Holton hires new employees for sewer dept.
Beth Rumsey, Staff Writer

Board member Paul Hughes was unanimously elected as president of the Holton Town Council at their first meeting of 2009 held on Thursday, January 8. The motion for all members of the council to serve as the board of finance, with Ryan Lauber as president, was unanimously approved.

Hughes introduced Sarah Hildebrand as Clerk/Treasurer pro tem. According to Hughes, if Krista Bartoz, who was re-elected as the Holton Clerk/Treasurer in the November elections, is not sworn in office or resigns the office, another person will be appointed by the Ripley County Republican Party or by town appointment. (According to Ripley Publishing Co. files, this is what happened with the last election in 2007, when Bartoz was elected, but then resigned and Misty McNeelan filled that position.)

The minutes for the year-end meeting held on December 30 were read by Angi Farrell. According to the minutes, in an effort to save money, the town terminated Bob Furst, sewer maintenance, and Peggy Furst, who took sewer samples, and Joyce Powell, who provided the testing. Mark Salyer was hired to provide the sewer testing and sampling, and Brooks and Earls were hired to provide sewer maintenance.

The minutes showed that the salary for the maintenance position was $3,900 a year; the sampling position salary was $6,254.04; and the salary for the testing position was $6,000 a year. Salyer will be paid $10,000 a year. The salary for the sewer maintenance position was not disclosed at the meeting. The minutes for the December 30 meeting were unanimously approved.

In other business:

• The town will continue to receive bids for the demolition project until January 15. A public meeting will be held on this date to open the bids.

• Attorney John Ertel will prepare a revision to the town’s 4-wheeler ordinance to include the farm use only exception. The revision will be reviewed at the February meeting.

• The council unanimously approved to take out the dishwasher in the community center. According to Farrell, a panel that matches the cabinetry can be used to cover the area where the broken dishwasher was.

• The verdict was in favor of the Town of Holton in the case of unpaid utility bills owed by former town employee Billey Moore for $1728.84, as well as court costs.

• The committee for the Holton Jamboree received permission to use the park for their event in June.

• The council unanimously agreed to reimburse the Holton Hometowners for the Sewer Alliance dinner.
All town council members were in attendance. The next meeting will be held February 12 at 7 p.m. at the Holton Community Center.