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.
