WINONA LAKE – Most Winona Lake town employees will receive a 2 percent raise in 2017.
The town council unanimously approved a raise for most town positions at its monthly meeting Tuesday. The park board, clerk–treasurer and town council will stay at their 2016 rate, while everyone else will get the raise.
In other business, the debate about parking on 12th Street continued. The town council has been looking at the possibility of banning parking on the small road due to it being too narrow. Another possibility is to turn 12th Street into a one-way going west, to feed into the nearby Court Street.
Jill Serbousek, a resident who drives that road every day, says the problem isn’t the street being two ways. Very few people use the road regularly, she said, as only three houses are near the road. “The problem is the violation of the weed ordinance by the abandoned house on that street, makes it so you can’t see around the corner,” she said. The owners of the home only come a few times a year, and sometimes the neighbors have to cut the weeds down, she said.
Gary Nielsen said the town should not only look at the few people using the street now, but prepare for the future when more people come to the island in the spring. After Memorial Day, there will be more trucks and boats up on the island, making space tight, he said.
The council decided to take the issue under advisement before making a decision.
In other business:
• Jordan Foreman, Samuel Fowler and Shawn Kantenwein were approved and sworn in as Winona Lake Police Department reserve officers.
• The town council unanimously approved hiring Steve Emery for $14.50 an hour to supplement the care of Winona Lake Parks and Greenway. He will be a full-time employee.
