On February 13th at the Bonner Senior Center in Portage, Portage Township Trustee Brendan Clancy held the annual State of the Township address to cover all the terrific accomplishments that have taken place in the township over the past year. At the end of the meeting, Clancy also officially announced his candidacy for re-election to the position.
Clancy began the meeting by leading everyone in the pledge of allegiance. Speaking to a large room packed full of community members, Clancy thanked his staff and the other officials present for their efforts. “I couldn’t do any of this alone; it’s a team effort, and I thank everyone involved for their hard work,” Clancy said.
From a podium surrounded by professional posters of the latest community projects, Clancy’s address covered six major topics:
1. Bonner Senior Center
The senior center saw a large number of improvements over the last year, including:
- Gazebo restoration
- Kitchen upgrades
- Dining room upgrades
- New billiard room furniture and repaired tables
- A new decorative fountain installed, donated by the Wright family
- The purchase of a new bus with capacity for two wheelchairs as well as two more soon-to-arrive 18-passenger, wheelchair-accessible buses
- Start of the bidding process for an exercise/computer lab/four season addition
- New programs including aquacize, Zumba, massage therapy, jewelry making classes, additional casino trips, cooking demonstration show, and Grandparent’s Day, among many others.
Clancy also reported on the grants and contracts awarded and won through 2013. Highlights include:
- Porter County Master Garden Grant, which generated more than 1,800 pounds of produce donated to the Portage Township Food Pantry
- Fuel the Kids NWICA Grant, helping to feed hundreds of Portage Township Children
- GPO Food Program, saving thousands of dollars a year
- The Nutrition Program, which in 2012 cost taxpayers $102,303.60 but in 2013 generated $13,209.29
“Careful money management and the aggressive pursuit of grants have made it possible for us to add new programs at a time when many other local governments across the state are cutting theirs instead,” Clancy explained.
2. Cemeteries
Clancy briefly covered the numerous repairs and improvements to local cemeteries, such as the new, wider entrance at the Blake Cemetery and the memorial monument being installed at the McCool Cemetery.
3. South Haven Fire Department
A new parking lot, lighting, landscaping, training room upgrades, improved bunk rooms, and the renovation of overhead bay doors were the improvements to this hard-working department which answered 1,130 calls in 2013. The township also upgraded the department’s radio communication systems and purchased power-lift ambulance cots to prevent back injuries to emergency personnel. Clancy also mentioned that the department would be switching their umbrella policy to Porter Health System so rules across the area would be standardized, leading to more efficient and better service.
4. Parks
Clancy reported on the many successes and improvements to the local parks system.
- The Enbridge Pipeline crosses some of the parks, but the company has been active in providing funding and grants to improve the area; thanks to them, picnic shelters and a fishing pier will be constructed
- Portage Township Summerfest, which reportedly brought in $15,000 in profit
- Expanded softball leagues and the addition of softball tournaments
- Boys & Girls Club/NFL Football League at Field of Dreams, the Glow Run, Fishing Camp, Harvest Fest and Trek the Township
Portage Township also received a R.O.S.E Award, given by Indiana Dunes Tourism in recognition of service excellence. “We went from worst to first. I can’t tell you how honored I am to have Portage Township Parks recognized as the destination parks in all of Porter County. I’m very proud of everyone involved,” Clancy said.
5. Township Assistance
Clancy said that the Portage Township assistance programs have been greatly enhanced, including the addition of free legal clinics (with Katrina Spence Law Firm) and a Jobs Network Program. In 2013, Portage Township provided $359,185.89 in township assistance, $311,038.81 in referral assistance, and $61,600.00 in non-traditional assistance. According to Clancy, Portage Township has one of the lowest cost-to-service ratios in the state, with every dollar of township assistance costing the taxpayer just 12.8 cents. Portage Township is also the first township in Indiana to go paperless, and a new Township website is now in the final design states.
6. Finances/Budget
Clancy reported on the 2013 budget for the township. The 2013 budget was $2,932,532.00. Excluding Fire, it was $2,039,188.00. The portion of that budget provided by property taxes was $1,310,579.00. “That is the lowest property tax figure in eight years. With that being said, miscellaneous revenue for the Township, which includes monies through grants, grant programming, and use fees, was $635,163.00, which is the highest generated revenue in the history of Portage Township outside of property taxes,” Clancy said.
Quoting Thomas Jefferson on the responsibilities of a government to its people, Clancy also reported that Portage Township’s debt inside the levy is now $0.
After the applause, Clancy thanked the Indiana Township Association for naming him the “State of Indiana Trustee of the Year” for 2013 as well as all of the community members in attendance.
“I want to thank you for your patience, I want to thank you for your support, and I want to thank you for the opportunity to allow me to be your trustee, it’s been a pleasure to work for you," he said. "I’m very proud of the work we’ve done. We have a lot more to accomplish, and I look forward to the future. So today, I announce my candidacy for re-election for Portage Township Trustee. Thank you very much, and God bless.”