The Indiana Natural Resources Commission (NRC) has opened public comment for proposed changes to allow the limited, regulated trapping of bobcats. In March, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation (Senate Enrolled Act 241) that directs the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to have rules in place by July 2025 for bobcat harvest. Public comments can be submitted at IN.gov/nrc/rules/rulemaking-docket using the “Submit Comments Here” link under the Bobcat Amendments Proposed Rule. Comments can also be mailed to the Natural Resources Commission.

The deadline for submitting public comments is Nov. 14, 2024. A public hearing will also be held on Nov. 14, 2024 between 5-7 p.m. ET at the Southeast – Purdue Agricultural Center located at 4425 East 350 North, Butlerville, IN 47223. Interested members of the public can attend in person or online anytime during that timeframe. The public hearing will also be webcast on the NRC’s rulemaking docket website at IN.gov/nrc/rules/rulemaking-docket during the time of the public hearing and comments will be able to be made through the online webcast. Sign up for updates at on.IN.gov/dfw-rule-changes

For more information on the proposed rule changes and submitting comments, visit on.IN.gov/dfw-rule-changes.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is asking the Indiana Supreme Court to set an execution date for the convicted murderer who fatally shot Beech Grove Police Officer William Toney on Sept. 29, 2000.

“Most Hoosiers and I expect justice without delay, especially when someone murders a police officer, one of the many, many brave men and women we thank and respect daily," Attorney General Rokita said. “This convicted cop killer has been on death row far too long — 22 years — and it's past time for him to pay his debt to society.”

Attorney General Rokita filed a formal motion today asking the Supreme Court to set a date for the execution of Benjamin Ritchie.

For several years, the State of Indiana paused executions due to the Indiana Department of Correction’s difficulty obtaining the drug pentobarbital, which is used to carry out executions. That issue has been resolved.

On Sept. 11, the Indiana Supreme Court set an execution date of Dec. 18 for another convicted murderer, Joseph Corcoran, after Attorney General Rokita filed a motion asking the court to set a date. Corcoran killed four people.

By Becky Killian, Staff Writer

City employees will receive an eight percent raise in 2025, while emergency responders will each get a $7,000 raise. Those are the most recent numbers approved by a majority vote during the Monday, Sept. 9, meeting of the Salem Common Council. The raises don’t apply to elected positions.

Council members who voted in favor of the raises were Dan Libka, Dylan Moore, Steve Crane, and Randy Lee Jr. The opposing vote was cast by Roger Pennington.

The latest vote came on the heels of two special Common Council meetings during which the struggle of attracting and retaining quality public safety employees was discussed. Many towns, cities and counties have difficulty offering competitive wages to public safety employees, which can lead those employees to take more lucrative jobs elsewhere.

After those special meetings, the Council approved a $5,000 raise for each police officer and fire fighter and a six percent pay increase for all other city employees effective in 2025.

Before the Sept. 9 vote that increased the raise for emergency responders, a representative from Reedy Financial, the city’s financial consulting firm, explained that the 2025 budget revenue would be sufficient to cover the additional costs; however, “minor” revenue shortfalls could occur in 2026 and 2027.

The 2026 and 2027 budget forecasts include three percent raises for all city employees.

Moore asked Salem Police Chief Eric Mills if he would be willing to enact a hiring freeze during the two years of forecasted shortfalls if it is deemed necessary. Mills didn’t dismiss the possibility outright; however, he did say he would need to consider the impacts it might have.

Libka pointed out the dangers that emergency responders face.
“There’s always a chance that something bad is going to happen,” Libka said, adding that the city’s civilian employees needed to be considered, as well.

Pennington said the city’s starting salaries aren’t as low as they may seem when you consider paid holidays, retirement pensions, and clothing allowances.

Libka made the motion to increase the emergency responder pay raises to $7,000 and to give all civilian employees an eight percent raise in 2025 provided the budget can accommodate those increases. His motion was then approved in the majority vote.

During the special meetings, officials also approved a $2,000 stipend for police and fire personnel and a $1,500 stipend for all other city employees for this year; however, the payment of those stipends is contingent upon whether Clerk-Treasurer Sally Hattabaugh can find the funds in the current year’s budget to cover them. As of Monday, Sept. 16, Hattabaugh had yet to find the funding for those stipends.

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By Becky Killian, Staff Writer

Salem officials will use a projected $7.7 million loan to refinance existing debt used to upgrade Salem’s wastewater treatment plant and to make further improvements to the utility to remain compliant with state and federal guidelines. The financing – which included rate increase projections – was discussed during a special joint session of the Salem Board of Public Works and Safety and Common Council on Monday, Sept. 16.

The initial estimated cost to rehabilitate the city’s manholes, the lining on wastewater pipes, and required lift station improvements is $4.2 million. That amount, combined with non-construction costs of just over $1 million and the refinancing of the 2020 loan of $2.4 million, brings the total loan estimate to $7.7 million.

The 20-year low-interest loan will be financed through the state. The current subsidized loan rate is about 2 percent.

Andre Riley, of Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors, of Indianapolis, used an estimated rate of 2.5 percent to calculate the total loan interest of $2.3 million. The annual payments are projected to be $474,600.

The upgrades aim to reduce water infiltration into the city’s wastewater treatment system. During heavy rains, the system can be overwhelmed, which can lead to overflows of untreated water.

In 2019, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) fined the City of Salem $6,000 for violations by the city’s wastewater plant. Those violations included six instances when an estimated 3.5 million gallons of raw sewage was released into the West Fork of the Blue River. Those violations led to a mandate from the state to improve the city’s wastewater system.

The lift station improvements will include the installation of an automatic 24-hour monitoring system that will notify the operator of any system failures – which IDEM requires.

The projected rate increases Riley provided intend to make it possible for the wastewater utility to keep up with increasing operating costs and inflation, to build and maintain a cash balance as required by the state, and to fund further needed improvements.

The estimated rate increases – which could change – were phased in over three years as illustrated by Riley.

Currently, the average monthly bill for Salem wastewater customers who use 4,000 gallons is about $40. That amount would increase by about $6 in 2025, $7 in 2026, and $3 in 2027.

A rate comparison chart showed that the increases would put Salem in the low- to middle-range when compared to the wastewater rates of eight regional utilities. Those rates ranged from $31 in Bedford to $68.48 in Boonville.

The financing must be in place by June 1 to pay off the utility’s $2.4 million short-term loan. To meet that deadline, Wessler Engineering will begin to design the improvements in October and present them to the city in January. The rate increases will likely be approved in February or March before the anticipated loan closing date of March 31.

Before the vote, Mayor Justin Green cautioned that any delays with the wastewater improvements could result in consequences such as a possible sewer ban, which would stall the city’s growth.

“Let’s not push the panic button on that, but there is a cost to inaction,” Green said.

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