage sale The Posey County Community Center, located at the Posey County Fairgrounds on Highway 69 South of New Harmony, will be hosting a Rummage Sale on Saturday, March 8. The doors will be open to the public from 8 a.m. until noon. With approximately 40 vendors committing to attend, there will be a wide selection of items to choose from. Clothing, shoes, boots, kitchen and household items, collectibles, dolls, jewelry, antiques, decorations, picture frames, books, glassware; are just a few of the many items that could be available at this event. There is still vendor space available. For a registration form or more information, contact the Purdue Extension Office at: (812) 838-1331.
Sports .............B1-5 Bus/Ag .............. A 8 Opinion ........... A12 www.poseycountynews.com