Mooresville Town Council schedules public hearing on K-9 funding

MOORESVILLE — Mooresville Town Council will consider a one-time funding injection of $25,000 into the police department's K-9 program at its next public meeting.

During its Tuesday, June 7, meeting, councilmembers agreed to schedule a public meeting on the matter for 6:30 p.m. on June 21 at the Mooresville Government Center, 4 E. Harrison St.

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The Mooresville Police Department hasn't had a functioning K-9 program since its last dog, Si, was medically retired in June 2021. The program had previously relied on donations from the public, which proved to be an unsustainable funding model.

The $25,000 would come from the town's rainy day fund. Going forward, the police department will be responsible for budgeting the program.

At the request of town council, Mooresville Interim Police Chief Brock Chipman has agreed to hold off on purchasing a dog until a new police chief is hired.

PacMoore

The council approved two tax abatement compliance statements from PacMoore Process Technologies.

The food processing company reported about $3.4 million in personal property improvements last year, well over its estimated amount of $2.2 million for that time period. It also added 49 employees, far more than the 12 workers it anticipated hiring.

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"They have served a nice niche for the community and diversified what the town has to offer as far as employment," Council President Tom Warthen said.

The company's estimate for real property improvements was $1.5 million, but it came in under budget at nearly $1.1 million.

"That was something they lucked into during the bidding process," Warthen said.

The council unanimously approved both compliance statements.

Honoring centenarians

The town of Mooresville is looking to recognize its citizens who have reached 100 years of age.

Warthen said he got the idea after a local resident informed him their aunt was turning 100 in July.

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At the direction of the council, the town attorney will put together a proclamation that can be used to recognize such citizens.

Anyone who knows a Mooresville resident who is turning 100 years old is encouraged to contact Warthen at twarthen@mooresville.in.gov to receive a proclamation.

Fire department

Mooresville Fire Chief Matt Dalton said he would like to utilize a section of Indiana code that allows fire departments to recoup money from insurance companies for responding to certain incidents.

"This is one way of allowing us to get some money back into the department," Dalton told the council.

Dalton noted that the Mooresville Fire Department has previously billed insurance companies for hazmat incidents, and the Madison Township Fire Department has begun billing them for expenses related to responding to motor vehicle accidents.

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Town councilmember Greg Swinney expressed concern that a resident might be charged if insurance did not cover damages incurred in an incident in which the fire department responded.

Town attorney Ashley Ulbricht said she would work with Dalton to form a policy that could potentially have a hardship exemption for those who don't have insurance.

In other business

The council gave a first reading of an ordinance to use surplus money from its General Fund to pay off debts related to the purchase of 911 dispatch equipment and two fire trucks. A second reading and vote will take place at the council's June 21 meeting.

Janet Zimmerman approached the council with ongoing drainage issues at her property on East South Street. Warthen asked the resident to give the town time to explore possible solutions.

Council approved a rezone request for a property at 211 1/2 E. Harrison St. The lot was recently purchased by Lou Garland, who plans to build a duplex on the property. The request was for a zoning change from R-1 to R-2 to allow for a multi-family home.

The council approved an agreement with GRW Engineering to provide updates to its comprehensive plan at an hourly rate of $135 not to exceed $10,000.

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The council approved about $1.15 million in claims.

The next meeting of Mooresville Town Council is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, at the Mooresville Government Center, 4 E. Harrison St., Mooresville.

Contact reporter Peter Blanchard at 765-346-2942 or pblanchard@reporter-times.com. Follow him on Twitter @peterlblanchard.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Mooresville Town Council schedules public hearing on K-9 funding