Jasper Board of Public Works and Safety Prepares for Year-End

At the Jasper Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on Tuesday morning, the agenda was focused on preparations for the coming year. 

The board approved the Jasper Police Department’s request to retire Chief Nathan Schmitt’s handgun, which will be given to him at a later date. Retiring an officer’s firearm is customary in the department for those who have served over 20 years. The board also approved conditional offers for three new officers. In Assistant Chief Aaron Persohn’s report for last month, the board heard that there were 34 arrests and 44 criminal charges, 2 of which involved crimes against juveniles. 

City Engineer Chad Hurm provided a Main Street project update. He said that the City plans to be paving between 4 th and 5 th Streets today, which was delayed by the rain over the last few days. Storm sewer and inlet work will continue on 3 rd and 4 th Streets. Crews are close to completing all the concrete work between 4 th and 5 th and should be done by the end of the week. Sections of the road will be reopened as they are completed.  

Annual supply bids were presented for the Street Department, which were awarded by the board based on department recommendations. Street Commissioner Jeff Theising said that since a lot of trees are still shedding leaves, leaf pickup will probably continue for the next two weeks. Christmas week is a short week and will likely be the final pickup. Residents are also reminded to put leaves at the end of the yard, not the curb, and to be sure that trash and recyclables are put out by 7 am for pickup. 

In other business, the annual agreement between city of Jasper and the Heart of Jasper was approved, as was the Trecs Letter Service Agreement for 2025. The City has used the Trecs Clearing House program for several years, which helps to administer outstanding utility bills and parking tickets. When bills to the City remain unpaid, funds are intercepted from state tax refunds through the tax refund exchange and compliance program. A reminder was also given that the next board meeting will be held on Friday, December 20 at 8 AM due to the Christmas holidays. 

For more information on these and other updates, visit jasperindiana.gov or JasperGov-Indiana on Facebook.


 - By Drew Hasselbring