Ferdinand Town Council Considers Rates, Grants, and New Community Events

From water rates to new events and infrastructure spending, the Ferdinand Town Council moved through a packed agenda on Tuesday night. 

The Council opened a public hearing on water rates, as Patoka Lake will be adjusting prices for the first time since 2022. The meet the expense, the town’s proposed increase is 9.5%. This would be an added expense of $1.20 across the board per 1,000 gallons, which would translate to a $4.80 increase for average households. Next year, there will be a similar increase of $0.40 per 1,000 gallons. With no comments from the public, the public meeting was closed. Ordinance 2026-06 was passed, amending current water rates to the proposed rates. The new rates will be reflected in July bills. 

The Council approved a cost-of-service study with Alpha Engineering at a cost not to exceed $42,700. Electric Department Manager Todd Fischer said having an engineer conduct an electric rate study will provide valuable information that will help to direct future departmental decisions. 

Property and Street Department Manager Eric Rahman said Spring Cleanup last week was very successful. Rahman also reported that at the West 23 rd Complex Limb and Yard Waste site, people have been dumping scrap wood. Residents are reminded not to leave unapproved waste. He also issued a reminder that grass clippings should not be left past the curb as they will clog drains. 

Wastewater and Water Department Ben Brinkman said crews are working on 5 th Street, trying to tie in services as they go so they don’t have to cut the road again at a later date. 

The Council approved a series a requests for Ferdinand Tourism, including the some new events to be held at the gazebo at the Christmas pyramid site. This will include a Midsummer Night event on July 10 and an Oktoberfest event on Oct 10 to continue Walktoberfest. The Council also authorized a closure for a section of 12 th Street during The Ferdinand Christkindlmarkt for vendors. 

A READI 2.0 grant application has been submitted for planters along Main Street. Contingent on securing grant funding, there is also a plan for a crosswalk beautification project on 9 th Street and Kundak Street. 

CCMG2026-02 was awarded to Knies Construction for a Community Crossings Matching Grant project. With the 80-20 matching grant, the town will be responsible for $166,546.61. These funds were denied in the first round of grants, but Ferdinand was awarded in the state’s second round. Resolution 2026-04 was approved, giving Council President Ken Sicard the right to sign off on the agreement with INDOT. 

The Council discussed the timeframe to pay Universal Design Associates for preliminary engineering. The work was completed for a sidewalk/trail from the High School property to Old Town Lake. The designs are complete and ready to use, but the grant has not yet been awarded. Although they had hoped to use grant funds to pay for the design work, the Council voted to pay $16,500 now instead of waiting for grant distribution, which is on an unknown timeline. 

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

 - Drew Hasselbring