By PAULENE POPARAD

It’s deja vu all over again for Porter town government --- almost.

All 2007 department heads and consultants were reappointed for 2008, Bill Sexton will serve again as Town Council president, and Blachly Tabor Bozik & Hartman will be the town’s law firm with Patrick Lyp the lead town attorney.

New is Trevin Fowler replacing Micheal Genger, now a town councilman, as a citizen member of the Redevelopment Commission; Genger will remain as a council appointment. Incumbent citizen member Al Raffin was named for another annual term. Also serving on the commission will be Sexton and Councilman Dave Babcock.

Another change is Councilman Jon Granat replacing Steve Rohe on the Stormwater Management Board.

After the meeting Sexton said Rohe did not seek reappointment and, although the three-person Stormwater Board was created in 2004 as a citizen board, Granat is a mechanical engineer and it was felt his expertise would be helpful as the board embarks on developing a stormwater master plan for Porter.

Incumbents were returned to other town boards. Reappointed were Robert Kremke and Greg Stinson to the Board of Zoning Appeals, which met only twice in 2007; and Ken Timm to the Plan Commission. Babcock and council member Michele Bollinger will join Timm on the commission. Becky Maranto was returned to the Park Board and Karen Pisowicz to the Metropolitan Police Commission.

Bruce Snyder was named Porter’s representative to the Duneland Economic Development Corp., and Judy Chaplin was recommended to remain as the Duneland-area representative on the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission.

All but Sexton are new to the Town Council this year. Granat was elected vice-president. Sexton will continue to serve as the town’s representative to the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission; he also is liaison to the town hall. Granat will be liaison to the Police Department; Genger to the Fire Department; Bollinger to the Park Department; and Babcock to Public Works/Streets/Utility.

James Spanier was returned as police chief, Brenda Brueckheimer as Public Works director, Lewis Craig as fire chief, Art Elwood as building commissioner, James Mandon as town planner, Haas & Associates as town engineer and Cender & Company as financial advisor. The Park Board appoints the park superintendent; Jim Miller currently holds that position.

Sexton said next week council members will attend an Indiana Association of Cities and Towns orientation in Indianapolis for incoming town officials.

Clerk-treasurer Carol Pomeroy requested and the council approved increasing from $100 to $500 the threshhold before which a purchase order is required to be filled out. The departments’ respective liaisons still must approve purchases.

The council voted 5-0 in a series of motions to correct an oversight when adopting the 2008 salary ordinance late last year. The positions of building and electrical inspectors, now held by Bill Lewis, and the plumbing inspector, who is Elwood, will receive 3 percent pay hikes over 2007 wages consistent with other employees. The duo also split a share of the percentage of the building permit fees collected.

In other action, the council by consensus directed the Public Works Department to erect a guard rail at the first southbound turn of the S-curve on westbound Old Porter Road. Property owner Nathan Hufstedler displayed police reports citing where motorists have missed the curve, jumped the curb and struck vehicles parked near his new log home at 1510 Old Porter, formerly a strawberry field.

Sexton said a guard rail was located there a long time ago and should be replaced. Lyp said to make sure the guardrail is on public right-of-way. Hufstedler said he will donate land if necessary to get the guard rail put up.

Posted 1/9/2008