NOTES – JUNE 2015 BOONE COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING

NOTES – JUNE 2015 BOONE COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING

All council members present, except Matt Gentry; Secretaries Carla Newcomer and Chelsea Young.

Meeting was called to order at 6:30 and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Council approved the minutes from its May meeting with only grammatical corrections.

RE-APPROPRIATIONS: Approved.

Sheriff (Mike Nielsen):

Requested transfer of $20,000 from Corrections to Part-Time to meet costs of covering an open position while the hiring process runs its lengthy course.

Prosecutor (Lori Schein):

Requested just over $12,000 in a deputy prosecutor salary line to be subdivided into three other trial deputy lines in order to divide duties of an open position. This change also requires a change to the salary ordinance, as one (open) position is being reduced while three others are being raised.

ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS:

Highway (Commissioner Jeff Wolfe & John Wilson):

As discussed last month, requested a total of $700,000 ($300,000 from EDC, $300,000 from COIT & $100,000 from Food & Beverage). The council’s budget committee (Wilhoite, Santelli, Rodgers) met earlier to discuss these options and recommended approving the remaining $300,000 from the COIT fund, which was approved. (Noting again: this is the first year in my seven on the council that the summer road maintenance program has been paid entirely out of current revenues!)

Also requested $200,000 from the Cumulative Bridge Fund for Bridge 13 to cover engineering, contracting and change orders. Approved.

Health (Greg Inman & Cindy Murphy):

Requested $2,297 of reverted funds from 2014 grant for Sharps Program. Approved.

Requested creation of a new fund to house state preparedness grant funds, as now mandated by the state. Current state rules require each grant to have its own fund, but moving forward all new state grant monies will deposit into this new single fund. Approved.

Clerk (no one present):

Requested $200 for Mileage for Absentee Ballot and Traveling Board for the elections. That amount had been approved in the budget, but was only enough to cover the May Primary. This appropriation will cover the November General election. Approved.

Probation (Kari Ragsdale):

Requested $405 for extradition expense. Approved.

NEW BUSINESS:

Auditor Deanna Willhoite addressed the council in an attempt to clarify the role of the Auditor’s office in relation to the council, as well as to review procedures and reports for council members to use.

Auditor Willhoite and President Jacob also reviewed a request from the state for Boone County to participate in a pilot program to improve the process of Non-Binding Reviews of other taxing unit budgets. After some discussion, and in light of concerns raised by both Jacob and Willhoite, the council’s consensus was that we were not in a position to volunteer for the pilot. 

OLD BUSINESS:

Steve Jacob presented a request to engage Umbaugh & Associates to update the county’s financial analysis, as discussed last month. Council moved to authorize Jacob to move forward.

Jacob also noted the upcoming state called county council meeting. Tom Santelli will be attending on behalf of the council, with Jacob and I also intending to go if possible.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

I updated the council that the budget committee met this morning to begin organizing the budgeting process, including a request to department heads/office holders this afternoon to notify the committee of any anticipated special projects that may need to be included in that process. Auditor Willhoite also asked for clarification about the anticipated updates to the technology of the Connie Lamar meeting room. That project is being updated under the leadership of Tom Santelli on behalf of the council in conjunction with the commissioners and other office holders, and will likely be included under the

Commissioners budget.

Meeting adjourned at approximately 7:30.

Next regularly scheduled meeting will be Tuesday, July 14, at 8:30 a.m.

NOTES – MAY 2015 BOONE COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING

All council members present; Secretaries Carla Newcomer and Chelsea Young.

Meeting was called to order at 8:30 and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Council approved the meeting minutes from its April meeting without amendments.

RE-APPROPRIATIONS: Approved.

Assessor (No one present):

Requested just over $1900 from three different sources in the Re-Assessment Fund to Loopnet line. Loopnet is a business assessment program which is being discontinued. Its replacement will cost slightly more for the remainder of the year.

Highway (John Wilson & Kathy Jedwabny):

Requested transfer of $5500 from Repair Equipment to Equipment. Council had approved a transfer in the other direction last month, but it was in the end unneeded. This just puts the funds back where it started.

ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS:

EMA (Rachel Hansen):

Requested just under $1200 and just over $15,500 for two grant reimbursement transfers on money which had paid for equipment including two back-up generators and a communications system. Approved.

Highway (Commissioner Jeff Wolfe & Acting Highway Superintendent John Wilson):

Requested $259,000 from two lines to reimburse Whitestown for 400S project expenditures from an INDOT payment. Approved.

