Ferdinand Council Tackles Town Business and Future Planning

At their last meeting, the Ferdinand Town Council addressed community projects, upcoming events, and infrastructure updates. 

In his report, Electric Department Superintendent Todd Fischer said the department is working on the 4 KB to 12 KB conversion, and new current transformers are being installed in the new substation to bring it to full capacity. Fischer said there was an outage early this month caused by an animal, which affected 30 customers. Another outage occurred this week, also caused by an animal. 

The Property and Street Department completed storm sewer work on East 14 th . Fall leaf pickup will begin November 3 and will continue each Tuesday until further notice. If there is no significant rain in the forecast, leaves can be left in the curb. 

Wastewater and Water Department Superintendent Ben Brinkman said the department 100 feet left on the last block of the 5 th Street project. After that, there will be three service lines to hook up. The old main is completely shut off. The required sampling for IDEM for the lead and copper exceedance showed acceptable levels according to state guidelines. Due to some recent tampering with water meters, the board passed Ordinance 2026-19 to impose fines and legal action related to water meter tampering. 

In his Park Department report, Matt Weyer said the 5 th Street playground equipment is still partially off-limits as they are looking for parts to repair the slides. Several projects are being evaluated for the 5 th Street Park, including sunshade quotes and upgrading the Rue Field dugouts over the winter. Volunteers will be doing field improvements at the 18 th Street Park. 

A moment of silence was held to recognize George Schipp, a long-time parks employee who recently passed away. The board also recognized Ferdinand employees who are veterans, including Mike Tobin, Ryan Oeding, Steffen Zink, Don Farina, and the Late Don Foerster. 

The Christmas Pyramid Opening will be November 1 at 6 pm, with a road closure at 12th Street. There will also be a temporary closure for pyramid installation sometime between October 29- 30. The Community Christmas event will be December 7 from 5:30-8 at the Community Center. The event is free, and will feature Santa, choirs, and the dance team. 

The board held a discussion on possible property tax reform. The Municipal Unit Strategic Task Force (MUST), which includes employees from local cities, was asked to work together to identify a non-binding tax rate that could help mitigate potential losses incurred through state legislation. The current county rate of 1.2, and a new rate of 1.9 was proposed, not to exceed 2.9, effective in 2029 if enacted. 

The independent audit of the information surrounding 835 Main Street is in its final stages. The final report will be delivered to the Town Council on November 17 and to the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Plan Commission on November 18. 
 
Fire Department Chief John Hoppenjans said the department will be advertising for new firefighters through November 6. The town will also be hiring a Zoning Administrator, and anticipates the position requiring an engineering background. 

For more information on these and other updates, visit www.ferdinandindiana.org 

 - Drew Hasselbring