Note: These are my personal notes from the council meeting. They are NOT the official minutes, nor should they be construed as an official record of any kind.
Boone County Council10/13/2009
Present: All Council Members except Marcia Wilhoite, Secretary Heather Barton
The council approved the minutes of the September meeting.
RE-APPROPRIATIONS: (All Approved.)
Clerk (no one present):
Requested $130 from dues to office supplies.
Auditor (Cindy Poore):
Requested $400 from office supplies to data/software Maintenance for down payment on Harris software upgrade to be finalized in 2010. 2010 IT budget includes rest of payment, but does not have extra for required down payment on hand.
County Council:
$1679 from consulting to equipment to purchase a laptop for the auditor’s office. Several raised concerns about the cost of what should be a basic laptop. No one was present from the IT department to explain the cost.
Commissioners (Marc Applegate):
Requested $45 from mileage to state conf. to cover registration fees.
Area Plan (Ken Hedge):
Requested $1010 from legal services to planner to cover planner working as interim director following departure of director Steve Niblick.
Requested $500 from legal services to office equipment, primarily for cameras to be used in the field.
Health Department (Cindy Murphy):
Requested $2900 from registrar to OT; $3252.5 from immunizations to OT; $2847.5 from part-time to OT. Because of a decrease in budgeted staff earlier in the year, OT was used to cover other staff work, which had depleted the fund. Other OT funds are going largely to immunization clinics. Some of future H1N1 immunization efforts will be covered/reimbursed by state grant.
The council passed a motion to create a new fund/budget line within the health department fund to receive H1N1 grant funds, which currently exceed $25,000.
Ms. Murphy also reported that the state DofH has requested more specific accounting of state funds from the tobacco settlement, and suggested that the council create a separate fund for a “Preparedness Liaison” to be hired with that money. The Council had denied a request to create & fund the position at the 2010 budget hearings; this would pay for the position with the dedicated state funds. Much discussion of the current use of the settlement funds (roughly $25,000 annually), which appeared to be unallocated within the Health Dept. fund. The council’s general sentiment leans toward supporting the hiring through the current line within the fund, but concern persists over the impact on the dept’s general fund budget. The Health Dept will return with more information and possibly an Additional Appropriation request before year’s end.
Circuit Court (no one present):
Requested total of $3000 from Travel Expense – Jury to part-time ($600), office supplies ($1500), continuing Ed ($500) & Dues/Subscriptions ($400). This line has been eliminated in the 2010 budget, with any need which may arise to be paid from a dedicated fund.
Sherriff (Ken Campbell):
Requested $510 from Dept Attorney to Safekeeping. An inmate required special Safekeeping services, which had not been funded.
Requested $7500 from cooks to OT & $7500 from cooks to PT to fill a dispatcher position and a road deputy position to the end of the year.
ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS:
None!
NEW BUSINESS:
Hussey-Mayfield Library Board appointment needs to be made as a term ends December 31. Gene Thompson (Council representative for the district which includes the library) asked the appointment be tabled until the opening can be publicized.
Steve Jacob raised the question of altering the county’s mileage reimbursement rate to match the state’s, which has recently been lowered from .44 to .40. State meetings require the state rate, which currently would require separate forms for state and county reimbursement. Council moved to alter the rate to match the state’s, effective October 1.
Marilyn Smith of the Assessor’s Office brought to the council the issue of reassessment, which has currently been delayed to a July 1, 2010, start, though activities may start now. The county could save up to $40,000 if it begins reassessment before year’s end, but the state legislature may (hopefully will) change the reassessment process rules in its session next year which could make that work moot. If we start now, we save $40,000 on the contract, but if the state changes the rules the entire contract would need to be reworked and any work done could be useless, and money wasted. The council advised the Assessor’s Office to delay starting the reassessment until next year.
Ms. Smith also reported that the county lost its court case with the Interactive Academy on Michigan Road, which claims a $5M+ tax exemption as a “school.” This would be a large hit to the county’s tax rolls ($80,000) with potential for significantly more if the precedent is followed by others. The council directed the Assessor to ask the county attorney to assess the viability of an appeal. The county has budgeted money for an appeal attorney for 2010, but the timeline for filing an appeal will expire before the end of the year. Money to fund the appeal would come for reassessment funds, not the county general budget. Council advised the office to proceed with money currently in the consulting line of the reassessment fund and to return if necessary to replenish that fund.
OLD BUSINESS:
Cindy Poore of the Auditor’s Office presented to the council on a variety of funds which exist outside the general fund and revenue process, some of which have been dormant for some time. The council asked for an ordinance to be prepared for next month’s meeting to move funds from the Surplus Dog ($6937.81) and Dog Leash ($200) funds to the county’s Rainy Day Fund. Another resolution was requested to move $21,150.50 from the Illegal Weed Control Fund to the county general fund. (Weed control is currently covered by township trustees through township funds.)
Some funds were clarified as available to provide support to activities in different departments, especially probation and prosecutor. A Guardian Ad Litem User Fee fund with roughly $25,000 can be used to support GAL volunteer training. The 2005 Re-assessment Fund of over $716,000 can be combined with the 2006 Fund for specified uses, which will bring that fund to over $1.2M, with future income expected and expenses to be largely covered by that income. The Assessor’s office will look into reducing future fees to reduce this balance.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Ken Hedge of the APC asked if the council wished to consider changing its appointment to the APC of Kevin Schiferl, who as of January 1 will be annexed into Zionsville’s planning district. The council agreed that a new appointment should be made and asked those present to spread the word that the council is seeking a new appointee.
Gene Thompson reported that he and Marcia Wilhoite had met to discuss the allocation of County Park Fund moneys. Worth Township had requested money in previous years that had not been received, and confusion continues as to whether such funds were ever approved. Thompson also brought up the issue of continuing with the fund or eliminating it or at least reducing it and allowing local entities to fund parks on their own.
Thompson also asked to revisit the issue of the congressional Schools Fund which Treasurer Deanna Wilhoite had raised in March. He will return in November with more information.
Meeting adjourned at approximately 10:30.
After a brief break, the council convened a meeting for the purpose of approving the 2010 budget. Highway Sup’t Tom Kouns asked for clarification on the proposed reduction of the Cum Bridge Fund. We are still awaiting clarification from counsel as to the length of the reduction – intended for one year – and the procedure for reverting to the current rate. After clarification of the workshop numbers, the council approved both the total budget and the salary ordinance. The approved county budget for 2010 is $15,872,611.92, a reduction of just over 8% from the 2009 approved budget. The budget gives no increase in salary to county employees, but neither does it reduce salaries or cut any county positions.
