The Annual Newsletter for the Residents of the Town of  Winona Lake, Indiana

January 1998

In early 1996, the Winona Lake Town Council established three goals for its four year term: 1) reduce the tax rate; 2) improve the image of the Town; and 3) plan for growth. The past year witnessed great strides toward accomplishing each of these goals.

Lowering the Tax Rate The property tax rate for Winona Lake citizens in 1998 will be $2.55 per hundred dollars of assessed valuation. This represents a decrease of 6.25% from 1997 and a decrease of nearly 11% from the year before this council took office. The council has tried to be diligent in how money is spent as well as looking at the efficiency of each department to better utilize the resources we have. One significant help in making departments more efficient was the institution of a cost accounting system and greater accountability for department heads. While more work needs to be done in this area, we are pleased that Winona Lake's tax rate is now approximately 5% lower than Warsaw's. We hope that this translates to additional building activity and tax base growth in our community.

While sewer charges are not part of the tax rate, they are costs that affect approximately two-thirds of our citizens. The council is disappointed to inform you that sewer charges are increasing two dollars per month starting in January of 1998. The Council is of the opinion that this increase is due primarily to treatment costs from the City of Warsaw. Over the past several years, these expenses have averaged under $10,000 per month. In July of 1997 those costs increased to nearly $20,000 per month. Since our contract with the City of Warsaw expired at the end of 1997, we were hopeful that we could negotiate a rate decrease. After fifteen months of negotiation that is, unfortunately, not the case. Warsaw's offer was to keep the current rate in place and to offer a ten year contract. Since Winona Lake is deemed to be an industrial customer and Warsaw chooses to subsidize residential customers at the expense of industrial users, Winona Lake residents will be paying exactly twice the monthly charge as Warsaw residents. We are exploring options that would help to bring our rates down.

Improving the Image of the Town Several different activities occurred in 1997 to help accomplish this goal. The first annual Fourth of July Festival had combined attendance of over two thousand people - exclusive of the fireworks. In spite of the unseasonably cool weather the activities were first class and enjoyed by all in attendance. A major physical improvement to the Town's image was the near completion of the Island project. While the Island residents suffered through some very difficult times, the new streets and sidewalks have greatly enhanced the allure of this prime residential area. Other town enhancements include an addition to the Street Department Building, removal of some unsightly properties, renovation of the Lodge building in the Park, and additional site work at Southtown Park. 1997 also witnessed near record levels of roofing and remodeling permits, thanks in part to the Housing Authority Grant. These monies helped nineteen homeowners to improve their homes and enhance the value of all property in their neighborhood. This year also produced a web site for Winona Lake (the only town in the county to have one as yet), a printed guide for new residents, and upgrades in other printed communication. We also made great strides in the image of our commissions as a number of spots were filled by females in contrast to past years when males dominated these groups.

Plan for the Future Much work has been done to upgrade sewers and roads and to plan for anticipated growth within and without the current boundaries of the community. Main sewer trunk lines on Wooster Road and Pierceton Road allow for substantial expansion to the east of current development. The Plan Commission is undertaking major planning to look at infrastructure needs and long term thoroughfare use. A desire to bring sewers to the Southtown area is a high priority as is traffic flow on several of the major streets. Grant writing and design for Southtown sewage is already underway. While obtaining the funds necessary to do such a major project is always unpredictable, the goal is to begin on this project within the next two to four years. Obviously, another council will be responsible for bringing this to fruition. One pressing need that is slowly being addressed is the relocation of the police department and combining it with town offices. Over a dozen different alternatives have been discussed and reviewed with no easy solution presenting itself. Current thinking revolves around construction of a new building adjacent to the street department on Chestnut Street. While this location is somewhat less visible than current locations, it does offer the potential of greater cooperation and efficiency by locating many of the town offices and functions together. This has been, and continues to be, a very difficult decision. Input from all citizens would be greatly appreciated.

The first two years of this council's term have been productive and challenging. The members look forward to serving the citizens of Winona Lake in the remainder of our terms as we seek to improve the quality of this wonderful town.