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• City Council
• Board of Public Works and Safety
• Board of Zoning Appeals
• Park Board
• Planning and Zoning Commission
• Redevelopment Commission
• Tree Board

Welcome to the Mayor's Office

Roles & Responsibilities

In Indiana, all Clerk-Treasurers are elected for a four-year term of office.

The Clerk-Treasurer is the keeper of the municipality's official public records and is the Chief Financial Officer in the City of Rochester.  Specific duties are defined by the Indiana Code and Municipal Code of Ordinances.  No other elected municipal duties are as specifically defined by law as the duties of the Clerk-Treasurer.

The Clerk-Treasurer has broad powers to hire and supervise employees and oversee the operation of the municipal budgets, including utilities. The ranking status of the Clerk-Treasurer is on equal level with the City Common Council and Mayor. The only area in which the Clerk-Treasurer does not have complete authority is setting wages and final approval of budgets. The office of the Clerk-Treasurer has evolved dramatically from a bookkeeper and secretary to that of a Chief Financial Officer/Controller combined with Business Manager, Operations Officer, Compliance Officer, People Officer, and Communications Officer whose responsibilities impact not only the financial well-being of local government, but operational well-being and compliance.      

Listed below are some, not all, of the roles and responsibilities of the Clerk-Treasurer’s Office

Administrative Duties

• Serves as the Human Resource Director overseeing all HR related tasks and reporting for local, state, and federal regulations and filings
• Establishes and maintains personnel files for City employees and others and establishes and maintains other employment-related records including employee benefits and pensions
• Responsible for administering, maintaining, and filing all state and federal required reports
• Serves as Clerk for Common Council and Board of Public Works and Safety meetings and any other executive meetings. 
• Responsible for maintaining records of Council and Board proceedings, as well as, all ordinances, resolutions and directives created
• Serves as the financial secretary to the City Redevelopment Commission as defined by state statute
• Establishes, with Common Council approval, the internal controls procedures for all city employees, administrators, and boards as defined by state statute
• Researches local, state, and federal record files, statutes, administrative rules, ordinances, policies, etc. as dictated by the needs of the City
• Acts as custodian of the public records of the City
• Administers public records requests
• Maintains custody of and is responsible for all oaths, bonds, records, files, papers and property required to be deposited with the office
• Responsible for the disposal of obsolete records as authorized by state statutes
• Oversees the Information Technology for the City and as approved by City Common Council any staff for this department
• Works with all Department Heads and the Mayor’s office to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws and statutes, as well as, ensuring financial and policy integrity of City funds and records are followed
• Attends various training sessions, meetings and seminars as necessary or required to effectively perform the duties of the office
• Responsible for administering, maintaining, reporting, and ensuring compliance with all city acquired grants from local, state, and federal awards
• The office serves as both the ADA Coordinator and Title VI Coordinator
• Business Manager for the utility office overseeing all staffing, billing, collections, and customer relations
• Lake Manitou Dam Emergency Preparedness Plan Coordinator
• Responsible for facilitating state audits and providing records as requested by examiners
• Other duties as necessary to establish an effective and efficient operation of public office

Financial Duties

• Responsible for all accounts payables and receivables for the City
• Examines and validates each claim document and verifies the appropriate budget appropriation
• Issues the order to pay each bill and disburses checks after approval of expenditures by the Board of Public Works and Safety
• Processes payroll and any applicable benefits
• Preparation of annual budget all documents in compliance with Indiana Statute
• Certifies the levy to the Department of Local Government and Finance upon approval from the Common Council
• Administers the City’s general ledger system for all funds including utilities
• Appropriates tax revenues collected by the City to the various funds as required by law
• Responsible for the billing and collection of fees for City utilities and oversight of the billing office and staff
• Responsible for the administration of any investments, bonds, or other financial commitments for the City.
• Responsible for all local, state, and federal tax filings as applicable

Notices

• Publishes and/or posts ordinances and resolutions as required by Indiana statutes
• Publishes bids, RFP's, job openings and other city business notices as required or requested
• Provides all appropriate notices as required by Indiana statute and City regulations
• Provides the media with press releases as necessary

Welcome to the Rochester Fire Department

Remember Smoke Alarms DO Save Lives!!!

• The Rochester Fire Department is made up of 10 full time paid firefighters and 22 volunteer firefighters
• We are manned 24 hours a day, paged out by the Fulton County 911 center
• We have an ISO rating of 4/4Y

Area of Fire Protection

Rochester Fire Department provides fire protection for a large area of Fulton County, including the City of Rochester, all Rochester Township, the south half of Newcastle Township, and the east half of Richland Township. With all the area listed, Rochester Fire Department covers roughly 110 square miles.

Rochester Fire Department is a Proud Supporter of the Fulton County Relay for Life!

The Rochester Parks and Recreation Department comprises five (5) park sites, wetland environmental area, community swimming pool, and an 18-hole golf course for a total of 220 acres. In a community of 6,414 people that provides 36.85 acres per 1000 population, which is approximately 1605 square feet per person. In areas of the community where a park site may not be readily available, residents and children utilize school playgrounds and open fields for recreation.

