Batesville Council Member, Parks Employee Stepping Down

A city council member and parks department employee announced Monday they will be leaving their respective positions.

Bob Narwold has represented District 3 in Batesville City Council for ten years. During Monday’s monthly city council meeting, he officially announced he will step down because he will soon be employed by city.

Narwold will join the Batesville Buildings Department as a code enforcement inspector beginning Monday, March 17.

A special election will be held through the Ripley County Republican Chair in the coming weeks for a replacement.

Although the announcement was not made during the meeting, Park Commissioner Mike Baumer submitted his resignation to the city. According to his Facebook page, he has accepted a position with South Dearborn School Corporation as a maintenance supervisor.

Other news from Monday’s City Council Meeting:

Improvements will be made soon to the dog park at Liberty Park. City Council approved a motion to grant $2,500 to help the park with drainage issues and startup costs.

The Batesville Fire Department also received a grant to continue training efforts. Council granted $2,200 to fund a trip for six firefighters to attend FDIC in Indianapolis from Apr. 7-12. The event is the largest firefighter’s conference in the world.

Both grants come from the Belterra riverboat revenue-sharing funds.