HOWARD COUNTY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING JUNE 24TH, 2003

 

 

The Howard County Council met Tuesday, June 24th, 2003 at 7:00 p.m., in Room 338 of the Howard County Administration Center. Those present were Council President Richard Miller, Council Vice President James Papacek and Council Members Dwight Singer, Leslie Ellison, Stanley Ortman and Jeffrey Stout.  Also present were County Attorney Larry Murrell, Personnel Administrator Wanda McKillip, and Auditor Martha Lake.  Council Member James Shearer was unable to attend this meeting. 

 

The meeting was called to order by Sheriff Marshall Talbert and conducted by President Richard Miller.    

 

The minutes of the May 27th, 2003 meeting, having been previously reviewed, were approved as submitted on a motion made by Mr. Papacek, seconded by Mr. Singer and carried.

 

IN THE MATTER OF ORDINANCE NO. 2003-HCC-23 ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS:

 

Ordinance No. 2003-HCC-23 was read in full for the first time by Auditor Martha Lake, and read in full for the second time by President Richard Miller.  Ordinance No. 2003-HCC-23 was presented and acted upon as follows:

 

APPROPRIATION ADDITIONS REQUESTED:

 

001         HOWARD COUNTY GENERAL FUND:

 

013          HOWARD COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT:
3212        Postage                                                                                 $    1,500.00                            $  1,500.00

 

Honorable Circuit Court Judge Lynn Murray explained the postage account has been depleted due to the additional mailings required for the new jury selection system.  When the budget was formulated last year at budget time, it was uncertain how much extra postage would be needed.

 

Mr. Papacek made a motion to appropriate $1,500.00 to Line Item 3212 for additional postage as requested.  Mr. Singer seconded the motion, and it carried.

 

017          HOWARD COUNTY VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE: 

1114        Part-time                                                                               $   18,640.00                           $ 10,000.00

 

Voter Registration Department Head Darlene Elliott informed the Council that after listening to Commissioner Bagwell and Councilman Richard Miller at the meeting of elected officials and department heads a few weeks ago,  various measures were improvised to cut costs in order to save money.  Revisions to the VRG Acknowledgement Card will save $1,419.35.  Using the Risograph in the Clerk’s Office for letterhead, envelopes, batch and voters’ poll list cover sheets will save $759.10. 

 

A list of completed projects between January 2nd to June 24th, 2003 along with an estimate of upcoming projects was submitted for Council information.  The list included number of hours worked and rate per hour for each project.

 

On June 24th, the Part time Account balance was $760.75.  The transfer of $2,000.00 from the Postage Account to the Part time Account (shown on page 2) would increase the balance to $2,760.75. Therefore, she is reducing the original request from $18,640 to  $15,879.25.

 

Mr. Papacek suggested allocating a lesser amount at this time and then more toward the end of 2003 if the need still exists.  A motion was made by Mr. Papacek to amend the requested amount of $15,879.25 to $10,000.00 and appropriate the amended amount to Line Item 1114, Part-time Account.  Mr. Singer seconded the motion, which carried.

 

018          HOWARD COUNTY MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT:
1118        Part-time                                                                                $     5,580.00                               -0-

 

Maintenance Superintendent Thomas Harrison explained an employee was moved to the Administration Center, which left an opening in the Maintenance Department at the Courthouse.  During budget time last year Mr. Harrison requested a part-time employee for the entire year.  Since courthouse renovations were not finished, the money for part-time was cutback and the Council mentioned that the request might be reconsidered later in the 2003 year. 

 

A college student was hired this summer, paid from the existing budget, to work 4 hours per day/20 hours per week.  The Maintenance Department will be short of help when the student returns to school in August.  Mr. Harrison requested additional money to hire a part-time employee around September 1st to the end of the year.  Mr. Harrison then revised the original request for $5,580.00 to $3,500.00.

 

Mr. Papacek made a motion to deny the request by the Maintenance Department and to appropriate $0.00 to Line Item 1118, Part-time.  Due to lack of a second to the motion, Mr. Harrison withdrew the request.

