Chris Cooke, Town Manager, Town of Newburgh
In the Town of Newburgh, service extends well beyond our town limits.
While just over 3,300 residents call Newburgh home, our sewer utility provides essential infrastructure for more than 40,000people throughout the surrounding region. That scale of responsibility has long shaped how we plan, invest, and operate asstewards of critical services that support both local families and a rapidly growing county.
Across Indiana, communities are working through the expected realities brought on by Senate Enrolled Act 1 (SEA 1). Thosediscussions include the efforts being led by Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (AIM), whose Balanced Solutions Initiative isseeking to identify responsible adjustments that can strengthen the implementation of the law.
Newburgh has been actively engaged in these conversations because coordinated solutions will be vital to maintaining stronglocal government operations in the years ahead.
Our wastewater system plays an especially important role in that planning. Treating roughly one billion gallons of wastewater annually, it must remain reliable no matter how much the population grows outside our incorporated boundary.
To maintain that reliability, the town has proposed a $35 million capital investment to upgrade wet-weather capacity and protect homes and waterways during heavy storms.
That kind of infrastructure is not optional. It is fundamental to the health of families, to the strength of small businesses, and tothe continued growth that communities across Warrick County are experiencing. We take that responsibility seriously.
At the same time, reduced revenue capacity under the current structure of SEA 1 will make it more challenging to sustain thislevel of service within town.
Like many local governments, we are reassessing timelines for road improvements, examining the long-term viability of town-owned facilities, and ensuring that every tax dollar is put to its best possible use. We remain fully committed to public safety andcommunity well-being, but resources must match the expectations placed upon us.
These are the kinds of considerations that make the ongoing dialogue between state and local government so important. Ourhope is that through continued collaboration, the policy framework governing local operations can evolve in a way that allowstowns like ours to sustain essential services while still honoring the goals laid out in SEA 1.
Newburgh has always planned ahead, invested wisely, and adapted responsibly to the needs of the region we serve.
We will continue to do so, working closely with partners across Indiana to ensure our communities can thrive — today and well into the future.
Chris Cooke is the Town Administrative Manager for Newburgh, Indiana.
SOURCE: Courier & Press