This Copy Reserved Especially For:
Obits .......................... A3-A4 Retro ................................. A5 Social ................................ A6 Jump ................................. A7
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Church ............................. A8 General ............................. A9 Legals .................... A10, A11 Court News ........... A10, A11
Opinion........................... A12 Sports .................... B1-3, B-6 Business Dir ......................B6 Classifieds .........................B7
P C N SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Volume 140 Edition 34
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
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New Harmony Council blamed for poor communication By Lois Mittino Gray Issues concerning communication were the main discussion points at the August 18, morning meeting of the New Harmony Town Council. Assembling in person at the Town Hall, councilors and audience members all wore masks and were safely distanced apart. New Harmony Utopia Beauty Salon owner Missy Wade appeared before the council to speak during Open Forum about the town turning off the water the Tuesday morning of the meeting. “I am really aggravated that you knew about this work since last Thursday and did not send
out the call on it until yesterday morning. If I’d known Thursday, I would have planned for it. I work by appointments and I had one at 8 a.m. this morning,” she complained. “The businesses should’ve known” Town Council President Alvin Blaylock responded that Town Street Superintendent Bobby Grider called the Charles Ford Home and the New Harmony Nursing Home on Thursday to tell them of the water shutoff to make a planned repair at the intersection of Main and Tavern Streets on Tuesday. “Bobby should have contacted all of us on the council. I didn’t even know un-
til Monday,” Councilman Roger Wade, Missy’s husband, strongly stated. Blaylock commented that many residents passed by on Thursday and saw the town employees trying to fix the valve problem and found out they needed to order parts. “When they asked, we told them the water would be off Tuesday when the part was received. Your husband, being a council member, should’ve checked,” Blaylock informed Missy. “I shouldn’t have to go down and ask them. I should have been informed as soon as you knew,” she retorted.
Blaylock apologized for any inconvenience the shutoff caused to local businesses. Town Employee Becky Harvey came into the meeting shortly after the discussion to inform everyone that the water was back on around 9 a.m., but would require a boil order in place. Another discussion on communication was broached by Councilman Tom Williams. Blaylock requested a motion that a letter concerning nuisance weeds be sent to the home of Henry Means at 626 Frederick Street. He would have 1014 days to get the yard in compliance. The motion passed with four
yes votes, and one nay from Williams. “I hate to vote without looking at it. Let us know this is going to come up in council, as it is hard to vote one way or the other if I have not seen it,” Williams commented. Blaylock remarked, “I ride around town and look at properties all the time” to which Williams responded, “I guess I just don’t do that.” In other council business: • The councilors agreed to work on several new ordinances in the upcoming months. One will look at requiring permits for food trucks to
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Poseyville utilities under rate study consideration By Lynda Baker The Poseyville Town Council met in a special meeting last week to discuss its newly received rate study, prepared by Pat Callahan. Callahan appeared via Zoom to answer questions. He has been preparing rate studies for the town for nearly 25 years. It is recommended that the town have a rate study performed every five or six years to ensure that the town’s water and wastewater utilities are solvent, as expenses for these services are likely to fluctuate over such period. Callahan expressed his appreciation to Jamie Hyatt and Christy Foster for their assistance in preparing the study. Callahan reviewed the town’s financial statements for 2017-2019. He said that revenues and expenses appeared very consistent and he was very comfortable with his findings. He recommended, however, that the Council pay particular attention to its payroll and insurance expenses (health, property, liability, etc.), regarding both the water and wastewater utilities, as these items had noticeably increased over the past three years. There was a brief discussion of the town’s 2019 bond. Callahan indicated that the town had the resources to pay off the bond a year early if so elected. The town’s water utility has the option of depreciation, whereas the wastewater utility does not, by law. He located some non-recurring expenses, such as the purchase of copiers and an easement purchase, but found no surprises in his review. He also said that the town would have the option of a three to five year plan to purchase vehicles or replace meters. The study also revealed that the town’s debt service reserve fund was fully funded. Callahan added that for every $30,000 plus or minus revenue change, rates would be affected plus or minus one percent. Callahan also discussed the town’s wastewater treatment services for the
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Harper Nix, daughter of Adam and Lacey Nix, enjoys a visit to Uncle Rob’s Peach Pit to get apples over the weekend. Photo submitted
McKinney faces felony charges School tax levy OK’d Special to the News A New Harmony man, already on parole, has been arrested and charged with child molesting. According to Posey County Sheriff Tom Latham, Posey County Sheriff’s Office Detective Kyle Reidford was notified by the Indiana Department of Child Services of a complaint of sexual abuse in New Harmony, Indiana on July 13, 2020. Reidford set up an interview at Holly’s House in Evansville, Indiana at which time the 12-year-old victim was interviewed. The victim stated she was at a family friend’s residence in New Harmony, Indiana when the suspect, Delbert Wayne McKinney touched
Traffic Flow At Sherburne Park and Boat Ramp Direction of traffic flow to the boat ramp below Sherburne Park will be changing in the very near future. You many have already noticed that parking below the steps has already been changed. The direction of traffic will be reversed. The entrance will be off College and vehicles will exit on Main Street. Please watch for the directional signs. The purpose of this change was to reduce congestion as people launch their boats. Please use caution as everyone adapts to the changes.
