Cambridge City’s council agreed to two vehicle acquisitions and financial matters at a special meeting.
During their March 31 gathering, members agreed to sign an interlocal agreement with Hagerstown to buy a $15,000 surplus bucket truck after Hagerstown bought a newer one.
Cambridge City will pay for the bucket truck with its $11,207 insurance settlement from its stolen snow plow and the remainder from Economic Development Income Tax funds.
Council previously budgeted $30,000 from EDIT funds for vehicle upgrades and can also use other funds as appropriate.
Council also agreed to lease a dump truck for town laborers as long as the town’s cemetery board votes to make the first year’s payment.
The truck lease would be $17,792.21 annually for five years. The town would include that payment in its 2027 budget and beyond. The truck would be used for cemetery maintenance, water projects, hauling dirt and gravel, and other town needs as they arise.
Cemetery board members will vote in person regarding the dump truck lease just before council’s regular April meeting.
Council meets at 6 p.m. Monday, April 13, in town hall, 127 N. Foote St. The public is invited.
Joe Webb, public works superintendent, has raised safety concerns about the town’s aging vehicles for multiple responsibilities. One of the town’s trucks is a 1991 model.
He’s trying to find the best deals on used vehicles because Indiana state officials’ property tax revisions will mean communities receive less money in the coming years.
Water tower
Council also agreed to a contract with Baker Tilly municipal advisers regarding financial advice for the Gateway Industrial Park water tower construction. The financial consultation is not to exceed $76,000.
Several groups are contributing toward the tower construction.
Southern Indiana Regional Plan Commission helped secure a $2.8 million grant from U.S. Economic Development Administration to facilitate the industrial park’s additional growth and support existing tenants, which include Dot Foods, SugarCreek and Taconic Biosciences.
The federal grant, which was secured in 2024, lowers the tower’s estimated $6,343,000 cost to $600,000 for Cambridge City and $2.4 million from Wayne County.
The county’s consolidated EDIT fund will contribute $600,000, and another $1.8 million will come from the county’s redevelopment funds and county EDIT fund. The redevelopment funds will contribute up to $1 million of that $1.8 million, with county EDIT covering the balance.
Cambridge City plans to bond any remaining costs after the project is bid and pay the bond debt through water rates.
Other business
Council voted to rehire Steve Kohne as a temporary laborer for mowing, water leaks, snow removal and other needs. He’ll be paid $15/hour for 32 hours/week.
All votes were 4-0; Jim King was absent.
Mike Emery contributed to this article.
A version of this article appeared in the April 8 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.