Notes -- June 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
6/14/2011
Present: All Council Members present except Brent Wheat, Secretary Heather Barton.
The council approved the minutes of the April meeting.

RE-APPROPRIATIONS: None

ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS:
Sheriff (Ken Campbell):
Requested roughly $1400 be transferred from the general to various funds (gas, medical, training and postage) for reimbursements. Approved.

Jail Maintenance (none present):
Requested $50 be transferred as reimbursement. Approved.

Re-Assessment (Lisa Garoffolo):
Requested $4750 ($5500 was advertised) to cover the cost of state appeal on the appraisal value of four buildings in downtown Lebanon. The owner has submitted appraisals on the four buildings showing a total difference of roughly $280,000. Several questions were asked about the accuracy of the initial appraisal program, the responsibility of the initial appraisal contractor and the propriety of spending this amount to ensure the county’s recovery of $16,000 in property tax. Approved.

NEW BUSINESS:
Council Secretary Heather Barton requested creation of a new fund to hold grant money for the sheriff’s department to enforce speed limit in work zones. This is a pilot program from INDOT, created largely at Sheriff Campbell’s request in response to enforcement issues last year on I-65. Council approved.

Dax Norton, Director of the Boone County Economic Development Corporation, updated the council on the ongoing efforts of the EDC. Among highlights are the EDC’s website and social media efforts, including the Facebook page encourage Meijer to build a store in the Anson development. Progress has been made with multiple developers on constructing a “spec” building or “shell” to assist in attracting new development, and multiple companies are looking seriously at coming to Boone County. Steve Jacob commended Norton and his staff for their energetic pursuit of various projects, and their involvement of the county and municipalities. Marcia Wilhoite commented that she had recently toured Anson with the RDC and was very impressed.

Auditor Melody Price presented a spreadsheet of the county’s various general fund budget funds, as requested by the council. Treasurer Deanna Willhoite was also present and stated that the county’s tax collections for the spring payment cycle are a bit ahead of last year, with 94% collected, and a total collection of roughly 51% of the year’s projected taxes.

OLD BUSINESS:
Steve Jacob reminded the council of the upcoming joint council/commissioners meeting next Wednesday, June 22nd, at 6:00 p.m. in the Lebanon Public Library’s upstairs meeting room. The primary topic of discussion will be the county’s financial situation, including a report from the personnel committee presenting recommendations for action by the two boards.

Attorney Bob Clutter brought to the council’s attention that the Cum Bridge allocation for the 4-H building fund will expire after 2012, so to keep the levy rate at its current level, the county will have to notify the DLGF by this August to begin the public hearing schedule in time to have everything in place for the 2013 budget hearings in summer/fall of next year.

PUBLIC COMMENT:
Tom Kouns, highway superintendent, asked for guidance on submitting budget forms for 2012 in terms of salary increase. It was recommended that he and other department heads hold off on that until after next week’s joint meeting and the recommendations of the personnel committee.

Meeting adjourned at 9:30. (wow!)

Next regularly-scheduled council meeting will be 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 12, in the Courthouse Annex, Lebanon.