Some North Vernon Utilities customers can expect larger sewer bills in the near future. During Monday evening’s meeting of the city council, the body heard a request from the North Vernon Utility Service Board to amend a recently passed ordinance dealing with sewer rates. The need for an amendment came about after city officials realized that some customers with larger meters weren’t being charged the correct minimum amount. That mistake was uncovered when utilities staff realized that they incorrectly calculated the minimum payment. These minimum amounts were approved by the city council back in May as a way to ease customers into a rate-increase over three years as opposed to implementing it all at once.

The new minimum wastewater rates are as follows:

5/8″, 3/4″ and 1″ meters – $29.40/mo.
1.5″ meter – $62.60/mo.
2″ meter – $120.79/mo.
3″ meter – $364.89/mo.
4″ meter – $871.42/mo.
6″ meter – $2,493.92/mo.

City officials stress that most residential customers won’t see an increase in their bill. However, some industries and local government facilities could.

City council members voted unanimously to amend the ordinance. Russell Vaught, Wastewater Department Manager, notes these changes still need to be implemeted into the city’s billing system. He says that any increases can be expected in the September billing cycle.

Additional increases of 1.5 percent are scheduled to be implemented in January of 2019 and 2020.

A confined feeding operation in the Hope area has been given the go-ahead by local officials. Melissa Begley, with city-county planning, says the Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals gave its unanimous approval for a conditional use permit for the farm, which could handle up to 11,000 pigs, just off of County Road 700 North.

Begley says the next step for the project include zoning compliance and requests for any needed building permits. Begley says that she is unable to provide a possible timeline for when the process continues.

The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to begin restricting traffic to a single lane on State Road 9 at Little Haw Creek north of Hope Tuesday as part of a $1.5 million, two-bridge rehabilitation project. Officials say that traffic restrictions will start next Tuesday, July 31st, at a second State Road 9 bridge site south of Hope.

This bridge is located a half-mile north of State Road 46. INDOT says that temporary signals at either ends of both State Road 9 bridges will control one-direction-at-a-time traffic flow while construction operations take place on half the structure at a time. Drivers should anticipate brief delays through late-fall.

It was a full day of meetings Monday as the city of Columbus worked to update its sign ordinance. The Bartholomew County Plan Commission, city plan commission, then city council met in separate meetings to discuss proposed changes. Melissa Begley, with city-county planning, explains that the ordinance is being addressed due to a U.S. Supreme Court decision, Reed vs. Town of Gilbert.

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Begley explains that the court’s decision is based on the fact that government cannot limit non-commercial speech based on content.

Begley says those specific standards include the number of signs, their height and other aspects. She adds that this is the first step in taking a broader look at the city’s sign ordinance…

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City council members voted to suspend the rules and pass the ordinance changes on first reading. The vote was 5-0. Council members Laurie Booher and Tim Shuffett were not present for the vote.

Columbus city officials will be addressing the city’s sign ordinance on Monday. The Bartholomew County Plan Commission is meeting at 8:30 to discuss it. The city plan commission meets at 1 p.m. and the city council meets at 2 p.m. All three meetings will be held at City Hall.

Jeff Bergman, City-County Planning Director, says the bodies are meeting to address changes needed after a recent Supreme Court decision. He explains that Reed vs. Town of Gilbert, which was decided in 2015, had significant implications for sign regulation nationwide. The suit specifically dealt with temporary direction signs for a church and the fact that the town treated treated non-commercial differently, depending on what they were for.

Bergman says the proposed changes focus only on the language and methods used to regulate signs. He says that there are no changes to the allowed number, height or area of signs for businesses.

The police search for a Madison man is over. Jennings County Sheriff Gary Driver says that officers found the body of 26-year-old Joseph Guadagnoli inside a home in the Paris Crossing area. He died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Sheriff Driver says that Guadagnoli eluded deputies since the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 17th when deputies attempted to serve an arrest warrant for him. He notes that Guadagnoli was wanted on a Parole Violation Warrant through Madison Parole District.

Jennings County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Lee was patrolling the area when he observed an open door to a home which had previously been noted as closed. Upon further investigation, deputies located a back door that had been forced open. Deputies conducted a safety sweep off the home, which led to the discovery of Guadagnoli’s body. Authorities say that no one else was in the home.

Indiana Department of Transportation’s contractor for its $4.3 million resurfacing project on the 15-mile section of State Road 46 between Columbus and Nashville will have crews operational at three different locations by the end of next week.

INDOT says that workers are replacing a 1200-foot full-depth section of pavement at Tipton Lakes Boulevard west of Columbus, while a second crew is milling surface asphalt in State Road 46’s westbound lane. The milling operation began yesterday Thursday at County Road 350 West in Bartholomew County.

On Thursday, July 26, paving crews are scheduled to start placing the asphalt surface on State Road 46’s westbound lane, lagging several days behind milling operations. Just short of State Road 135 at Nashville, State Road 46 milling and paving operations will turn to the eastbound lane.

Motorists will be direct around moving worksites by flaggers.

A Scottsburg woman was arrested Thursday after she turned herself in to the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg after probable cause was presented by the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office in Scott County Circuit Court. Authorities say that 28-year-old Courtney Brewer is facing preliminary charges of Corrupt Business Influence, Fraud on a Financial Institution, two counts of Forgery, five counts of Theft, 12 counts of Prescription Forgery and six counts of Theft. State Police say that Brewer is behind bars awaiting her first court appearance.

Sgt. Jerry Goodin, spokesman for the Indiana State Police Post in Sellersburg, says the arrest was the result of a nearly ten month long investigation that was initiated when a local Scottsburg medical doctor noticed possible prescription fraud within his practice. After noticing the possible prescription fraud he then noticed what appeared to be fraudulent transactions in his bank statements and other funds. Sgt. Tracy Spencer from the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg was assigned to investigate the possible wrong doings and discovered Courtney Brewer, an employee at the doctor’s office, allegedly stole money and controlled substance prescriptions.

Investigators say that the stolen monies totaled approximately $80,000. In addition, there were over ten controlled substance prescriptions stolen and fraudulently written to Brewer.

This investigation is ongoing.

There is a decent chance for severe weather on Friday. The Storm Prediction Center has placed southern Indiana in an Enhanced Risk for severe weather, with portions of central Indiana in a Slight Risk, and northern Indiana in a Marginal Risk for Friday.

The Bartholomew County Emergency Management says the severe weather is expected to begin in northern Indiana around 2 p.m. Friday. Storms are expected to push to the south and east through Indiana, before exiting the state around midnight.

The town of Nashville/Nashville Utilities has issued a Boil Order after an East Monroe Water services water main break. The following areas should boil their cooking and drinking water through 4 p.m. on Monday:

Somerset Lake Road;
Mockingbird Lane;
Cardinal Lane;
Yellowwood Road;
Bambi Lane;
Cowboy Way;
Hickory Hill Drive;
2099 State Road 46 West to 4370 State Road 46 West

Nashville Utilities says that all customers affected by the boil order has been contacted. Customers with questions should call Nashville Utilities at (812) 988-5526.