Monthly Archives: March 2019
On a recent night, it was cold, dreary and I passed the time reviewing the City’s Annual Financial Report. Yeah, I’m a bit of a nerd about stuff like that. Anyway, the report totals a staggering sixty-two pages. Why, just the summary fills five, but detailed on those pages is the fate of every dollar that enters the City’s coffers – over $79,000,000 of them. That was the total revenue in 2018; taxes, grants, and utility revenue. On a lark,…..
The City of Washington Engineering Department has but one employee, Ed Barnett. Ed has been the City Engineer since 1986 – that’s thirty-three years helping Washington grow and prosper. Few ever encounter Ed as he goes about his duties. Those who do quickly learn to rely on his experience and knowledge. He is a Registered Professional Engineer, Land Surveyor, and a Washington native. After graduating from Purdue in 1970, he worked on the Gil Hodges Bridge, and parts of I-64…..
Perhaps the most overlooked department in Washington is Animal Control which operates out of a small frame building near Perdue. It’s three-member staff quietly go about their business. The manager, Beth Trousdale, has been there for ten years, and her assistant, Rex Davis, has been there sixteen. During that time Animal Control has evolved into a state-of-the-art Animal Shelter that handles about eight hundred animals a year. Surprisingly over half of those animals come from outside the city limits. From…..