Bluffton council plans emergency legislation on Monday to authorize the purchase and training of a police K-9 from funds donated to the K-9 project.
The legislation makes official what was announced earlier when the police department raised over $17,000 in donations and pledges for purchase and training of a police dog.
Police Sergeant Tyler Hochstetler will be the designated handled for the dog.
Ryan Burkholder, police chief, informed Bluffton council members on Oct. 12 that the department achieved it $17,000 goal to purchase the dog.
Bluffton school board approved a five-year school district fiscal forecast presented by Paula Parish, on Oct. 16.
"Schools are required to prepare a five-year forecast two times each year, once in October and then an update in May." she told the Icon. "The forecast serves as a good tool to help monitor the revenues and expenses for the district."
The forecast includes actual figures for fiscal years ending June 30, 2015, through June 30, 2017.
Bluffton school board members will review and act upon a five-year forecast for fiscal years 2018 to 2022 at Monday’s October board meeting.
The forecast is a state requirement of all school district.The forecast was not part of the board's packet. Watch the Icon for a followup on the forecast details.
In other action, in an otherwise light agenda, the board will act on 18 supplemental contracts and assignments. The majority involve winter coaching positions.
Six substitute teaching contracts are also on the agenda.
Bluffton council split its Monday meeting in half.
Council met in open session 39 minutes and coincidentally 39 minutes in closed session.
Two executive sessions took place Monday. They were split with 16 minutes taking place midway between the open session for “personnel job descriptions” as described by Mayor Judy Augsburger.
No action followed the first executive session and no explanation on the discussion was given as council reentered open session.
The Village of Bluffton’s boundaries are set to expand toward the northwest.
On Monday the council will act on a resolution to accept a parcel of Bluffton University property into the village through annexation.
The parcel is part of what is known as the university’s nature preserve on Augsburger Road. The university intends to build a classroom a portion of the preserve that is not currently in the village.
The annexation will allow the university to pay the inside rates for water and sewer.
The special Bluffton council meeting set for Oct. 2 is re-scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m., according to Judy Augsburger, mayor.
The meet is to discuss a petition to expedite an annexation of Bluffton University’s Swinging Bridge Nature Preserve property into the Village of Bluffton.
