Hayden J Emrah
WZBD
The town of Monroe at their July meeting spoke with multiple officials, including town Superintendent Justin Shaffer, Fire Chief Kris Brukhart, and Clayton Lothridge of the Adams County Economic Development Board.
First up were road repair and general updates from Schaffer, who elaborated on various projects undergoing and finishing repairs around town. These projects included the following: completed water main work at Adams Central, cold patching of Andrews Street, upgrading signs across town to include LED lights for improved visibility, as well as the opening of qualification bids for repairs at the intersection of Van Buren and Andrews Streets.
Other news from Shaffer included that his department is looking for an additional full time employee to help with the upkeep of the town, and that those interested should apply by mid August. He also made note of the ongoing installation of a window between the clerk’s office and town hall main entrance, helping to improve security by allowing the office to see who enters and exits the building.
Next town official to speak was fire Chief Kris Burkhart, who brought to the attention of the council that the confusion of an $8,000 town fund under the title “fire miscellaneous” was found to be the result of a discrepancy. It was revealed when $9,000 was billed to the department for a firetruck vehicle’s insurance, and so Burkhart looked into the matter to see where the proper funds were for paying the fees, finding that the Monroe Fire Department technically didn’t own the truck.
Currently, and for reasons unclear, the town of Monroe owns one of the Monroe Fire Department’s vehicles, one of the pump trucks–what one imagines a typical fire truck to be–used by the department. It was speculated that the reason for owning the vehicle was that if for some reason the Monroe Fire Department–a separate tax entity from the town itself–were to go under, that the town could retain some assets from the department.
Burkhart and the council agreed that it made more sense for the fire department to own the fire truck, but to give it over to the department, the town will have to transfer the title and file the proper paperwork with the Adams County Superior Court. It was agreed in a 2-0 vote–councilmember Josh Geerken recused himself as he is a member of the Monroe Fire department–to transfer the title over to the department once the proper procedures could be filed. As for the insurance money, the department paid off the bill to ensure the vehicle can be used for emergency response, wanting to notify the council of the line item discrepancy in their budget and ownership of the firetruck.
Other notable happenings for the town of Monroe included Clayton Lothridge, Monroe’s representation as a board member for the Adams County Economic Development Corporation. At the town meeting, he announced the hiring of Taylor Braun as the county’s Tourism and Marketing Coordinator, who has been spearheading ongoing efforts to advertise attractions and things to do within the county. One of Braun’s tasks to promote county tourism includes making flyers for the upcoming 2024 Monroe Days, which will be held Sep. 14th. Lothridge provided additional details of the festival, which is set to include a cornhole tournament, a car show, town vendors, and multiple bands throughout the evening. Flyers for the festival are set to be distributed by the first weeks of August.
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