A standing-room-only crowd was in attendance at Washington’s City Council meeting Monday night. At the beginning of the meeting, Washington Mayor David Rhoads repeated the announcement of consideration of a prospective data center in the Washington area. Mayor Rhoads had informed the community on WAMW’s Take Five and through other media outlets that the data center was not on the agenda for this meeting. The mayor told Monday’s crowd that if and when a formal request was made with adequate information for the City Council to consider, the community would be notified before any decision was made. The mayor said the City of Washington had received no further information or requests from the project’s developer since the last council meeting. The developer also missed an April 10 deadline to provide information about the project to the city’s plan commission.
The Council did hear the first reading of two ordinances. The first ordinance would raise the fine for illegally parking in a handicapped parking space from $50 to $100, which is the fine mandated in state code. The second ordinance would raise the Washington electric fees. The projected impact on the average family would be between six and seven dollars per month. Washington residents have not seen a raise in electricity rates in seven years. The mayor said the rate increase was needed to purchase electricity, pay employee wages, and pay for increasing costs of supplies and equipment. Councilman Darin Lunsford said that without the increase the City Utility department would run a deficit of $1.2 million this year. If passed at the next meeting, the increase would take effect in the June billing cycle.
In other action, the Council passed a resolution dissolving a dormant fund in the city budget and reallocating the 40 cents remaining in the fund for general use. A second resolution required by the State Board of Accounts appropriated projected donations to various accounts and projects. The final order of business was approval of a letter to rental property owners regarding the process of registering their properties.
Prior to the council meeting, Mayor Rhoads administered the oath of office to the city’s newest firefighter, Jack Riddle.
Following the council meeting, the Board of Public Works and Safety met and approved a request for a “resident only” parking sign to assist an elderly resident on West Oak Street. The Board also approved an interlocal agreement between the City of Washington and the Daviess County Soil and Water Conservation District, awarded the contract for the City’s sidewalk and curb replacement program, and approved an interdepartmental Electrical Services Policy for the Electric Department. After a lot of discussion, the Board of Works tabled a request from the VFW and American Legion for a 4th of July parade. With the Police Department already having extra officers working at the 4th of July Celebration at the park, the Board was concerned about being short-handed on traffic control and policing closed intersections during the parade. Board members asked the organizations to see if they could get help from the Sheriff’s Department or change the parade to an alternative date. The organizers were asked to report back at the next meeting.
