The Zionsville Town Council met March 20 at Town Hall to review amendments to the 2023 salary ordinance for the Zionsville Fire Dept’s fleet mechanic position, receive an update on the trash and recycling services bid opening, and heard a presentation from councilor Craig Melton to recognize the efforts of a local resident to identify a deceased person in a cold case from 1992.
What happened: The Zionsville Fire Dept. added a new fleet mechanic position to address the workload in the town. A fleet mechanic is responsible for the timely completion of repairs and preventative maintenance on vehicles, small engines and tools.
What it means: A new fleet mechanic position will require the town council to add the position to the town’s salary ordinance and set a maximum base salary.
What’s next: Council members voted 6-0 on final reading of the ordinance amendment to the Town of Zionsville’s salary ordinance and salary administration guidelines adding a fleet mechanic position within the Zionsville Fire Dept. with a maximum base annual salary from $55,000 to $58,891.
What happened: Dept. of Public Works Director Lance Lantz spoke to the council regarding the new trash and recycling contracts and bids proposed with Waste Management. The Town of Zionsville has provided a residential recycling and trash service since 2009. The current contract terms with Waste Management expires March 29. A new trash contract was proposed after the bid opening process was completed. Three bids were received as of March 20, each with three-year terms.
What it means: Lantz said the proposed trash contract would look the same as the previous one. It is a weekly trash collection and a biweekly residential recycling collection. All residents will be provided one cart for loose recyclable items and a nearly identical cart for residential trash. Using the same carts for trash and recycling is meant to eliminate hand-picked contracts.
“Overall, it’s a much better process, and I’m excited to see this implemented townwide,” Lantz said.
What’s next: Once a contract is chosen and the bids are closed, the contract will go before the town council at the April 10 meeting to consider an ordinance to arrange the new trash rates under the new contract and to conduct a public meeting. During the interim of the new contract, a short-term contract was passed for services after March 29.
What happened: Councilor Craig Melton, who represents District 3, gave a presentation to recognize Zionsville resident Dr. Krista Latham, a professor of biology and anthropology at the University of Indianapolis and the director of the Human Identification Center, for offering her expert training to law enforcement in Boone County.
What it means: Latham helped the Boone County Sheriff’s Dept. identify a 1992 Jane Doe cold case victim. She used DNA from the deceased and utilized new emerging technology to help with identifying the deceased as Maggy Ann Snagowski Jr.
What happens next: The Zionsville Town Council recognized Latham for her services with a Certificate of Appreciation and a token from the Zionsville Police Dept.
