The 2017 budget for the city of Columbus was approved on second reading during Tuesday night’s meeting of the city council.

Prior to the vote, the city’s finance director, Jamie Brinegar, gave the administration’s response to a budget appeal filed by former Mayor Kristen Brown and 12 others. That appeal accused the city of not providing accurate budget information. Brinegar gave, what he called, an “apples-to-apples” comparison…

Brinegar says the group’s complaints aren’t valid…

Brinegar says that the budget process has been very transparent…

Petitioners objected to mentions of the previous administration as they say it wasn’t relevant to their complaint. The council voted 5-to-1 to accept the administration’s finding of fact in this case and then voted unanimously to approve the $54.3 million budget.

Once the budget was passed, on a unanimous vote, Mayor Jim Lienhoop read a prepared statement addressing the appeal and other actions taken against the city…

During the public comment period at the end of the meeting, Kristen Brown responded to Lienhoop:

The Columbus Municipal Airport has been chosen as the top airport in the state by the Aviation Association of Indiana.

Brian Payne, the city’s airport director, said the city was chosen from more than 60 airports around the state and city officials were presented the award at a ceremony last week.

“I think it shows a lot about Columbus, just what we are doing, what we are thinking of,” Payne said. “We have an airport that is unlike any others in the state of Indiana.”

For example, he said that the airport has more commercial and educational development on airport property than anywhere else in Indiana

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He also said Columbus is set apart by its emphasis on aviation education, with the recent addition of aviation management programs at Ivy Tech Community College’s Columbus campus.

Payne said that Columbus is actually the fourth busiest airport in Indiana. That includes eclipsing larger airports such as Evansville, Fort Wayne, South Bend and Gary.

“In fact, this year, year-to-date we are higher than any year we have ever had,” Payne said. “So (it is) fantastic, what we have been able to accomplish.”

The town of Hope has disbanded its emergency services committee.

The committee mostly had oversight of the town’s contract with its volunteer fire department, says Town Council President Clyde Compton. The committee will be replaced by a group focused on emergency response, Compton said.

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The town and fire department have had been at odds in recent years over that contract and went all of last year without a contract and most of the year without payments to the fire department.

Compton dissolved the committee at the town council meeting last night.

In the place of the committee the town will have a new group made up of representatives of volunteer fire department and other agencies from around the county. They will concentrate more on advising the town on emergency response and disaster planning, said J.T. Doane, the town manager.

Compton said that makes more sense for the town’s needs.

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Phase I of Columbus’ State Street Urban Enhancement Project has been approved by INDOT.

Phase I encompasses improvement to the Haw Creek bridge, making it a “gateway” to downtown. Organizers say that the hope is to blend downtown and the city’s east side. That work includes widening the bridge to incorporate a multi-use concrete side path on the north side of the bridge and a six-foot-wide sidewalk on the south side. City officials say there will also be a protective barrier on both side between traffic and pedestrians, along with lighting enhancements.

Phase I of the project also includes a gateway on Central Avenue to “reflect the industrial arts heritage” of the city. There are also scheduled to be tree plantings and other landscaping enhancements.

Heather Pope, the city’s Redevelopment Director, says that the contract for this portion of work to Force Construction. She adds that the Columbus Board of Works and Safety is expected to ratify the contract at its meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Pope says the work will begin shortly thereafter with an expected completion date of June 16, 2017.

The city of Columbus is working on a plan to mitigate the wait times drivers will have to endure with an increase in train traffic.

The Louisville & Indiana Railroad has leased the line going through the city to CSX. They have announced plans to increase train traffic from a current maximum of eight per day, to 22. In addition, the trains will be longer, going from a current maximum length of 5,100 feet to 7,500 feet.

