Huntingburg Council Considers Hiring Solutions

The Huntingburg Common Council and Utility Board meeting was filled with plans for the future. 

A Council member mentioned that it was his understanding that City Hall was having difficulty filling positions because of the new hire vacation plan. The current policy is that there is no vacation time accrued for the first year, after which time employees receive two weeks of vacation. As this is an employee policy, it was adopted by ordinance, and would require the same for modification. A suggestion was made that maybe a policy could be made that time could be accrued but not used for six months or another appropriate timeline. The Council noted that there are other government positions, even within the county, that offer three weeks of time on the first day of employment. It was agreed that future discussions regarding paid time off are in order. 

The Huntingburg Library held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for its new extensive renovation. The building is 2,000 square feet and the oldest library in Dubois County. The grant- funded project will include a handicapped-accessible elevator, energy efficient lighting, a new patio, a new HVAC system, and an excavation in the crawl space. There will also be a reimagined children’s area with additional space. This will add almost 1500 square feet of additional area, bringing the total added footage to 2,170 square feet. Mayor Neil Elkins praised the effort and the increased accessibility that will be provided to handicapped and senior patrons, as well as the opportunities that will be available to the general public with the improvements. 

In other business, the Council approved the final adoption of the ordinance amending the police department fees that were previously presented to the Council. In addition, a representative of the Mayor’s Youth Council said that the group is planning to hold its first meeting of the year and will elect its officials at that time. They have some new members, but are still looking for additional youth who might like to participate.


For more information on these and other updates, visit www.huntingburg-in.gov


- Drew Hasselbring