The Muncie Sanitary District board has named a new administrator for the utility.  As IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, the agency has been led by an interim head for a year since the former administrator was arrested in an FBI corruption investigation.

John Barlow (Photo: Muncie Sanitary District)

John Barlow has worked with the Muncie Sanitary District for 38 years.  Currently, he is the superintendent of the city’s Water Pollution Control Facility.  Now he’ll serve as the MSD Administrator.

Barlow told the board he’s very grateful to lead the agency he’s worked at for so long.

“So I’ve worked with a lot of people around here for a long time and it’s been great.  I’d just like to thank you and I’m looking forward to it.  And let’s go forward and keep moving.”

Other MSD board members and staff have frequently and loudly praised employees since the July 2019 arrest of former MSD administrator Nikki Grigsby.  Federal officials said Grigsby steered work to a local businessman in exchange for kickbacks.  Grigsby is set to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a deal with federal prosecutors, but a hearing on the matter has not been scheduled yet.

Read More: Muncie Sanitary Board Lawsuit: Judge Adds Seat To Board For City Engineer

Interim administrator Bill Smith, who is retiring now as MSD head and board president – but will stay on the board until the end of the year – says the district’s employees are outstanding.

“Bottom line is, the district the people, the employees.  They’re the ones that do it, and we certainly have an outstanding – I’ve said it before:  I’d go to war with the district employees, anytime and any place.”

Board member Mike Cline is also retiring from the board at the end of the month, after moving out-of-state.  The mayor will appoint his replacement.

Also at Wednesday’s board meeting, the Muncie Sanitary District says of the more than 24,000 customers its serves, a quarter have late notices on their accounts.  But it says it won’t shut off water to anyone right now.  It asks customers with late notices to call the billing office and work out a plan that could see late fees removed.