For more information about each department, pavilion rentals at city parks, programs, events, and more, please visit our website: www.rochesterparkandrecreation.com

City Parks www.rochesterparkandrecreation.com/parks

Golf Course www.rochesterparkandrecreation.com/golf

 City Pool www.rochesterparkandrecreation.com/swim

Read about the Park and Recreation Department's Five Year Master Plan

Personnel:

• Andrew Shotts - Chief
• Matt Campbell - Lieutenant / Detective
• Ed Haines - Crime Scene Technician
• Gerard Ostrom - Corporal
• Michael Atkins, Jr - Patrol/K-9
• James Reason - Patrol
• Matthew Hipsher - Patrol
• Ben Wood - Patrol
• Brady Briggs - Patrol
• Bryce Michael - Patrol
• Catherine Dively - Patrol
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Dispatchers:

• Misty Hoff - Office Manager
• Kevin Baker
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The City of Rochester and the Fulton County Solid Waste District encourage all citizens to recycle everything possible, whenever possible.  Recyclables can be taken to the Recycling Center or dropped off at one of the portable bin locations throughout the City.

Acceptable Recyclable Materials

Metals:

Aluminum cans foil, tin and steel cans. Include metal lids from glass bottles and jars; also include small pieces of scrap metal.

Glass:

Unbroken food and beverage containers (includes clear and all colors). Do NOT Include light bulbs, mirrors, dishes, etc.; we can only recycle bottles and jars.

Plastic:

Look for the recycling symbol with a number in it; we accept #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7 plastic containers. After rinsing, the lids can be put back on. Clean, dry, plastic bags can also be included. Please put all plastic bags in on bag and tie it off. Do NOT Include Styrofoam.

Paper:

Newspaper and inserts, junk mail, magazines, catalogs, phone books, cereal boxes and other paperboard items, cardboard, post-it notes, office paper, computer paper, fax paper, carbonless paper, construction paper, and most other paper items. Shredded paper can be placed in a bag separate from other paper. Do NOT Include carbon paper, wax coated paper, or wax coated cardboard (milk cartons, etc.), tissue paper, paper towels, paper with food or other residue on it.

Household Batteries:

All batteries that are not meant to have liquid in them; examples are AA, AAA, C, D hearing aid, Camera, electronic, rechargeable, and many other batteries. Do NOT Include car, boat, or motorcycle batteries.

The Street Department performs a variety of jobs on a day to day basis, including:

• Yard Waste and Brush Pickup
• Storm Drain Repair
• Street and Pothole Repair
• Snow Removal

If you have yard waste or brush to be picked up, please refer to the Leaf Pickup and Yard Clippings Guidelines.

If you have a storm drain that has been damaged or stays clogged, or notice a street or pothole that needs to be repaired, please call the Street Department at the number listed on the right.

To read about what you need to do for snow removal, read the City of Rochester's Snow Removal Procedure. 

Our Mission

The mission of the City of Rochester Wastewater Department is to professionally and cost effectively provide wastewater service that meet the present and future environmental, health, and safety needs of the community and our employees. We are committed to a goal of 100% customer satisfaction and the honorable reasonability to protect receiving waters of Indiana and our environment.

What Makes The Rochester Wastewater Treatment Facility Unique? Rochester is one of the few "Trickling Filter Plants" in the state of Indiana Rochester Wastewater is capable of handling 1.65 million gallons of flow per day The City of Rochester's Sewer and storm drains are not combined The Wastewater plant does the maintenance and cleaning of both sewer and storm drains with the use of two Vacuum trucks used for each specific job A Class III Trickling Filter Plant

For Emergency assistance after hours or on weekends, please call (574) 835-6007

Welcome to the Rochester Water Department

In the State of Indiana each city must have a Board of Public Works and Safety as required by IC 36-4-9.  In a third class city, the Board of Public Works and Safety consists of three members, one of whom is the Mayor. The remaining two members are appointed by the Mayor. Board members must be residents of the city, but may hold other municipal appointed or elected offices (IC 36-4-9-8).  The Clerk-Treasurer is the clerk of the board.

The City of Rochester Board of Public Works and Safety members are: Mayor Ted Denton, Richard (Rick) Figlio, and John Little with Clerk-Treasurer Shoda Beehler serving as clerk.

The Board has broad statutory grants of power to enable it to carry out its functions. The public safety function includes law enforcement and fire protection; the specific powers are generally contained in IC 36-8. The public works function includes control over streets, sanitation, transportation and sewers.

The Mayor appoints the Fire Chief, Police Chief and City Project Manager/Engineer, who generally have day-to-day responsibilities for the administration of fire protection, law enforcement and public works, respectively.

51.17 PROHIBITED ACTS

  (A)  It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit, or permit to be deposited in any unsanitary manner on public or private property within the city or in any area under the jurisdiction of said city, any human excrement, garbage, or other objectionable waste.

  (B)  No new connection shall be made unless there is capacity available to all downstream sewers, lift stations, force mains, and the sewage treatment plant, including capacity for CBOD, COD, suspended solids, ammonia, and phosphorus.

  (C)  No person shall place, deposit, or permit to be deposited in any unsanitary manner on public or private property within the jurisdiction of the city, any wastewater or other polluted waters except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with provisions of this subchapter and the NPDES permit.

  (D)  No Person shall discharge or cause to be discharged to any natural outlet any wastewater or other polluted waters except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with provisions of this subchapter and the NPDES permit.

  (E)  Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.

  (F)  The owner of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes, and which have or maintain toilet facilities on said property shall connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter, within 90 days after date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 300 feet of the property line.  (See I.C. 36-9-23-30)

  (G)  The owner of any house, building, or other property which contains basement drains connected to any sewers maintained by the city, whether storm sewers, combined sewers, or any other sewer connection, shall have installed on said basement drains appropriate plugs which may be firmly fastened by screw threads or other appropriate means to prevent the backup from any such sewer int said basement; in the alternative such drains shall be equipped with check valves which are sufficient to prevent the backup of any waters from said sewer into said basement.                                                                                                                              (Ord. 15-2021, passed 11-23-21)