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Covering Milford, Syracuse & North Webster, Indiana
Council Hears Comments On Airport
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
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Clerk-treasurer candidates give their definitions of excellent customer service For the primary race for the Syracuse Clerk-Treasurer’s office, The Mail-Journal is asking incumbent Virginia Cazier and challenger Larry Siegel a question a week through the April 26 edition to give readers an idea of how each envisions the office. The fifth question candidates were asked was, “What is the definition of excellent customer service and how do you plan to implement that philosophy in the Clerk-Treasurer’s office?” Virginia Cazier The Town of Syracuse clerk’s office is the central hub for employees, residents and visitors. We are here to provide immediate service and support to the community and
council in an accurate, efficient, professional and courteous manner. Excellent customer service is friendly, quick, flexible, knowledgeable, empathetic and respectful. My background has always been in customer service, from working at our local grocery store as a cashier my senior year, to working as a customer service representative for the largest duck produce company in the world, to working for the Town of Syracuse for over 25 years. Throughout my time in the customer service industry, I’ve gained invaluable experience in a variety of company settings. As clerk-treasurer, I strive to provide effective and efficient serContinued on page 2
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Engagement committee armed with information before making suggestions to school board A group of 46 people from Milford, North Webster and Syracuse met five times from Feb. 27 through March 25 to learn about Wawasee Community School Corporation, its finances, curriculum, facilities and demographics. The final task was to put aside emotions and focus on what was best for the students
and make suggestions to the school board. This group was called the Community Engagement Committee. Each meeting, held at a different school building, also consisted of a facility tour by administrators of that school. The group consisted of parents, elected officials, clergy, business leaders and teachers. Members of the group appeared to take their
task seriously as attendance ranged between 90% to 95%. Dr. Steve Troyer, superintendent, stated the group was tasked with two objectives: take a look at educational programming and how Milford is different than the other schools and help identify options for the board to consider in making decisions relating to facilities. “It is an opportunity to invest into the facilities and input priorities,”
Troyer stated. The five meetings were facilitated by Dr. James M. Halik, Compass-Keynote Consulting LLC. The former superintendent, noted the group was to help the school board be proactive, be a think tank and provide transparency. He stated the purpose of the group was to prepare options for the board based on the process of tours of the facilities and Continued on page 2
Indiana’s Largest Marina
Milford Council approves capital development fund rate hike %\ '$9,' +$=/(',1( 6WDII :ULWHU The Milford Town Council’s Monday, April 10, meeting was preceded by a public hearing on a proposed cumulative capital development fund rate hike. If approved, the rate would increase to 0.05 cents on each $100 of assessed valuation, beginning with taxes for 2023. This is the maximum rate allowed by the
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state. Currently the CCDF rate is at 0.0233 cents. According to Town Clerk-Treasurer Tricia Gall, the CCDF has historically been used to purchase fire equipment. If the rate had been at the maximum allowed level, she said, the town would have collected $20,650 from 2022. The hearing closed with no comment from the public, and the council voted to reestablish the CCDF rate at the end of the re-
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The Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals found itself handling a few neighbor disputes Tuesday morning, April 11. Michael Lauber’s case for a variance was continued from last month. Lauber was asking to keep a 6-foot-by-10-foot shed zero feet from the north property line of his North Webster home and 15 feet from the road right of way. Lauber was asked to get a survey done before the board made its decision. Lauber came back to the BZA with photos showing where the property pins were located, explaining how he strung a line from the pins to highlight the property line. Lee Harman, president of the BZA, explained the board was looking for a staked survey done by a professional. Matt Sandy, area plan commissioner, reminded Lauber a remonstrator was serious about not letting Lauber on his property. After Harman referred to last
Austin Shares Beauty of Journeys See Page 9
month’s board minutes which stated the board wanted a site survey, the remonstrator, a neighbor of Lauber’s, told the board Lauber’s fence was encroaching on his property along with the shed and several square feet of concrete. The neighbor told the board he wanted none of it on his property. Harman asked why complaints weren’t made about the fence and concrete at the time they were installed. The neighbor said it wasn’t a problem in the past, but since there is now the shed issue and Lauber accusing his neighbor of lying about a survey done back in the late 1980s he isn’t willing to compromise on the matter. The board ordered Lauber to get a professional survey done and submit it to the board by the May 9 BZA meeting. Local attorney Steve Snyder represented Gregory and Tamara Moore in their petition for a variance by allowing an open pergola to remain 17 feet, 6 inches from Continued on page 2
6521 E. Cornelius Road Syracuse, IN 46567 Over 90 Years of Exceptional Service and Products
quired 30-day waiting period. The council also passed a resolution on Milford’s participation in the Office of Community and Rural Affairs’ HELP program. The program calls for the town to commit roughly 30% of its American Rescue Plan Act funds to the program, which is $106,401 out of the $354,671 received. During public input, the council heard of a zoning variance to Continued on page 2
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