Notes August 2010 Council Meeting

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 Council
8/10/2010
Council Members Butch Smith and President Steve Jacob were absent, so Vice President Marcia Wilhoite chaired the meeting. Auditor Melody Price, attorney Bob Clutter were present
Approved minutes from July meeting.

RE-APPROPRIATIONS:
Prosecutor (Tonya Thayer):
Requested $10,446 in witness protection be moved from its current payroll line to a new line for clerical clarification. Approved.

Community Corrections (Kari Ragsdale):
Requested $500 be moved from educational materials to office supplies, and $2,000 from drug testing to residential placement. This year’s residential placements are already more than last year’s total. Approved.

Re-Assessment (no one present initially; Lisa Garoffolo):
Requested $10,000 from Postage to Clerical. Questions were raised for clarification, and discussion deferred until Assessor Garoffolo arrived. Questions centered on the need for extra help during the appeals process which will be mandated after the Form 11s (change of reassessment) are sent in September. The figure is derived from using two part-time persons for the 45-day appeals period. Approved.


ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS:
Prosecutor (Tonya Thayer):
Requested $4000 to cover costs of extraditions, which continue to be high, primarily related to the Chammorro case. More is likely to be needed in coming months. Approved.

Commissioners (Charles Eaton):
Requested appropriation of $6660 in grant funds received for rails to trails. This will primarily be used for environmental impact study for the Farm Heritage Trail between Lebanon and Zionsville. Approved.

Convention and Visitors (no one present):
This was presented last month, but advertising was too late for approval. Discussion of the CVB’s budget and clarification that it is not specifically appropriated by the council followed. Approved.

Highway (Tom Kouns):
Requested $15,000 from the Highway Fund for tires & tubes in preparation for winter. Approved.

Health Department – Environmental (Vickie Foster & ):
Requested $570 be transferred back into the fund. An invoice was inadvertently paid twice, and this money represents the refund which was deposited into the general health fund. Approved.

NEW BUSINESS:
Discussion of a proposed resolution to close the 2005 Reassessment Fund ($726,000) and put its money into the 2006 Reassessment Fund (the one currently being drawn from) raised concerns from Treasurer Deanna Willhoite that doing so would leave the county without a properly labeled investment fund. Other questions asked if having this “leftover” money could reduce the amount we need to raise for the upcoming 2017 assessment. Having the $726,000 would also be useful in budgeting sessions later this month. After many questions, the council decided to defer any action until next month, when the attorney, auditor and treasurer can clarify options.

Audra Poe of the Boone County Learning Network was present with three board members to discuss the BCLN’s upcoming budget request. Ms. Poe gave several highlights of the BCLN’s activities and growth in the past year, including the popularity of “Serve Safe” for local restauranteurs and partnerships with Western Boone, Indiana WorkOne and a Transition to Work class. The GED program at the jail has a success rate of over 95% in the past year. BCLN offers nearly 30 classes, including nearly 20 adults in literacy classes and reading coaches stationed throughout the county. BCLN hosted an Opportunity Fair earlier this year which drew nearly 300 individuals seeking jobs, and assisted with Rep. Buyer’s Job Fair. The Council will consider a request for $25,000, same as this year, at the upcoming budget hearings.

Commissioner Charles Eaton requested the Council’s endorsement of the new county employee handbook, but council members have as yet been unable to see the handbook. Several questions were raised about the new handbooks continuing to lack job descriptions. Commissioner Eaton stated his support for them, but cited the reluctance of most of the elected courthouse officials to adopt and/or enforce them. Discussion about the council’s ability to require job descriptions and evaluations before releasing funds to the departments raised many questions and much commentary. Council members also debated whether endorsing a handbook created by the commissioners was appropriate. No action was taken, and the auditor’s office was asked to email a copy of the handbook to the council members so it could be discussed again at next month’s meeting.

Attorney Bob Clutter presented the resolution approved last month for transfer of funds to the Humane Society for Boone County, which was adopted.

Mr. Clutter also presented a proposal to transfer $2.1M as excess from the Cumulative Bridge Fund to the Rainy Day Fund, the max. amount allowed by state statute. Tom Kouns and Charles Eaton asked and answered several questions about how the transfer would work, what the funds could be used for if transferred, what the outlook for upcoming bridge expenditures would be, how this would affect the projections being crafted by Umbaugh, etc. The Council decided to wait until next month before taking any action, but to have a resolution prepared without a set dollar amount. Several assignments were agreed to for gathering more information before budget hearings and before next month’s meeting.

Mr. Clutter also clarified that he would modify the resolution transferring the money in the old reassessment fund. The possibility of using those monies to pay salaries of those doing the reassessment was discussed, and clarification was asked on the status of advertising those transfers for the upcoming budget hearings.

OLD BUSINESS:
Attorney Clutter addressed the ongoing confusion regarding the Cumulative Hospital Fund, which was apparently first established in 1968, but most recently re-established in 2000. This means the fund can continue through 2012, not end this year as previously indicated. There is some risk that the DLGF might still disallow the fund, which would create problems for the county and the hospital, particularly regarding their recently issued $40M bonds, which the county has agreed to back. Most likely, the fund will continue for two more years, but the council, commissioners and hospital will need to be formulating a plan for what to do in 2012. Attorney Clutter recommended the issue be addressed no later than next summer in order to have all the hearings and approvals in place before the fund expires.

PUBLIC COMMENT:
Sheriff Campbell asked when the Umbaugh report would be available for release to the public. The goal has been to have it before budget hearings begin August 23, but that is not a hard deadline.

Gene Thompson asked Cindy Poore of the Auditor’s Office for clarification on a few of the funds she has been researching for possible use during budget planning. In particular, the town and city courts fund continues to accumulate. Ms. Poore stated that paperwork from all the municipalities has not been completed to clarify which funds are available to them. No municipalities have yet asked for disbursement for use in crafting their budgets.

Meeting adjourned at approximately 10:10.