Notes -- October 2012 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
10/9/2012
Present:  All Council Members. Secretary Crystal Raub.

RE-APPROPRIATIONS:

Circuit Court (Judge Jeff Edens):

Requested $2000 from Med/Psych to library.  Judge Edens also had an additional request (see below) which the council handled at them same time.  Approved.

 

Clerk (No one present):

Requested $200 from Supplies to Absentee Ballots & $890 from supplies to Janitors for election expenses. See note below in Additional Appropriation for explanation. Approved

 

ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS:

Circuit Court (Judge Jeff Edens):

Requested $15,000 to cover shortfall in Pauper Attorney Fees.  Approved.

 

Sheriff (Brittany Hicks):

Requested just under $900 in reimbursements to various accounts such as inmate medical, postage, supplies, etc.  Approved.

 

Sheriff/Jail Maintenance (Mike Vaughan):

Requested $35,000 for utilities.  The summer heat wave cost far more than had been budgeted.  The 2013 budget includes an increase to this line.  Approved.

 

Area Plan (Rachel Cardis):

Requested $654 for repairs to a 2005 truck which is now being used by the Coroner’s office.  This action had been discussed repeatedly in previous months.  The original request had been for a much higher cost, based on an estimate from a dealership.  The county highway department made the repairs at a significant savings.  Thanks to both the APC and the Highway Dept for their cooperation in making this work at as little cost to taxpayers as possible.  Approved.

Requested $6500 for purchase of a new truck, as discussed at previous meetings.  The council had previously approved some funding for the purchase, but not enough to cover the entire cost, and asked Ms. Cardis to evaluate the department’s needs and options further before coming back with this request. Approved.

 

Highway (Rick Carney):

Requested for $150,000 for Gas & Oil. The department was able to do considerably more work this summer in both overlay paving and chip & seal than had originally been budgeted.  This comes from the highway department’s budget, not the county general fund.  Approved.

 

EMA (Rachel Hansen):

Requested $3616 as a reimbursement from a grant fund for new equipment.  Approved.

 

Surveyor (Kathy Clawson):

Requested $500 for Repairs.  A 2006 truck used by the department is in need of electrical repairs.  This request would cover those repairs and leave some funds in the line to carry through to the end of the year.

 

Auditor (Melody Price):

Requested $13,300 for the county’s contractual tax sale.  This should be reimbursed from the sale’s proceeds.  Approved.

 

Commissioners (Charles Eaton):

The commissioners submitted a request for $500,000 to re-fund the Bridge #220 (Ford Rd Bridge) project.  Mr. Eaton read from prepared notes to review the potential risks of not restoring funding to this project.  Following those remarks, Council Member Gene Thompson made comments regarding his understanding of those potential risks.  Several other questions were asked of both Commissioner Eaton and Highway Superintendent Carney by Mr. Thompson and Council Member Marcia Wilhoite.  Commissioner Jeff Wolfe stated that he felt it would be irresponsible simply to repair the current bridge and push the final decision down the road.  Council Member Brent Wheat made a motion to approve, seconded by Butch Smith.  With a 3-2 roll call vote and Marcia Wilhoite abstaining, the motion failed to carry. (Steve Jacob, as president, did not vote, as the motion would have fallen short of the required five votes needed for approval regardless of his position.)

 

Clerk (Penny Bogan):

Ms. Bogan requested $36,100 to pay for fall elections.  (The original request had been advertised at $65,000.) This money had originally been budgeted from the federal HAVA fund for federal elections.  A new interpretation from the Secretary of State of the allowable uses for that fund indicates that poll worker expenses are not included.  Approved.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

Treasurer Deanna Willhoite requested and received approval of a Resolution outlining an investment policy.

 

The council was asked by Major Nielsen of the Sheriff’s Department, who is leading an effort to examine the security of county buildings, to appoint a representative to a committee investigating those issues.  Council Member Butch Smith has been asked unofficially and has volunteered to serve.  Some discussion of the make-up of the committee currently including only law enforcement members ensued.  (Mr. Smith is a retired officer.)  The council discussed the possibility of making more than one appointment, including a member of the public at-large.  As Major Nielsen was not present, and no official request had been submitted, no appointment was made.  The issue will be re-visited next month.

 

The council was asked to appoint representatives to a committee investigating best use of the newly-acquired building on West Washington Street.  Council Member Brent Wheat and Debbie Ottinger (who is running unopposed for Boone County Treasurer) agreed to serve.

 

Cindy Murphy of the County Health Department addressed the council regarding a recent full-time vacancy and asking the council to approve filling that position at the same salary.  The council voted to approve, with the understanding that the new hire would come in at the increased salary set to be approved for 2013. 

 

OLD BUSINESS:

Laurie Gross of the Lebanon Parks Board addressed the council again, requesting that the council not eliminate the county park tax.  This opened a great deal of discussion from council members on both the issue of a county park levy itself and the process by which the council arrived at this point in its deliberations.  Both Lebanon Mayor Huck Lewis and former Clerk-Treasurer Debbie Ottinger addressed the council as well.  Lebanon residents Kathy Flanary and Aaron Smith also addressed the council, with Ms. Flanary supporting continuation of the county levy and Mr. Smith opposing.

 

PUBLIC COMMENT:

None beyond the earlier discussion of the park levy.

 

Regular meeting adjourned just past 10:30.  Following a short break, the council re-convened to address adoption of budgets in a separate meeting.    I will attempt to post a separate summary for those discussions later.

 

Next regularly-scheduled council meeting will be Tuesday, November 13, at 8:30 a.m.