Government

By: Allison Robbins— Muncie, IN—The Muncie Sanitary District is pleased to announce that it will complete the construction of the Muncie Central Levee Trail this summer.  The trail design and construction are being funded through a grant awarded to the Muncie Sanitary District from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources through its Recreational Trail Program. The new trail starts at the Cardinal Greenway near the McCullouch Trailhead on the south side of the river continuing on the levee to the High Street Bridge.  The trail will pass under the Walnut Street Bridge. The levee trail is stone. The trail is one…

Muncie, IN—The Muncie Police Merit Commission is in the process of forming a Diversity Task Force which will assist the Merit Commission and the Muncie Police Department in hiring and promoting from a larger pool of diverse applicants. The main goal of this task force is to review current merit commission polices in order to ensure a wide spectrum of potential law enforcement officers are hired to the Muncie Police Department in the future. According to Michael Mueller, secretary of the Muncie Police Merit Commission, “This is something we’ve been looking at for quite a while. I believe it’s always good…

By: City of Muncie Communications— Muncie, IN- The Muncie City Council held a special meeting on June 29th, 2020 for the purpose of voting on Ordinance 4-20. Ordinance 4-20 expands the size of the Muncie Sanitary District Board from three individuals to five. The expansion of the board was designed to “provide better oversight and accountability for the sanitary district.” The Council voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 4-20.  This ordinance enables the current City Engineer, Brian Stephens-Hotopp room to serve on the current MSD board. Additionally, the Mayor has also appointed Stephen Brand to fill the fifth vacancy.  Brand is…

By: Delaware County Redevelopment Commission— Muncie, IN – Three miles of new walking and biking trails south of the city, serving fast-developing areas, are planned by Delaware County officials. The Muncie Industria Center Trail, which will connect residents of the south side of Muncie to the Ivy Tech Community College campus, industrial areas and the new Delaware County Justice Center complex, is a project created and led by the Delaware County commissioners. The trail, estimated in cost at about $3.3 million, should be completed before the end of 2020, the commissioners announced. The Delaware County commissioners championed the project, which was…

By: City of Muncie Communications— Muncie, IN—In his ruling on June 18th, Special Judge Haviza confirmed that Muncie City Civil Engineer, Brian Stephens-Hotopp, who was appointed by newly elected Mayor, Dan Ridenour at the start of the year, is entitled to serve as a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Muncie Sanitary District by virtue of his office. This court ruling ends a long delay as Hotopp was denied his seat by the current board during the January 15, 2020 meeting, the first meeting of 2020. “I am very pleased that Brian can now serve on the MSD…

By: City of Muncie Communications—  Muncie, IN- Muncie Animal Care and Services is proud to announce that they received a spay/neuter grant from the Bissell Pet Foundation in the amount of $10,005. Out of Bissell Pet Foundation’s partner network of nearly 5,000 shelters and rescues, the Muncie Animal Shelter was chosen as a recipient of this grant. Bissell Pet Foundation’s mission is to find every pet a home; the foundation focuses their efforts on adoption, spay/neuter, microchipping, and emergency support.  The grant funds will be used to spay/neuter the homeless dogs and cats that arrive at Muncie Animal Care &…

By: City of Muncie Communications Office— Muncie, IN- The blighted building which was once known as the “Red Carpet Inn” on South Madison is set for demolition. The current owner is out of state, and has been unresponsive to the unsafe building authority. Community Development, the Building Commissioners Office and Mayor Dan Ridenour have moved forward with plans for demolition.  Complete Demolition Services out of Louisville Kentucky will complete demolition of the building, at a total cost of $289,400. One of the major obstacles Complete Demolition Services faces, is asbestos removal, estimated to cost $97,400; with $192,000 taking up the…

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—It was an attractive home, nestled between two expansive oak trees. Tiny wind chimes tinkled every so often from the front porch, announcing their presence. The grass was freshly cut, yet the sidewalk and street showed no evidence of trimmings. It was a home someone loved—a home to be proud of. The home next door was quite a different story. Grass and weeds stood over a foot tall. Cigarette butts covered the sidewalk. Trash dumpsters were laid haphazardly on their sides with unbagged trash spilling out onto the ground. A few automobiles, once repairable, now sat…