Huntingburg Common Council Weighs New Ordinance, Grants Extension for Code Enforcement

At this week’s meeting, the Huntingburg Common Council considered a proposed wheel tax and a code enforcement extension request. 

In its first agenda item, the Council considered the adoption of a municipal wheel tax ordinance. The state now requires that municipalities have the wheel tax in place by a September 1 deadline to be eligible for Community Crossings grant funding. Mayor Neil Elkins and City Attorney Phil Schneider emphasized that residents will not pay both the city and the county. Instead, the wheel tax reallocates tax revenue from the county to the municipality without a significant impact on the taxpayer. The ordinance was introduced and the board will consider adoption at the next meeting on August 25, allowing time for public input. 

The second major discussion involved an emotional appeal from a resident, Michaela Kendall, whose family is fostering several large Great Pyrenees dogs exceeding Huntingburg’s residential pet limit. The residents made a special exception request for the excess dogs due to unique circumstances. There are two emotional support dogs on the property, as well as a pair of Great Pyrenees dogs and their puppies. They surrendered the puppies to the Humane Society in Jasper when they were four months old, but remain foster parents because of a lack of space at the facility. One puppy found a home on Friday, but two more must be adopted out for the Kendalls to be in compliance. All of the dogs have been neutered or spayed and are current on their vaccinations. Kendall explained that they have an electric fence and the dogs’ presence has eliminated the presence of coyotes from the adjacent agricultural land. While most neighbors have had a positive reaction to the dogs, there was a complaint registered. 

Due to ordinance limits on the number of dogs allowed, enforcement action and fines were threatened. The Kendalls have actively attempted to find homes for the dogs through the pound and rescue organizations, but have been challenged in finding adopters for large breeds. After hearing the circumstances and ongoing efforts to rehome the dogs, the council granted a 60-day extension with a progress report to help avoid fines while seeking adoption solutions. 

In other business, the Council passed an ordinance to comply with an increase in volunteer firefighter allowances mandated by state law. A resident requested an update on the city’s website, noting that meeting minutes and agendas are not being posted. The Council discussed the website’s maintenance and timeliness. They acknowledged improvements made in transparency and public access, but also discussed procedural reasons for delays in posting official documents online. 
 
For more information on these and other updates, visit www.huntingburg-in.gov


- By Drew Hasselbring