Budget fix

The Independence Township Board voted, Dec. 20, to approve a budget fix for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding.
Budget Analyst Rick Yaeger plans to make one CDBG amendment in January to apply to the whole year. The amendment will adjust the 2017 budget based on what is needed and what CDBG funds are available.

New system for DPW

The Independence Township Department of Public Works (DPW) is preparing to add a new asset management computer system in the next couple weeks, Cityworks, for an amount not to exceed $30,000.
Cityworks will help the township manage all township assets including water, sewage, street lights, sidewalks, buildings and rooms. It can also account for labor and material time.
DPW plans to roll out the system in January and, once all the bugs are worked out, they’ll start to introduce it to other departments as soon as possible.
Township Supervisor Pat Kittle said the system will improve accountability with their labor and material cost.

Research grants

The Amyloidosis Foundation in Independence Township recently awarded its 2017 Research Grants to four researchers in the field of amyloidosis. Each will receive $50,000 toward their grant proposal.
They awarded grants to Emily Martin, PhD – University of Tennessee Medical Center; Lorena Saelices, PhD – Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles; Petros Moustardas, PhD – Linkoping University, Sweden; and Carolina Lemos, PhD – University of Porto, Portugal.
Amyloidosis is a rare blood disease of which there is currently no cure. The foundation is based at 7151 N. Main St., Ste. 2. For more information call 877-AMYLOID or check www.amyloidosis.org