Dumpster Days final stats compiled
In about two-and-a-half days, Keep Brown County Beautiful and the Brown County Solid Waste Management District took in 19.2 tons of trash and 8,327 pounds of unwanted electronics.
The groups partnered together to host the first-ever Dumpster Days on June 14 and 15, when residents could get rid of almost any unwanted items for free.
Eighty-one TVs were included in the electronics total.
The trash took up eight 30-square-yard Dumpsters.
The groups had received a grant from Cummins to offset the cost of the Dumpsters, but they were not planning on filling eight of them. Anyone who wishes to donate toward the remaining costs can do so by mail at P.O. Box 115, Nashville, IN 47448. Write “Dumpster Days” in the memo.
Employee funding moved back to clerk’s office
The Brown County Council voted last month to return a line item for a full-time employee back to the clerk’s office.
The council voted in February to approve a temporary salary ordinance amendment that unfunded a line item in the county clerk’s budget which funded one employee’s salary, and temporarily added that employee into the commissioners’ budget in a new line item.
That employee has now resigned, but will work part-time in the Brown County commissioners’ office until August, commissioner Diana Biddle said. During last year’s budget sessions, the council allowed Biddle $1,500 for part-time help in the office, she said.
The reason for why the employee was moved from the clerk’s office was not made public, but county council president Dave Redding said last month it was an “HR issue.”
Before the council meeting Feb. 25, the council and commissioners met in executive session “with respect to any individual whom the governing body has jurisdiction to receive information concerning an individual’s alleged misconduct.” The commissioners and council also met in an executive session on March 20 “with respect to any individual whom the governing body has jurisdiction to receive information concerning an individual’s alleged misconduct” and to discuss classified records.
At the March 20 commissioners meeting, commissioner Jerry Pittman said that the county government “does have some issues in our clerk’s office.” He said the issues were being addressed.
BCWU raises flag on accessory dwellings
The county has approved rules to make building an “accessory dwelling” on your property legal. But if you get your water from Brown County Water Utility, you might want to check your water user agreement before starting any construction or renting out your existing place.
BCWU Board President Ben Phillips attended the April hearing before the Brown County Area Plan Commission about making accessory dwellings legal. He said he personally doesn’t see anything wrong with the county allowing accessory dwellings because he knows that affordable housing and rentals are needed, and these kinds of dwellings could help fill that need.
However, as the water board president, he wanted other members to know that the document they signed to get water service prohibits connecting more than one dwelling at a property to water. If there is more than one dwelling at a property, they must have separate water meters, he said.
It’s a concern of the water board that if a renter has a leak, and water was included in the rent payment, that renter isn’t going to want to pay an extra bill, and that responsibility will fall on the property owner, Phillips said.
APC member Jane Gore, who also is a a real estate agent, said she thinks this separate meter requirement will discourage people from making accessory dwellings into rental units, because usually, water is included in the rent, and if another meter has to be set, the renter will have to pay a separate bill.
“I can see it someone was building a whole new building that’s not attached; that makes sense. … But in a situation where it’s a garage apartment that’s already in existence, you’re saying that one has to have a water meter also?” Gore asked. Phillips answered yes.
Phillips said that the board could talk about changing the bylaws behind this water user agreement, but changes only are voted on once a year at the annual meeting, and that meeting had just happened.
County resident Susan Clearwater applauded what the APC was doing to allow accessory dwellings because she believes that it gives property owners options to bring in extra income. “It’s much better for us to be able to do this rather than perhaps going on public assistance or welfare. We’d rather be independent,” she said. She asked Phillips and the water board to consider making changes to help keep costs down for property owners so they wouldn’t have to pay to have a new meter put in for the rental unit.
Planning Director Chris Ritzmann was to meet with the water board to see what could be worked out.
