Wednesday night the Jasper City Council voted to amend 2 ordinances that were set for second and final readings.
The purpose of the ordinances were to authorize a line of credit and to appropriate and not to exceed the amount of 3 million dollars towards the construction of the Thyen Clark Cultural Center.
However upon closer inspection of the procedure, they found that the line of credit has to cover the total amount of tax credits that can be received, which is 3 and a half million dollars.
The project is estimate to cost 2.8 million dollars. In another amendment, the term extension was stretched to November 2025. Also Wednesday the contract for the project was awarded to Jasper based Krempp Construction.
The proposed line of credit is essential for the city to move forward in the Bonds process. Before Bonds can be sold, the city must show they have the funds on hand, which is where the line of credit comes in.
The credit will not be accessed until the end of the construction, at which time the sold bonds will be used to pay off the balance. 5% up front usage will be required in order to create the credit line, which is required by state law. The ordinances will be brought back up for second and final readings in February.
Also Wednesday night Dubois County Emergency Management Director Tammy Humbert and Lisa Gehlhausen with Indiana Region 15 brought before the council a resolution to adopt the Dubois County Mitigation Plan.
It is the 3rd plan that has been established in the county. The city of Huntingburg as well as the Dubois county Council have also approved plans which are passed every 5 years.
Passed projects benefited by the Dubois County Mitigation Plan include; the Beaver Lake Dam, the brim around the wastewater plant in Huntingburg, EDA and Disaster Recovery Funds, and the Community Storm water project in Dubois. The resolution was adopted by the Jasper council.
In other business, the council Wednesday night once again appointed Kevin Manley as President Pro Tempore, which puts Manley in a position to preside over the council in the event the mayor is absent.
The council also appointed Nona Baker to replace new Mayor Dean Vonderheide as the council’s representative on the Jasper Public Library Board. Vonderheide who had served as the board’s president stepped down after he was appointed to replace Terry Seitz as Mayor of Jasper in December.
Speaking of Vonderheide, Wednesday night was the first council meeting presided by the new mayor. It was also the first meeting for Phil Mundy who replaced Vonderheide as a councilman at-large.
Vonderheide and Mundy were both recently selected at their new positions by a caucus of precinct committee members of the Dubois County Republican Party.
Just before Wednesday night’s council meeting, Clerk Treasurer Juanita Boehm swore in 28-year old Logan Jones as the Jasper Police Department’s newest patrol officer. Jones’ appointment brings the total number of officers within the department to 24.
JPD also staffs a total of 6 dispatchers.