 

Total General Fund:                                                                            $   25,720.00                        $  11,500.00

 

 

 

006         HOWARD COUNTY CUMULATIVE BRIDGE FUND:

22300      Supplies                                                                                 $     20,000.00                         $     20,000.00
22400      Materials                                                                               $     40,000.00                         $     40,000.00
32250      Maint. & Repairs by Contract                                            $   600,000.00                         $   600,000.00

33701      B-31 CR 500S 120W                                                             $   100,000.00                         $   100,000.00
33705      B-37 CR 100W 290S                                                             $     75,000.00                         $     75,000.00

33710      B 501 Ohio Street                                                 $     25,000.00                         $     25,000.00

33712      B 106 CR 1250E 310S                                                           $     25,000.00                         $     25,000.00

33715      B 94 CR 1400E 380S                                                             $     75,000.00                         $     75,000.00

33717      B 114 CR300S 1150E                                                            $     50,000.00                         $     50,000.00
33718      B 115 CR 300S 1190E                                                           $     50,000.00                         $     50,000.00
33719      B 96 CR 500S 960E                                                               $     75,000.00                         $     75,000.00

33758      B 45 CR 200W 10S                                                               $       1,000.00                         $       1,000.00
33777      Bridge Inspection                                                                                $     30,000.00                         $     30,000.00
44725      Equipment                                                                             $     10,000.00                         $     10,000.00
Total Cumulative Bridge Fund:                                                        $1,176,000.00                      $1,176,000.00

 

Auditor Martha Lake explained this request is a matter of housekeeping regarding changes made in the budget where money was pulled out of the Cumulative Bridge Fund and placed into the General Fund to accommodate the 2003 budget. 

 

Mr. Papacek made a motion to appropriate $1,176,000.00 to the line items listed above in Account 006, Howard County Cumulative Bridge Fund.  Mr. Ellison seconded the motion, and it carried.

 

104         HOWARD COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT SUPPLEMENTAL JUVENILE SERVICES FUND:

2370        EHD Supplies                                                                       $         500.00                          $         500.00
3300        Auto. Repair & Maintenance                                             $      2,000.00                          $      2,000.00
3301        Fuel                                                                                        $      2,000.00                          $      2,000.00

3400        EHD Equipment                                                                    $         500.00                          $         500.00                         

3360        Software                                                                                $    10,000.00                          $    10,000.00         

4990        EHD Equipment                                                                    $      2,000.00                          $      2,000.00

Total  Supplemental Juvenile Services Fund:                                $    17,000.00                       $    17,000.00

Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Don Travis submitted a written explanation of the requests for additional appropriations.  Mr. Travis asked the Council to disregard the first paragraph explaining the request in Account 522 because it was not advertised in time for this meeting.  In regard to Account 104, the appropriations being sought are a result of a realignment of the supplemental juvenile probation users fees to comply with the Indiana statute.  However, the request for an appropriation of $10,000.00 in Line Item 3360 is an exception.  This money is an additional request to assist in the cost of the upgrading the QUEST software that the Juvenile Probation Department has been working on for the past three years.  Despite careful planning for the upgrade, technology has advanced requiring the purchase of some additional hardware.

 

Mr. Papacek made a motion to appropriate $17,000.00 to the line items listed above in Account 104.  Mr. Ortman seconded the motion, which carried.

 

150         HOWARD COUNTY CUMULATIVE CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT FUND:
4259        Video Arraignment System                                                $   50,385.00                           $    50,385.00
Total CCD Fund:                                                                 $   50,385.00                        $    50,385.00

Commissioner President Brad Bagwell stated this request is for a final payment to Ameritech/SBC Communications that was overlooked when the video arraignment system was installed in 1999.  The bill was discovered when Ameritech switched their records over to SBC Communications.

 

Mr. Singer made a motion to appropriate $50,385.00 to Line Item 4259 as presented.  Mr. Stout seconded the motion, and it carried.

 

TOTAL ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS

ALL FUNDS:                                                                                        $1,269,105.00                     $1,254,885.00

 

***************************************************

 

 

IN THE MATTER OF RESOLUTION NO. 2003-HCC-10  -- TRANSFERS:

 

Resolution No. 2003-HCC-10 addressing requested transfers was presented and read in full for Council information and review.  The following actions were taken:

 

 

TRANSFERS:                                                                       AMOUNT:

FROM:                                   TO:                                                         REQUESTED:                       ALLOWED:

001         HOWARD COUNTY GENERAL FUND:  

 

017          HOWARD COUNTY VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE:

3212        Postage                                  1114        Part-time                                $  2,000.00                              $   2,000.00

 

 

Voter Registration Department Head Darlene Elliott said a balance of $1,000.00 would be left in the Postage account following the transfer.

 

Mr. Papacek made a motion to approve the transfer of $2,000.00 from Line Item 3212 Postage to Line Item 1114 Part-time.  Mr. Stout seconded the motion, which carried.

