By David Fenker
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Town of North Manchester’s 2018 budget was approved on first reading at the Town Council’s Sept. 6 meeting.
The council held a public hearing, during which no members of the public commented, on the proposed budget. That proposed budget is for a total of $4,300,205, which includes a nearly-$2 million general fund and $207,268 in debt service. According to paperwork from the town, the proposed tax levy is $2,103,293, up from last year’s $1,671,342 certified tax levy.
The budget must pass two additional readings at the council’s October meeting before becoming official.
Full details of the budget may be viewed online at budgetnotices.in.gov, or by request at Town Hall, located at 103 E. Main St.
The council also approved a tax abatement for Strauss Veal Feeds, Inc. David Grant, president of Strauss Veal Feeds, attended the meeting to provide some details on the $12,000,000 expansionfor the company’s Strauss Provimi Road facility in North Manchester.
“The proposal is to expand our existing manufacturing operation… we built that in 1985, and we have an opportunity now to expand our production capabilities with a lot of capital-intensive processing equipment, things like homogenization, pasteurization, blending equipment, tankage,” he said.
“We can do a lot more given the other supplies in the region that we think we can get.”
He said that they will be adding at least 10 full-time positions at the facility, with the possibility for more transportation staff as well.
The project will take somewhere between six and 18 months to complete.
The abatement resolution, Resolution No. 3, 2017, passed unanimously.
“It seems like a victory for everyone here,” Councilmember Toby Tobias said.
“Congratulation on the ability to grow. I think it reflects well on Strauss Veal Feeds and the Strauss umbrella, a long-standing benefactor of the town. I’m happy to help where I can to see local businesses continue to stay local and continue to grow.”
Additional new business handled at the meeting included the appointment of Craig Walters as street superintendent and approval of two street closures for Manchester University.
A committee of Town Manager Adam Penrod, Councilmember Allen Miracle and North Manchester Police Department Chief Jim Kirk chose Walters out of a pool of three qualified applicants.
According to Penrod, Walters has worked for the town for 29 years, 27 of them with the Water Department, and is a Class of 1982 graduate of Manchester High School.
While most of Walters’ time with the town has been with the Water Department, Penrod said that he has a thorough knowledge of the operations of the Street Department due to the two departments sharing staff for various projects.
The street closures approved by the council were both on East Street north of College Avenue, on the campus of Manchester University.
The first was from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, from 5-8 p.m. for a freshman class event.
The second closure is from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, for the university’s Walk Into My Future event, which will bring nearly 3,000 elementary students to MU. The closure is from the corner of East Street and College Avenue north to Orchard Drive.