John Dorenbush, a member of the city’s Redevelopment Commission, said during that group’s meeting on Monday afternoon, that the main concern is for traffic on State Road 46. To alleviate this upcoming traffic congestion, he says that city officials are looking into an overpass that will allow vehicular traffic to drive over the railroad there. “There will be an overpass in the future,” Dorenbush said. However, he would not hazard a guess as to when the work on such a project would even begin. Dorenbush said that residents need to understand that the railroad is not going to change it’s plan. “The railroad doesn’t cross 46,” said Dornebush. “Forty-six crosses the railroad.”

Dorenbush says that cost estimates on the project are being compiled by the city’s consulting firm and should be available “in the near-future.” He expressed hope that there will be a public meeting in January to discuss the project with residents and to hear their concerns and proposals.

A report of suspicious activity led to the arrest of a man on drug charges over the weekend in North Vernon.

The North Vernon Police Department says they were called to 2110 North State Road 3 at 10:12 a.m. on Sunday. When officers arrived, they allegedly found William F. Baugh. He was arrested on preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement Resulting in Injury, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Paraphernalia, a Legend Drug Violation and Possession of a Schedule 4 Controlled Substance.

North Vernon Police have not released any information on who was hurt during the arrest, nor their condition. We will update this story once that information has been made available.

Columbus Police say that a domestic dispute led to the arrest of a local man.

Lt. Matt Harris, CPD spokesman, says that just after noon on Saturday, officers responded to the 2400 block of Indiana Avenue on reports of a loud disturbance. When officers neared in the area, they reported hearing the sounds of a fight and a woman screaming. The officers then reported hearing a man’s voice coming from inside a shed behind a house. When they investigated, police reportedly found 26-year-old Joshua D. Streeval and a woman inside the shed. While speaking with the woman, officers reported seeing red marks on her neck and face.

Police ultimately arrested Streeval on preliminary charges of Battery with Bodily Injury, Strangulation and Criminal Confinement.

Indiana State Police are disputing accusations that a probe into fraudulent voter registration forms is politically motivated. The state police released a statement over the weekend saying that the complaint from Patriot Majority USA is completely false.

Patriot Majority USA released an ad Friday making accusations against the state police and Gov. Mike Pence over the investigation.

A sample from the advertisement:

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The group is accusing the state police of voter suppression and civil rights violations in the investigation, which has spread to 56 counties including Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings.

Hendricks County voter registration officials called in the state police after allegedly noticing discrepancies with registration forms submitted by Patriot Majority USA, including possibly made up names and addresses combined applications containing real people’s names with new, fake addresses, state police say.

State police are urging voters to check to make sure that your registration is in order. You can do that by going online to indiana voters dot com or by calling your county clerk’s office. In Bartholomew County, the voter registration office is 812-379-1604

An Edinburgh teen has died after a Sunday afternoon crash near Hope.

17-year-old Allyssia A. Christman was flown by helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis where she died, according to Indiana State Police reports

The accident happened at about 12:50 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of County Road 900N and County Road 350E.

A car, driven by 19-year-old Austin D. Wade of Hope, was headed west on 900N when he pulled onto 350E into the path of a southbound pickup pulling a camper. The truck, driven by 36-year-old Eric W. Harper, of Hope, hit the car in the front passenger side, where Christman was a passenger in Wade’s vehicle, police say.

Harper’s truck overturned in a field. He and two juveniles in the truck were uninjured in the crash.

Master Trooper Gary Thalls assisted at the scene by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Columbus Fire Department, Clifford Fire Department, Columbus Regional Hospital EMS, and IU Lifeline Helicopter.

The accident remains under investigation.

Authorities in Johnson County are investigating what may be an accidental shooting.

The Sheriff’s Department says that deputies were called to a home Friday in the 1700 block on North County Road 125 West. When they arrived, they reported finding the the homeowner had been shot, allegedly by a neighbor, an adult male, who was doing target practice on their own property just off of State Road 144.

Sheriff Doug Cox says that the victim is an adult male who was struck in the leg and taken to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

The investigation is ongoing.