April 2009 Entries
Monday April 27, 2009
I went to Elkhart Circuit Court in Goshen last week to cover a court hearing. It didn’t get started quite on time, so I wandered around the courtroom — empty but for me and the plaintiffs in the case — to take it all in.
High ceiling and pretty nice. A lot of finished wood. All in all, a classic look.
Something else stuck out, though — a bunch of dead ladybugs in a windowsill to the rear of the room. There they were, about 10 of them, some belly up. Better than dead cockroaches or...
Thursday April 23, 2009
Libraries here will also take a hit due to circuit breakers
We’ve reported on the budget woes Elkhart County, the cities of Elkhart and Goshen and the larger school districts here will be facing due to circuit breakers, particularly in 2010.
They won’t be the only ones. Figures released last month by Indiana’s Legislative Services Agency show that the Elkhart, Goshen and Nappanee library systems will also face notable budget crunches due to a dip in property tax revenue brought on by circuit breakers.
To be sure, the impact, in dollar terms, isn’t as significant as cities...
Thursday April 23, 2009
A township primer
Here are a couple stories in today's paper about township government — one on the debate about getting rid of it, the other about township finances.
And, in case that isn't enough, here's a bit more information about the oft-overlooked governmental unit:
Township government in what is now Indiana dates to the late 1700s, when traveling from place to place took longer and was more difficult. By creating geographically small units of government — Elkhart County is carved into 16 townships and there are 1008 in all across the...
Thursday April 16, 2009
I went into the local liquor store and this is what the sign at the entrance said: "Keep hoods down."
I asked the clerk, what's up with that? It was new to me.
He said he wanted to be able to clearly see each and every person who enters. More specifically, he was aiming to ward off suspicious figures with faces hidden by hooded sweatshirts who might just pull out guns. I didn't have a gun, but it seems more and more entering the place do, apparently with hoods, apparently wanting to rob the place. A...
Wednesday April 15, 2009
One of the thornier issues facing the Elkhart County Stormwater Board over the years has been faulty and difficult-to-manage septic systems in Foraker and Southwest. Those are tiny unincorporated communities east of Wakarusa.
The upshot of addressing the matter would be a reduction in illicit septic discharges from the zone and cleaner streams and rivers here. But it wouldn’t be cheap, hence all the back and forth.
According to estimates Elkhart County Planning and Development Director Bob Watkins presented to the stormwater board last month, it would cost around $2 million to install a unified sewer...
Friday April 10, 2009
Elkhart County leaders occasionally talk about returning certain tax-exempt properties to the tax rolls to reduce the property tax burden carried by others. Most recently, County Assessor Cathy Searcy took a closer look at the tax-exempt status of certain elements of the Elkhart and Goshen hospitals and the Greencroft and Hubbard Hill retirement communities.
Look here and here.
Her efforts ultimately came to naught. But no question, there’s plenty of tax-exempt real estate out there, churches and other non-profit organizations. Below is a list of the priciest of the lot, the entities with over...
Tuesday April 7, 2009
Some say the inspectors are too tough. We tag along with one of them.
When Mike Hoover enters a restaurant, the Elkhart County food inspector starts taking in the details.
Over there, under the hand-washing sink behind the front counter — see that garbage can brimming with discarded paper towels? Hoover, about to give an Elkhart carry-out pizzeria the once over, says it’s a good sign. It means the workers at the locale frequently wash their hands.
Indeed, this place won’t give him many problems. In light of criticism his office is too nit-picky, even...
Monday April 6, 2009
Who’s the king of media in Elkhart County government? Mike Yoder, apparently, at least according to Jen Tobey.
Both get their share of face time and exposure in the local media.
Tobey, as head of the Elkhart County Emergency Management office, is the go-to gal when there’s flooding, the threat of a tornado or some other disaster lurking out there. Yoder, as an Elkhart County commissioner, is frequently sought out for quotes on a wide variety of matters, including property taxes. He was even tracked down by the local media when in Alaska last month for...
Monday April 6, 2009
They've left their house and a couple of them are probably in tents now
GOSHEN — Some unemployed homeless guys who weathered the coldest part of the winter in a home opened to them by some good samaritans have left the place.
I visited today to see what had become of the men, featured in a couple articles I did, one late last month. See this link. Their benefactors, who invited them into the Goshen rental last November to get them out of the cold, had said they could stay through March, hoping they'd get back...