INDIANAPOLIS -- The City of Kokomo said Wednesday taxpayers will not have to pay for the bulk of $29,700 in civil penalties racked up by the city.
As Call 6 Investigates reported earlier this week, the City of Kokomo paid $29,700 in fines to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management for violations associated with three different city projects--- the Kokomo Baseball Stadium Project, Cotswold Hills Sanitary Sewer Project, and Park Avenue Wildcat Creek Floodplain Enhancement Project.
IDEM cited for 20 violations total, including failure to implement plans aimed at erosion and sediment control, failure to maintain required records at the site, failure to submit written self-monitoring reports, and unsatisfactory erosion and sediment control measures.
Kokomo City Engineer Carey Stranahan said the issues aren’t uncommon on project sites.
“With over $13.5 million in development on these specific cases, the City of Kokomo works with a number of contractors,” he said in a statement. “The majority of the construction issues cited are minor and are the result of work during normal construction activities. There were no negative environmental effects.”
Stranahan said they’ve met with contractors involved, and those contractors are reimbursing the city for the majority of the fines.
“We are trying to get more information from IDEM about their processes for assessing fines to cities and towns, but so far they have not complied with our freedom of information request,” read the statement.
Courtney Arango, IDEM spokesperson, told Call 6 Investigates they have already received three checks from the City of Kokomo totaling $29,700.
ORDERS:
• 80218506 – adopted AO for Case 23011 – Baseball stadium (5 violations)
• 80218490 – adopted AO for case 23013 – Wildcat Creek FEP (5 violations)
• 80218482 – adopted AO for case 22961- Cotswold Hills (10 violations)
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