Notes -- February 2011 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
2/8/2011
Present: All Council Members present except Marcia Wilhoite (ill), Secretary Heather Barton.
The council approved the minutes of the January meeting.

RE-APPROPRIATIONS:
Highway (Tom Kouns):
Requested a transfer of $231.96 from maintenance to equipment for a new chainsaw. Approved.

ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS:
Sheriff (Ken Campbell):
Auditor Melody Price asked the council to approve a transfer of $70,000 to sheriff’s overtime line to correct an error from the budget submitted to the state. The council had cut the sheriff’s request at last summer’s budget hearings from $75k to $70k, but when the paperwork went to the state the line was inadvertently zeroed out.
Sheriff Campbell also requested $45 for postage and $450 for medical reimbursement from inmates, which must go into the general fund first and then be transferred.
Approved.

Commissioners (Jeff Wolfe):
Requested a transfer of $4563.55 which had been received from the Indiana Department of Transportation for the Farm Heritage Trail. Approved.

NEW BUSINESS:
EDC Director Dax Norton presented a brief update on the EDC’s recent activities, including establishment of several committees to allow more citizen involvement in the EDC’s activities short of serving on its board of directors. Goals for 2011 include establishing a government affairs committee, approval of multiple low-interest loans to local small businesses, increasing private investment in the EDC by 25%, and continuing to assist attraction/expansion projects located in the county.

OLD BUSINESS:
Highway Supervisor Tom Kouns asked that some money be placed into his building repairs fund line to give him flexibility in repairs. Secretary Heather Barton clarified that the money the council budgeted into the CCD fund line last fall ($8,000) can be drawn directly by the Highway Dept. without an additional request, which gives Kouns that flexibility. (This was part of the discussion of additional requests from CCD last month which was tabled for clarification.)

Member Gene Thompson updated the council on his research into the certification requirements for assessor training for the PTBOA board, suggesting that no further funds be expended until September. Thompson believes the Council has over-budgeted the compensation lines for employees in the assessor’s office without clear accounting. The state legislation appears to mandate that the county budget $2500 to compensate the employees in the office based on their levels of certification (Level II); for 2011 the council budgeted $8000 based upon Assessor Garoffolo’s request. Discussion of whether the council could or should reduce the budgeted amount for this year was eventually tabled for further review at next month's meeting.

Thompson asked for an update on the health funds the council created last month and the month before. The goal is to create a single health fund for all county employees in hopes of building some balance to alleviate the impact of yearly increases in costs for employees. Those two additional funds are not currently in use as the auditor's office awaits response to questions from the state board of accounts about how best to keep track of non-general fund revenues for the health and highway departments in the new health funds.

Jim Barker of Barker Engineering and Commissioner Marc Applegate presented an update and fielded questions on the replacement for “the Ford Road Bridge.” The county first approved the project in 1998. As currently designed, the intersection of Ford Road and 96th St. will be significantly redesigned, including the bridge, to lower the roadway over Eagle Creek, increase sightlines and improve safety. The key point of concern is the plan to replace the current bridge with a 70-year old steel truss bridge formerly used on Indiana 44 in Shelby County. Mr. Barker puts current construction costs for the project at $1.88M, and expects the bridge to be serviceable for at least 20-25 years in the current configuration, though he expects the refurbished structure itself to last at least another 100 years. Federal aid will cover 80% of the construction & inspection costs. Mr. Thompson asked many questions of both Mr. Barker and Commissioner Applegate. One cost question involved maintenance; Mr. Barker indicated the bridge should not need to be repainted for roughly 35 years. the bridge deck maintenance should be the same as other types of bridges, though it would need additional structural integrity inspections for its steel structure. Mr. Applegate estimated the bridge would be completed by late 2012. Discussion, primarily on questions from Mr. Thompson, lasted nearly an hour. When Council President Jacob asked the audience if anyone had any input, Candace Ulmer of the Zionsville Town Council spoke against the bridge project. She objected that the bridge would simply not be big enough to handle the traffic growth projected for that area. (Last month Highway Supervisor Tom Kouns stated that that stretch of road has the highest traffic load of any in the county.) Her concern for the council is that this bridge, which has already cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars, will itself need to be replaced in just a few years at similar or higher cost. Mr. Thompson asked if such a replacement would be more difficult because of the historic nature of the bridge. Mr. Barker said that it would impact any federal matching funds. Mr. Jacob asked Mr. Barker if the bridge could handle double its current traffic load. Mr. Barker answered yes. (For me, this answer satisfies my concerns for the council’s role in financing the project.)

PUBLIC COMMENT:
None.

Meeting adjourned at approximately 10:30.

February 2011 Council Agenda

BOONE COUNTY COUNCIL
BUSINESS AGENDA FOR FEBRUARY 8, 2011
LOCATION: CONNIE LAMAR MEETING ROOM, ROOM 105
116 W Washington St
Lebanon, IN 46052


Call meeting to order – 8:30 a.m.

Approval of January 2011 Minutes

Re-Appropriation Requests:
Highway

Additional Requests:
Sheriff, Commissioners

New Business:
Dax Norton, EDC - Update

Old Business:

Public Comment:

Document Signing:
Re-Appropriations, Additionals, January 2011 Council Minutes

Adjournment


This agenda is subject to change.