 

510         HOWARD COUNTY COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS GRANT FUND 2002-2003:
1115        Community Serv. Coord.     1121        Part-Time                               $     189.78                              $      189.78

1116        Day Reporting Coord.         1121        Part-Time                               $     194.66                              $      194.66
1520        Insurance                              1121        Part-Time                               $  1,100.00                              $   1,100.00

3200        Telephones                           2060        Vehicle Supplies                   $     908.09                                 Withdrawn        

3350        Professional Contracts        4990        Misc. Equipment                  $  2,898.96                                 Withdrawn   

3350        Professional Contracts        2060        Vehicle Supplies                   $  2,591.56                                 Withdrawn   

 

Community Corrections Director Steve Maus addressed only the first three transfer requests in Account 510.  The last three requests were to clean up some accounts, completing the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2003.  Mr. Maus withdrew these requests because he failed to submit them to the Department of Correction before their June 1st deadline. 

 

Regarding Line Items 1115, 1116 and 1520, both the Community Service Coordinator and Day Reporting Coordinator took some unpaid time for Family Medical Leave Absence.  As a matter of housekeeping to finish out the year, Mr. Maus wished to transfer the unused money from these salaries and surplus money in the Insurance Account into the Part-time/Overtime Account. 

 

Mr. Papacek made a motion to approve the requested transfers in the first three line items listed above.  Mr. Ortman seconded the motion, which carried.

 

IN THE MATTER OF SALARY ORDINANCE NO. 2003-HCC-24 – AMENDING THE EXISTING SALARY ORDINANCE FOR 2003:

 

A motion was made by Mr. Papacek, seconded by Mr. Singer and carried to approve Amended Salary Ordinance 2003-HCC-20 as read.  The amended salaries, any changed position titles and all other pertinent information is shown as follows:

 

POSITION/NUMBER/SALARY                                                      REQUEST:            APPROVED:             YTD:

 

001         HOWARD COUNTY GENERAL FUND:

017          HOWARD COUNTY VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE:
1114        Part-time      $18,000                                                             $20,640.00              +$12,000.00            $30,000.00             

 

018          HOWARD COUNTY MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT:
1118        Part-time     $15,000.00                                                         $ 5,580.00                      -0-                    $15,000.00

 

510         HOWARD COUNTY COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS GRANT FUND 2002-2003:
1115        Community Serv. Coord. 1@$12,350                 -$    189.78              -$      189.78            $12,160.22             
1116        Day  Report. Coord. 1@$27,040 -$1,829.84

                      =$25,210.86                      -$    194.66              -$      194.66            $25,015.20

1121        Part-time    $3,296.00                                                            +$1,484.44              +$   1,484.44           $  4,780.44

 

IN THE MATTER OF COURTHOUSE RENOVATION UPDATE:

 

Commissioner Paul Raver said the Renovation Project is about 99 % complete and presented the following issues for Council information:

 

·             A meeting has been scheduled with all of the contractors, subcontractors, and engineers at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 25th, 2003.

 

·             The new furniture is arriving each day.  An accumulation of old furniture will be sold in the County auction in July.

 

·             The new aluminum recognition plaque (made to look like bronze) listing names of involved officials has been mounted on the wall.

 

·             Two new office directories will be placed inside of the east entrance.  One directory will list the offices in the Courthouse and the other one will list the offices located in the Howard County Administration Center at 220 N. Main St. and Government Building at 120 E. Mulberry St.

 

·             The sidewalks on the north side that were disturbed during the excavation have been replaced, and replacement was made of the subsurface drain tile. 

 

·             Replacing the carpet damaged from the leaks will be discussed with the contractors soon. 

 

 

IN THE MATTER OF VETERAN SERVICE ISSUES – (Legislative change to Veteran Burial Allowance):

 

Veteran’s Service Officer William Allen Polsgrove Jr. presented an update on legislative changes relating to Veteran’s Burial Allowance as follows:

 

Currently the Indiana Code 10-5-3-1 Section 1 (a) authorizes counties to pay a burial benefit of $100.00 to a veteran or the veteran’s spouse but not to both.  In addition there is a provision to allow up to $100.00 to offset some of the expenses for a federally supplied (V.A.) headstone or grave marker.  Effective July 1st 2003, the State Legislature has authorized counties to reimburse up to $1,000.00 for both the burial and grave marker.  The County is required to pass an Ordinance in order for changes to become effective.  Mr. Polsgrove suggested setting a limit on the amount of burial allowance to not exceed $200.00.

 

The current budgeted line item for burial of veterans is $20,000.00; claims have already been submitted for $9,500.00 with an additional $2,000.00 in claims to be submitted.  Based upon the current budget restraints, Mr. Polsgrove does not recommend that the County change the amount paid until a further study of the anticipated revenues is completed.

