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Jasper Board of Public Works and Safety Meeting
The Board of Public Works and Safety met on Tuesday morning with some important agenda
items related to public safety for both Jasper’s emergency services and the upcoming 4 th of July
holiday.
Police Chief Nathan Schmitt advised the board that a Geo-call Memorandum of Understanding
was signed off on last night by the 911 board. Geo-call routing takes all the 911 calls that are
received for our jurisdiction and routes them directly to our police department. Chief Schmitt
expressed his support for the measure and said that it will significantly improve response times
for emergency services. The board approved the Geo-Call Memo of Understanding between the
city, county, and state. The memorandum will now go to the city council for approval, and then
to state 911 board.
On July 11 th , the police department will be conducting their regularly scheduled active shooter
training, which is completed at least annually. Chief Schmitt said that in case members of the
public see a heightened police presence at a school or business, it is likely to be related to this
training.
The school resource officer agreement has been updated for the 24-25 school year. Chief
Schmitt said that these officers have been valuable for the department, in that they improve
bus safety, serve as points of contact for students, provide assistance when necessary for
students and staff, and allow for a positive experience with the police for students and their
families.
Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang reviewed fireworks safety for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday,
especially with the dry weather conditions that we are experiencing. Reminders to the public
are always to have some water or a fire extinguisher handy, never smoke or use alcohol when
using fireworks, and never to let young children handle fireworks. Never hold lit fireworks in
your hand, and do not set off fireworks in city parks or other city properties. Current guidelines
limit fireworks use to between 9 AM and 11 PM every day, which will be extended to midnight
on the 4 th . Chief Hochgesang also reminded the public to remember that this is very late for
some people and can be disruptive to the elderly, as well as those with pets and young children.
He said that this can also be a difficult time for our veterans, and asked everyone to remember
to be sensitive to these concerns and to be considerate to their neighbors while celebrating.
In other business, the board approved a request to award the contract for the street
rehabilitation project to the low bidder in excess of $650,000 to Knies Construction. Low bids
were accepted for a 1–ton dump truck from Bob Luegers Motors and for a salt spreader from
Impco from Madisonville, Kentucky.
The board also approved a statement of work for Civic Plus, which is renewed every July 1 st with
an annual increase limited to 3 percent. Civic Plus services are used by the city’s legal
department and code enforcement officers, although it is also available to other city
departments.
For more information on these and other updates, visit jasperindiana.gov or JasperGov-Indiana on Facebook.
- By Drew Hasselbring