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Roanoke seeking Jackson Twp. help for funding rescue truck

Before the Roanoke Town Council can look into purchasing a new rescue truck for the town’s volunteer fire department, it needs to see what kind of funding Jackson Township would be willing to provide for it.

The expansion of E 900N/Lafayette Center Road from two lanes to four – and the potential for more accidents as a result – is what prompted council to start mulling over the purchase of a new rescue truck. However, with the cost of the truck coming in at $480,000, according to Councilman John Stoeckley at council’s meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20, the town would not be able to foot the bill on its own.

Jackson Township has helped Roanoke purchase fire trucks in the past, says Stoeckley, and council would like to see if that would again be the case. Council feels particularly justified in asking as E 900N lies in Jackson Township rather than the Roanoke town limits.

Council President Dave Tucker said that he would contact the members of the Jackson Township Board and request that they attend council’s next meeting, on Oct. 4, to discuss the matter.

At Tucker’s request, council tabled discussion on an open-burning ordinance for the town so he could consult with the town’s legal counsel, Michael Hartburg, and see if the town already had such an ordinance on the books. Tucker remarked that he remembered council using a burn ordinance in the past, but couldn’t remember if it derived from the town or the state.

In other business:

Council had a public hearing for the town’s 2017 budget. The board hopes to adopt the budget, which totals $1,702,427, at its Oct. 4 meeting.

The board passed an ordinance that changes the two-way stop at Canal and Washington streets to a three-way stop.

Town Marshal Jim Wood informed council he’s working on a sign that reads “For town residents only.” The sign will be placed outside town hall on Roanoke’s fall cleanup day, Oct. 8, in hopes of discouraging out-of-towners from using the garbage bins there.

Council approved a request by the Boy Scouts to conduct their annual soap box derby on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.