Commissioner Wolfe discussed the summer road program approved by the commissioners at their last meeting. The program will focus on upgrading gravel roads throughout the county, including drainage work. The regular chip-and-seal rotation will continue, with minimal repaving and no planned additional road paving. The county is implementing the PACER program to analyze paving projects, and hopes to have that in place for planning a larger paving program for 2016. Altogether the program cost request is $1.7M.

Council eventually approved $142,000 from the Food & Beverage to reimburse the Highway Fund for purchase of a second dump truck, as discussed at last month’s meeting.

Additionally, the Council approved $400,000 from the Food & Beverage fund and $1M from the COIT fund for the summer road maintenance program.

Next month Highway will return with requests for the remaining $300,000 from COIT and the EDC fund.

Note: I believe this is the first time in my seven years on the council that the summer highway program has been funded from current revenues without tapping savings funds.

Approved $343,000 in Cum Bridge for completion of Bridge 220.

Approved $20,000 in Cum Bridge for contracting on Bridge 13.

Crystal Raub of the Auditor’s office addressed questions about additional appropriation requests for highway department employees. Those employees’ pay schedule runs one week behind the rest of the county’s employees. The requests were to increase the fund in those Highway salary lines by one week’s pay to cover catching them up and getting them on the same pay schedule as everyone else. After very lengthy discussion and many questions, the council approved the requests by a 5-2 vote.

Requested $300,000 into Rental Equipment as reimbursement from the sale of old road graders. The money will now be used to cover the lease costs of five new graders. Approved.

Requested $124,000 for Stone and Gravel and $16,000 for Calcium Chloride to replace funds which had been reduced by the state when approving the county’s budget. Approved 5-1.

IT (no one present):

Requested $1200 to IT Equipment for reimbursement from grant money for an equipment purchase. Approved.

NEW BUSINESS:

Clerk Jessica Fouts requested adjustment to the salary ordinance to reflect an oversight on poll worker pay.  The county had budgeted the proper amount, but it was not reflected in the updated salary ordinance. Council approved the changes.

Commissioners Jeff Wolfe and Marc Applegate presented updates on the highway department:

1.       The Highway Department will operate on summer hours of 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday for the next three months. The office will be closed on Fridays.

2.       The commissioners are working toward hiring a highway engineer to replace the highway superintendent position, with the goal of filling the position by July 1. They estimate the new position and its requirements will require a salary in the range of $105,000, with a $20,000 reimbursement from the state annually. The current superintendent’s position pays $58,000, so an additional appropriation will be required. After discussion, the consensus of the council was to approve moving forward.

OLD BUSINESS:

County Attorney Bob Clutter presented the ordinance for approval to back the RDC Bond for the Jamestown TIF which was submitted last month. Council approved the ordinance 6-1, which constitutes final approval.

The council set its schedule for 2016 budget hearings. We will meet in a “planning meeting” after our regular August 11^th meeting. Budget hearings will be held Wednesday, September 9 through Friday, September 11.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Sheriff Mike Nielsen updated the council on several issues, including fee changes in several areas, an updated Commissary Fund report and some change orders to the jail security camera project, which is now complete and awaiting final walk through. Council member Tom Santelli asked Sheriff Nielsen for clarification on a proposed bill moving into a summer study committee at the General Assembly which would seriously impact our jail population and funding.

Marcia Wilhoite asked President Jacob to add Umbaugh and Associates to our June agenda and to engage them to update the financial analysis they provided last year.

Steve Jacob reminded those gathered that the council’s June meeting will be an evening meeting, as will those in September and December.

Meeting adjourned at approximately 10:30.

Next regularly scheduled meeting will be Tuesday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m.

NOTES – APRIL 2015 BOONE COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING

All council members present; Secretaries Carla Newcomer and Chelsea Young.

Meeting was called to order at 8:30 and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Council approved the meeting minutes from its February meeting without amendments. (As I was not in attendance, I did not vote on the motion.)

RE-APPROPRIATIONS: Approved.

Highway (Commissioner Jeff Wolfe):

Requested just over $5500 from Equipment Repair to Equipment to cover a cost overage for purchase of a new dump truck which was approved last fall. Apparently funds were not pledged for a second dump truck, which was also ordered last fall. Sufficient funds will be available to cover both trucks from the Motor Vehicle Highway fund, but only by nearly depleting it. The commissioners will ask for additional funds next month to refill that fund, and hopefully to have a summer road program ready for consideration.  Approved.

ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS:

EMA (Rachel Hansen):

Requested transfer of two grant reimbursements totaling about $5800. Approved.

Probation (Kari Ragsdale):

Requested $1500 for extradition expenses. The fund is collected from user fees. Approved.

Community Corrections (Kari Ragsdale):
Requested $8000 for Mobile Breath, a program funded by project offender income. The program has seen a large increase in use recently. Approved.

Area Plan (Rachel Cardis):
Requested $10,000 for Litigation. The budgeted $5000 has been exhausted, primarily by a single case, which resulted in a $500,000 judgement in favor of the county but is now in the appeal process. Approved. 6-1

Superior II (Judge Bruce Petit):

Requested $4000 for Med/Psych. Original budget of $1500 has been exhausted. Approved.

Highway (Commissioner Jeff Wolfe):

Requested $49,000 to the Gas & Oil line to cover shortage on the 2014 county fuel contract. As gas prices dropped last year, other entities who were on the county’s fuel contract purchased their gas at the pump rather than through the contract, leaving the county with a bill for unused gas. The commissioners are in the process of seeking to collect from those entities. Approved. 6-1

Circuit Court (Judge Petit for Judge Edens):
Requested $4230 of grant money from the cash balance line to Interpreter. Approved.

Coroner (Sean Hough):

Requested $34,655 for a new truck for the coroner to use for calls and transport, as discussed at the council’s February meeting. The cost includes lights, a cover and slide-out bed. Approved.

Clerk (Jessica Fouts):

Requested $2225 to pay a contract to Courtview on behalf of a vendor who requested a report only Courtview could provide.  The county is essentially acting as a pass-through facilitator. The vendor’s check has already been received, and this will allocate those funds to pay Courtview. Approved.

NEW BUSINESS:

Attorney Bob Clutter approached the council in regards to an ordinance pledging County COIT funds to   back a second bond from the Redevelopment Commission (RDC) for expenses on the Jamestown FTC project. Several contracts have come in at higher cost than estimated, additional expenses for utilities and electric are being incurred, and a 10-acre parcel of land will be purchased as part of the project which had not originally been foreseen.  The new bond will be issued not to exceed $1.020M. State Bank of Lizton has agreed to purchase the bonds, which will be repaid through revenue from the project’s TIF revenue.  Jamestown has pledged their COIT revenues as a back-up to the TIF revenues, so Boone County will be their third option to cover the bonds should the other two fall short, which is highly unlikely. Both Clutter, Boone EDC Director Molly Whitehead and Brian Colton of Umbaugh, who is administering the bond, answered questions about the process and the level of debt service from the TIF revenue, the progress of the project and the economic impact the project is already having. The council approved the resolution 6-1. A second reading and vote will be conducted next month to move the resolution to final approval.

Mr. Clutter also presented a question about payments for a 911 bond refinancing from 2010. The county has been paying out of the bond itself, and now needs to decide which fund to pay from going forward. After discussion, it was decided (tentatively) that the items would budgeted through the Sheriff’s non-fee-based 911 budget.

Cindy Murphy of the Health Department presented the department’s 2014 Annual Report. Among other items discussed, Ms. Murphy shared that her department has seen a slight increase in HIV testing spurred by the recent outbreak in southern Indiana. Some Boone County staff will be traveling to Scott County to shadow their health department’s employees as they deal with the crisis.

Alan McCloskey of Consolidated Union, the county’s health insurance broker, presented an update on the county’s claims and coverage. Among the highlights was that 82% of employees are participating in the county’s wellness program.

OLD BUSINESS:

Sheriff Mike Nielsen presented a summary of activities, including 2014 Jail Commissary Fund Profit & Loss statements. The department will also be partnering with Witham Health Services for vaccinations for officers at no charge.

Marcia Wilhoite pointed out that the county’s cash balance in the County General fund (property tax) is running extremely low, as predicted, while waiting for the upcoming infusion of tax payments.

Tom Santelli reported that he continues to work with the IT department in updating the county website, including pictures of officeholders, and upgrading the county’s recording technology to ease access for the public.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Lebanon resident Aaron Smith opined about TIF districts.

Meeting adjourned at approximately 10:30.

Next regularly scheduled meeting will be Tuesday, May 12, at 8:30 a.m.