Safety, Streets, and Service Dominate Ferdinand Town Council Meeting

The Ferdinand Town Council addressed a wide range of public safety, infrastructure, and community concerns during its final meeting of the year.

The board approved continued training and qualification testing for multiple officers in the Ferdinand Police Department. Police Chief Rob Randle noted that this year, all officers exceeded their required 24 hours of training with an average of 85 hours. Calls for service are up 22%. The department is working with ICAC, Indiana Crimes Against Children, participating in a task force with local departments to coordinate efforts for intervention and criminal prosecution.

Fire Chief John Hoppenjans presented the Automatic Aid Agreement between the Ferdinand Fire Department and the St. Anthony Volunteer Fire Department. The agreement was approved and signed. The chief thanked two departing firefighters who will be leaving the department. Jake Lindauer, who served for 5 years, and Ben Hayden, who is retiring after 20 years, were both commended for their service.

The Electric Department was approved to complete testing at the old substation once the weather breaks, before the storm season. It will involve a complete shutdown of the station for the 16-point testing and inspection, and the full load can be handled by the new station during that week. This will be completed at a cost of just over $21,000, which is budgeted.

Residents from homes on Georgia Street before 3 rd and 5 th expressed concern that the road was receiving regular maintenance several years ago, but it has deteriorated since then. The roadway is badly in need of repair, and there are concerns about the high speeds from motorists entering from 5 th Street. There are 8 children living on the street now, and residents said it is only a matter of time until someone is seriously hurt.

The road cannot be improved by the town until it has been accepted. For the town to accept the road, they will need an agreement from everyone with property on the road to turn it over to the town. Normally that is done with the developer, but since time has passed, it will have to go directly through the property owners. Once next steps are identified, the Town Council will work with residents to research the issue and look for solutions. Repairs will depend on a Community Crossing matching grant, as the town does not have enough funds to bring the road up to code. The state did not approve Ferdinand’s CCMG application this year, which marks only the second denial in the town’s history.

In other business, a moment of silence was held in remembrance of long-time board member Don Foreseter, who passed away on December 2. Municipal appointments for 2026 were confirmed. Redevelopment Commission President Dan Collignon said that the board is working through the READI 2 grant. Nothing is solidified yet, and they are still working on all the numbers.

A public hearing was held on a tax abatement request for the construction of a new steel building by Leibering Dimension. The request for the tax abatement of personal property and real estate was approved. The Special Services Agreement between the town and Ferdinand Housing Incorporated was approved, as was the Salary Ordinance for 2026. The final leaf pickup will be on December 23.

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

- Drew Hasselbring