(USPS 439-500)
Delbert Wayne McKinney her in a sexual manner. McKinney is currently on Parole in the State of
Indiana and a lifetime sex offender registrant for pleading guilty to one count of Child Molesting in August of 2018 in Posey Circuit Court. McKinney was interviewed by Posey County Sheriff’s Office Detectives and as a result of the investigation, 67-year-old McKinney of New Harmony, Indiana was arrested for Child Molesting, a level 4 felony, and Failure of a Sex Offender to Possess Identification, a class A misdemeanor. McKinney was lodged in the Posey County Jail where he is being held on the above charges as well as a parole revocation warrant issued at the time of his arrest. McKinney is being held without bond.
By Lois Mittino Gray The Mount Vernon Board of School Trustees approved the Notice to Taxpayers of a Tax Levy of over $13 million for the 2021 budget at its August 17, meeting. They also granted permission to advertise the School Bus Replacement Plan, the Capital Projects Plan, the Education Fund, Debt Service Fund, Operations Fund, and Rainy Day Fund all online. Interested persons can find the figures for the entire 29 million dollar school budget posted at this address: budgetnotices.in.gov. “From there, go to the taxpayer portal and then click on budget notices,” explained MVSD Director of Business Loren Evans. A public hearing for the advertised budgets is set for the board meeting on Monday, September 21 at 5:45 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Mount Vernon Senior High School. Following this meeting, any ten or more taxpayers may object to a budget, tax rate, or tax levy by filing an objection petition with the proper officers of the MSD of Mount Vernon, not more than seven days after the hearing. If a petition is filed, a finding will be determined before final budget adoption. The entire budget is
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Jerry Funkhouser succumbs to cancer Long-time MVJHS principal answers final bell, ends struggle Editor’s note: This tribute to longtime Mount Vernon Junior High School Principal Jerry Funkhouser is made up of excerpts from a feature story written by Bryana Schreiber. The article appeared in the Oct. 31, 2017, edition of The Posey County News. Residents of Mount Vernon can recall traveling along Tile Factory Road past Mount Vernon Junior High School and seeing the lights on in Jerry Funkhouser’s principal’s office at all hours of the day and night, and most weekends. He wasjust that devoted to the school and to the profession he loved and chose. But over the weekend, Mr. Funkhouser’s struggle to beat cancer ended, but not before a long and valiant fight. Anything worthwhile is worth fighting for and he was just that way about life. To battle is to fight tenaciously to achieve something, and Jerry Funkhouser has always been one to tackle life with tenacity. Those who know
Funkhouser often describe him as encouraging, positive, caring, kindhearted, passionate, dedicated and loving. He was a mentor, friend and inspiration to many and has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead and inspire throughout his career as an educator and school administrator. Beyond these roles he was a community leader and a loving husband, father and grandfather. He’s accomplished a great deal in his life — not just in striving to achieve, but in building relationships and making a meaningful impact by, as he would say, always doing what’s right because that’s the right thing to do. Beyond the walls of MVJHS his heart was attached to the Posey County community and the families who are its fabric. He attended all sorts of school-related activities and outside functions from athletic events to funerals for staff members’ families and
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Long-time Mount Vernon Junior High School Principal Jerry Funkhouser.