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Mayor Tells City Fiscal Strength, $1.2 Million CEDIT Nest-egg; CitesThreats, Hails Cooperation, Work

By JIM BARBIERI
Bluffton is in exceptionally good financial health amid severe crunches for the state, federal deficits and real binds for many or even most communities, Mayor Ted Ellis related as the status-report part of his State of the City message in early March.
He also pointed specifically to a $1.2 million CEDIT Fund nest-egg banked by Bluffton.
First citing area statistics then, Ellis noted for Wells County that:
-- Wells unemployment is 4 percent, while the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area has 5.0% and the state has 5.1%.
-- Wells County is 20th in the state (among 92 counties) in Median Household Income with $43,934.
-- Wells is 8th in the state (87.3%) of adults age 25 and over who hold a high school diploma or GED.
-- Wells is 32nd in the state (14.3%) of adults with a bachelor of arts college degree or higher.
“We are a community that is attracting national business to it,’’ affirmed the mayor, who pointed out that being global in receiving business requires willingness for others to market here.
He then addressed the city’s infrastructure and finances.
On infrastructure, Mayor Ellis hailed in particular the 2002 completion of the new electric substation at the city’s west end -- the million-dollar all-paid-for Decker Drive Substation in the Bluffton-Decker Industrial park.
“For once, we actually have the capacity to take one of our electric substations out of service for routine preventative maintenance. The result should be more reliable power to our homes and businesses,” asserted the mayor.
On city finances, he pointed out that “we are financially secure, even well-off.”
Amid those cited state and federal strains and those noted for other communities, Ellis affirmed that “the city of Bluffton has maintained a solid financial condition.”
Elaborating, he said:
“In the first seven years of this administration, we have doubled the amount of cash we hold in the bank.
“The effects of reassessment and the tax restructuring program are uncertain; however, over the first six years of this administration, we have enjoyed the lowest city tax rate of any city in any county surrounding our area.”
The mayor credited “a conservative approach to the city’s finances” plus working to obtain grants and matching monies from non-tax sources, never budgeting for more than the city plans to receive, and to saving for the big purchases “until we can afford them.”
In elaboration, Ellis said:
‘’When the County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) was enacted, “I set a goal of accumulating a million dollars in that fund so that we would be ready to invest in economic development when an opportunity presents itself.
“We have reached that goal. Our CEDIT fund is now at $1.2 million -- in the bank and ready.”
Mayor Ellis readily granted there are major challenges at hand to Bluffton’s fiscal status.
He cited the city’s health reinsurance premiums increasing by 29 percent, Bluffton’s recently-bid property and casualty insurance premiums doubled -- costing the city more than $100,000 additionally per year -- and, of course, a significant drop in the city’s earnings on invested funds because of the low interest rates.
The mayor said that every 1 percent drop in the interest rate reduces Bluffton’s total investment earnings by about $100,000 a year.
However, he cited a safety factor as a bright fiscal factor too.
“In 1999, the year before we created the position of Public Safety Director, we faced a cancellation of our workers’ compensation insurance,” related Ellis.
He explained that the city’s “experience factor” -- a measure of a history of claims -- was 133 percent. This year, that factor has been reduced to 91 percent, which translates into a direct premium savings of over $33,000 this year and every year, reported Mayor Ellis.
Although he launched his message with a number of introduction of city department heads and officials, the mayor punctuated his message with special introductions that included some of these people plus others.
In an early one, the mayor recognized Bluffton High School Principal Steve Baker and Bluffton Police Chief Robert Frantz over “interpersonal” relationships and cooperation that serve the public well. The example, of course, was receiving last September by the city and Bluffton High School of the Indiana Association of Cities & Towns Intergovernmental Cooperation Award for the Student Out of School Suspension Program here.
While granting that all in various governmental and other agencies do not always agree, Mayor Ellis hailed civil, thoughtful approaches here and cooperative efforts with:
-- The county commissioners in creating the Washington/Main Commons area (block-long downtown parking lot).
-- The Indiana Department of Transportation for the 2002 resurfacing of the five-lane Main Street Corridor between Dustman Road and the bridge plus the state-city cooperation joined by the cooperation and generosity of First Bank of Berne to address needs at “one of our most dangerous intersections” at East State Road 124 and Main Street.
Further on city, county and community cooperation, Mayor Ellis cited the strides for the new Bluffton-Wells Animal Shelter.
He singled out Suzanne Feeback for special recognition in this respect.
The mayor noted that with the county and city each willing to put up $100,000, Feeback and the Friends of the Shelter pressed ahead to bring the private funds totals to $250,000 and the grand total to $450,000, which is expected to fund the project.
“While I do not hold animals to the same high plane as human life, I suggest to you that whether or not we treat these living creatures with a little respect in humane and sanitary environment, speaks volumes about our own character,’’ declared the mayor.
Although granting the special needs in working out a building program with funds from three entities -- city, county and private agency -- Ellis affirmed that the city, county and Friend of the Shelter are “up to the challenge.”
Further heralded on the city-county cooperation theme and that with the Wells Chamber of Commerce was Wells County Council’s elimination of the inventory tax as a stride to keep jobs and keep people working here.
Also, the chamber and the Bluffton Economic Development Commission (EDC) were supportive, as was city council, in the designation of the South Main Corridor as an “Economic Development Target Area’’ -- a hope to lure more business to Bluffton’s south side.
In further recognitions, Mayor Ellis saluted Assistant Police Chief Tammy Schaefer for her 2002 award as Indiana’s Outstanding Officer Against Domestic Violence.
And the mayor recognized Bluffton Parks & Recreation Supt. Pam Vanderkolk for her stellar leadership and for the winning by the Bluffton program of four national awards last year -- the best inclusion, best art, best youth-teen and best overall program national awards.
An additional disclosure by Mayor Ellis was that Bluffton’s dispatch center was the first in Northeast Indiana to be equipped to track emergency cell phone calls to specific locations. The mayor said all but two cell phone carriers now give the locations in that rapid service, with Centennial thenexpected to be on line that month.
Still another reference to prominence was one the mayor was involved in personally -- little expected national notice when he led in the anti-mosquito action amid the health scare last summer-fall in a program of dropping larvaecide pellets in all storm sewers. This was publicized nationally at the time as Indiana’s new break of the day in USA Today.
The city has repeated and expaned that program this spring
Also hailed by Mayor Ellis in his message were strides for the “heart’’ in Bluffton in addition to finances and infrastructure.
He referred to the Daddy-Daughter Dance success being expanded this year, adding a Mothers-Sons event and a pending Dad-Son event called “Touch A Truck Day” -- actually a chance for parents and kids to explore big vehicles together -- as was carried out here June 14.
The additional reference and special recognition last March was for the Bluffton Turnaround Awards and Justin Beck, recipient of one of the awards in the 2002 introduction of these scholarships and prize awards to students chosen in their schools of Wells County for turning around behavior and/or scholastic progress successfully.
“Justin exemplifies the spirit of what we celebrate today,’’ declared the mayor, citing it to be that “the future can be better than the past, and that our work can make a difference.”
The second annual Turaround Awards were presented this spring in advancing that program for human progress.