By Joseph Slacian
WABASH, Ind. – Eric Schoening is the new president of the Wabash City Council.
Schoening was unanimously elected to the post during a brief council meeting on Monday night, Jan. 8. He replaces Council member Doug Adams, who served in the post in 2017.
A new Council president is selected from among the seven Council members at the panel’s first meeting in January. The president serves as a liaison between the Council and the mayor’s office. It also holds the title of mayor pro tem, and fills in for the mayor at various functions which the mayor is unable to attend.
Shoening said he is looking forward to serving and hopes he does a good job in the post.
Council member Bryan Dillon praised Adams for the year he served.
In another matter, the council approved minor changes to the city’s salary ordinance, bringing it in line with changes approved last year when Council met on the matter. The changes, Mayor Scott Long noted, were more or less housekeeping details and will not change the total of the ordinance.
Council members also received an update on the Eagles Theatre project from Tina Henderson of Mendenhall Associates.
She told the council the city should receive the first installment of state funds within the next few weeks for the Stellar Project portion of the rehabilitation project.
Finally, the Council approved residential tax abatements for Josh Petrinuw and Josh Steele to build homes at 1760 Stitt St. and 78 LaSalle Ave., respectively. It also found Robert and Patricia Meagher to be in compliance with their five-year abatement for a home at 25 Studio Drive. The Meaghers are in their third year of the abatement.