 

IN THE MATTER OF MS4 ADVISORY COMMITTEE UPDATE:

 

Mr. Ellison reported the MS4 Advisory Committee met on Wednesday, June 11th, 2003 to finalize the Community Survey and assemble collection boxes.  The MS4 Consultant composed a job description for a MS4 Operator.  The Surveyor’s Office is willing to serve as the MS4 Operator. 

 

IN THE MATTER OF THE MONTHLY COMMISSARY REPORT AND MISC. ISSUES:

 

Sheriff Marshall Talbert presented the following issues for Council information:

 

                1.     Commissary report:  The commissary report for the month of May 2003 detailed the expenditures and credits.  The summary of the report is as follows:

 

                                                                May starting balance:                          $ 21,089.85

                                                                May credits:                                    +     $ 30,102.57

                                                                Total Credits                                           $ 51,192.42          

                                                                May debits:                                      -$ 28,286.07

                                                                May ending balance                              $ 22,906.35

 

                2.     Emergency generator problems:  There were problems with the emergency generator at the Criminal Justice Center.  A cylinder seal was leaking antifreeze into the oil, which caused the generator to stop working.   The emergency generator is necessary to supply power to the radio system, cell doors, control panels, and food storage equipment in the event of a power outage.  The Sheriff’s Department is in the process of having the generator replaced.  In the meantime, a portable temporary generator is on standby.

 

IN THE MATTER OF SPECIAL COUNCIL REMARKS AND RECOGNITIONS:

 

Commissioner President Bradley Bagwell publicly recognized Commissioner Raver’s activities involving the Courthouse Renovation Project.  Mr. Raver put in countless hours and hard work to assist with project plans and coordinate numerous schedules.  Mr. Bagwell publicly thanked Mr. Raver for all of his efforts in getting the project completed.  A round of applause followed.  The Council was in total agreement and commended Mr. Raver’s outstanding contribution to the project.

 

IN THE MATTER OF PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATOR ISSUES:

 

Personnel Director Wanda McKillip presented the following issue for Council information:

 

The Insurance Committee met earlier this month to discuss insurance claims.  She mentioned one claim that was approximately $433,000.00.  Due to the $100,000.00 Stop Loss on insurance, the County should get back $333,000.00.  The fund balance remains in good shape.  Hopefully the County will receive another claim report on June 25th.  Due to the amount of outstanding claims, the Committee needs to study the insurance plan and determine whether to make a mid-year adjustment to insurance premiums or benefits.

 

IN THE MATTER OF CONTEMPLATING THE BUDGET FOR 2004:

 

Mr. Miller commented on the Budget for 2003 and anticipated Budget for 2004.  With the County having deficit expenditures in 2003, the fiscal projection for the 2004 budget is not in good shape.  As the 2004-year approaches and the County is not supporting the Budget in 2003, it is evident that reductions are forthcoming.  Mr. Miller respectfully requested that Council and Commissioner representatives initiate a concerted discussion of the 2004 Budget and ultimately make comments and recommendations to each body for public consumption in addition to other fiscal concerns. 

 

Auditor Martha Lake advised that an ad hoc finance committee has been organized to discuss the budget for next year.  The available money is unsteady but the County continues to spend.  The County experienced unplanned large expenses in 2003 and a few more might follow.  The 2004-year will be extremely challenging; it will take a strong cooperative effort to properly manage and maintain this year and next.   On a positive note, Howard County is in better shape than some other counties.  Tax money is coming in and the County does not have to borrow money or go into debt. 

 

It was the consensus of the Council to keep employees informed and up to date on the County’s economic issues.  Auditor Lake also suggested that the County Leaders work together and present a unified voice.   

 

Commissioner Raver added that suggestions and ideas should be encouraged regarding the future of Howard Haven.

 

There being no further business to come before the Council, Mr. Papacek made a motion to adjourn.  The motion was seconded by Mr. Singer and carried.  The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

 

 

                                                                                                                HOWARD COUNTY COUNCIL:

 

 

                                                                                                                _________________________________________

                                                                                                                Richard H. Miller, President

 

                                                                                                                _________________________________________

                                                                                                                James Papacek, Vice President

 

                                                                                                                _________________________________________

                                                                                                                James Shearer, Councilman

 

                                                                                                                _________________________________________

                                                                                                                Dwight Singer, Jr., Councilman

 

                                                                                                                _________________________________________

                                                                                                                Leslie Ellison, Councilman

 

                                                                                                                _________________________________________

                                                                                                                Stanley Ortman, Councilman

 

                                                                                                                _________________________________________

                                                                                                                Jeffrey Stout, Councilman

 

 

ATTEST:

 

 

__________________________

MARTHA J. LAKE, AUDITOR

County Council Minutes, June 24th, 2003