Teamwork
Weekly update #351 10/11/2026 to 10/17/2026
This week, I did something I don’t do very often and took a few days off. Let me share some of my week along with others for this weekly update.
The Common Council passed several items at the most recent meeting. The first was a super voluntary annexation near the Eastside Industrial Park with the five members present voting yes. The next item approved was a rezone on East Fourth Street allowing for a commercial office building. The tax rate for 2027 was approved, setting the budget and allowing department heads to plan ahead as we roll over in a few months. Council approved two abatements for O&K American Corporation. This investment is just under nine million. This will save the company around $500,000 over the ten year abatement and create around $2.5 million in starting wages in the same time frame. Add those five new jobs with the 74 existing and you have over $54 million in wages over those same years. That is ten years of 79 employees providing for their families. Thank you to O&K American Corporation for continuing to invest in your Seymour facility and thank you to the council for a productive meeting.
Another item I was able to attend this week was the monthly interview with Curt Nichols from WZZB 99.3 FM 1390 AM on Tuesday morning. We ran over a little on time but managed to hit many major items from the previous month as well as looking to the future on a few more. Since it is starting to feel like fall, we discussed leaf pickup where the Department of Public Works will vacuum them up along the curb. All you have to do is rake them to the curb line for the day after your normal trash day. I know we are still a few weeks to a month out from this but it is good to get the conversation started early. Thank you to all of our local radio stations for the monthly chance to share information for listeners.
Several members of the Seymour team attended the Indiana Clean Community Program Annual Meeting this week. This was our first time to attend as we were just recently announced as a bronze level community. Currently, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has 26 communities and one county in the program. With our current efforts I believe we will be able to advance to the silver level fairly quickly. We were introduced to this program by former Youth Council Member and Summer Intern Macy Casner who interned for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management this past summer. Macy, thank you for introducing us to the program, and I look forward to seeing how our team utilizes what they are learning now that we are a member of the Indiana Clean Community Program.
Well, there you go with just a few of the items on what was a shorter week for me. Not only is the Seymour Team moving forward on a new program they are also moving forward with everyday operations and that effort shows in how things get done even when a team member is out for vacation. Henry Ford said, "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself."