From the Northwest Indiana Times:
On Monday, the City Council approved allocating $580,000 of county economic development income tax funds to the city's employee health insurance plan. Mayor Jon Costas said that after several good years of low health care costs, 2012 has proven to be expensive.
The city already allocated more than $2 million toward the benefits with about $1.8 million coming from city funds and the rest from the employees' share. Costas said it appears the city might have to find still more money to bolster the fund if things don't change soon.
The City Council also approved a request to allocate $26,000 from its share of the riverboat casino funds to pay for an update of the accounting software used in the clerk-treasurer's office and the parks department. The money also covers training for employees to use it.
Clerk-Treasurer Sharon Swihart said the city has $673,469 in the riverboat fund, of which about $70,000 is to be spent developing a handicapped accessibility plan as well as pay for the accounting upgrade. The city receives about $171,000 a year in casino revenue, so it will still have a balance of more than $700,000.
A facade grant of up to $23,000 for the Barney-Pendleton Group financial offices at 61 Indiana Ave. was approved. The plan calls for replacing or reconstructing the framing of windows and doors, wash, repair and paint the exterior, replace the signs and install 12 decorative lights.
The total cost is expected to be a maximum of $46,000, of which the grant pays half, with the work to be completed by July 1. Funds for the facade grant program come from the city's EDIT budget, with $159,341 allocated for the program this year for downtown.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/valpo-bolsters-health-insurance-with-extra-edit-cash/article_a0328dfb-7205-5a81-9d51-53d3afebb961.html
