Washington’s City Council began Monday night’s meeting with public hearings on two proposed ordinances. Despite the hearings being advertised and reported in local media, no citizens asked questions or voiced their opinions on either ordinance, one of which dealt with a proposed hike in electric fees. After the public hearings, Mayor Rhoads opened the regular council meeting. The Council then took up three proposed ordinances. The first ordinance raised the fine for illegally parking in a handicapped parking space to $100, bringing the City of Washington into line with the State of Indiana. The second ordinance was passed at the recommendation of the State Board of Accounts dealing with the appropriation of donated funds. The third ordinance ,passed on second reading, enacted the first hike in electricity charges in seven years. The 7% increase will take effect in the June 2026 billing cycle. The average residential customer will see approximately a seven-dollar raise in their monthly electric bills. Prior to proposing the rate hike, the city conducted a study of local electric rates and the cost of purchasing and providing electricity to local customers. The study showed that the rate hike was needed to meet expenses and do necessary maintenance and upgrades of equipment. The Council also heard the introduction of an ordinance raising the neutering and adoption fees at the local animal shelter. The State of Indiana requires all animals adopted out of the shelter to be spayed or neutered. Shelter administrator Beth Trousdale told the council members the raise in adoption fees was needed to meet increased veterinarian fees. In other business related to the animal shelter, the Council discussed the interlocal agreement with Daviess County to take stray animals from the county to the local shelter. Trousdale reported that in the last six years approximately 50% of the animals at the shelter came from areas of the county outside of Washington. In the past the county has provided $35,000 per year, or approximately 10% of Animal Control’s $300,000 budget. The Sheriff’s Department has also sent female inmates as part of work crews to assist at the animal shelter, but that practice has recently stopped. The mayor said all surrounding communities have similar problems. Vincennes has stopped taking animals from other areas of Knox County. The mayor and council members will talk to the county commissioners and will discuss the situation again at the next council meeting.
At the end of the meeting the mayor was asked about the insect problem originating around the retention pond on Viola Avenue. The mayor said the city needs permission from the surrounding landowner, and discussions are at a current standstill. Another resident asked about the proposal to build a data center in the area. The mayor said that the city had asked the developer for the answer to several questions regarding a data center and, to date, no answers have been received to the city’s concerns. Mayor Rhoads said that unless the city’s questions are satisfactorily answered, the data center proposal is “dead in the water.”
At the end of the council meeting, Mayor Rhoads reminded everyone that Friday will begin the First Friday Concerts at the Commons.
Friday’s entertainment will be rising Nashville recording artist Tege Holt and his band Lonesome Pines.
The Board of Public Works and Safety met following the Council meeting. The Board approved a request from Beth Gabhart representing Discover Downtown Washington. Discover Downtown is planning on a Color Run and requested that Main Street be closed to traffic from State Road 57 to the library between 8:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 30. The Board approved the request.
Due to a lack of representatives from the American Legion, the Board tabled their request to have a 4th of July parade. The Board considered the request at their last meeting, but the lack of enough police officers to work the city’s annual 4th of July celebration at the park and provide adequate control for the parade led the Board to ask the Legion to look into other options for traffic control. In other business the Board approved position changes in the electric and street departments.
