County Council - public_hearing

Thank you.

You know, I thought about what you said about how much time...

All right, the commissioners have been delayed, so we're going to go ahead and start with the health department.

Good morning. Morning. I just want to say, Judy, you're the good penny that keeps coming back.

This is my second time back. Dr. Conway our health officer had wanted to be here but because the meeting got changed he's not available and Tomi had wanted to be here but I couldn't get hold of Tomi so she may show up at 10.

So because we bumped you early we're missing our health officer and our board member? Yes.

Let me go through what they've got and if they've got questions when they get here.

And I wanted to take a minute and introduce Tiffany Petit, she's been with us about a year and a half, she's an environmentalist. So she came to give me some back up.

Environmentalist on the help us.

She's an environmental health specialist so she does We are now having to inspect pools and spas this year for the first time. So you can imagine all the pools and spas, especially spas at the tourist homes and stuff. So that's primarily her job. She's learning septic from Ernie and also food from Jen. Did I explain that right?

Try it back to her. That's a lot.

And I did a bed bug inspection earlier this week.

So cool. I really don't want to know where that's at. So when did your septic training start?

You know, I think the first day I was at the health department in December of 24, I went out with Ernie.

How many times have you been out?

A lot.

Okay, because I've had a contractor reach out to me who's concerned that if something, you know, happens to the retirees or whatever, that we're going to be down to no one to accept existence. It is important, and that was part of bringing on the feeder position was to train and cross train, and it's in their job descriptions already, that food people also do septic, that Ernie knows how to do food, those types of things, that these people be cross trained. And I'm just going to say this, and it's going to sound harsh, we give it, we take it. And we expect you to fulfill your obligations. So you can relay that back to Dr. Conway and the board. Make sure that if something happens, these contractors aren't waiting because they have reached out to me because I still see them and they know I'm on council, that they're worried.

I assure you that is happening across training.

I do have all my certifications. I just don't have the hands-on training.

Okay, well, we need that hands-on training because that's important. Okay, thank you.

Duly noted. So I guess the only thing, and I've talked to Judy Swift about this a little bit, trying to get my head wrapped around some of the, like in the employee number 12006 in the 1159 budget. 1-2-0-0-6. The 1159 budget. Is there a title to the position again?

Assistant Sanitarian, $17,191.

Can I step in here and ask a question?

Absolutely.

Throw this out and tell me if this is correct.

Okay.

We have an environmental health specialist that is retiring.

I've not gotten anything in writing about that at all, so I can't. Rumor mill. Right, and we don't go by the rumor mill. Okay.

This is.

All right, I'll work on choosing my words wisely. We have an employee that is leaving tentatively at the end of the year. And this line item that you're speaking to is not the same individual that it almost appears as if we have an employee who has been a good employee that wants to retire but at the same time he also wants his cake and eat it too so hey I'm going to retire but let me come back when the weather clears up next summer and give myself something to do and I'll go out here and you know I don't look at it as this employee wants to get his cake and eat it too I think he's

offering to come back and help if we need him.

Yeah, well, my issue is, you know, how many environmental health specialists do we need to have full time in order to be able to stay on top of the workload?

Right. I think, and we've been interviewing for environmental health. We've been interviewing for Cory's position too. So there's a lot of interviews going on. We've got a couple of the environmentalists that, in their counties, they've racked up comp hours and they offered to come in and use their comp time maybe one day, two days a week and learn Brown County. So but I guess my issue is that I know he's part-time in this in the 1159 budget for $17,000 and then in the 1160 budget the HFI He's also been allocated $17,000. So that's $34,000 a year. But it's not, I'm not looking at this as a part-time. He's a full-time employee. And his position will be filled coming January as a full-time EHS. So that only totals $34,000. So where is the extra $10,000?

Well, there's usually $10,000, $94,000, $7,000, $10,000-something in what used to be the tobacco money, but it's in the HFI money. Because that position always got paid out of two portions. It got paid out of health, The majority. Right. And then it got paid out of what used to be the tobacco money, but also HFI. And the two combined made the full.

Right. The tobacco dollars in previous years had always been $10,971.

And I think it was the same from what I remember seeing in the HFI.

It's 17, it's the exact same amount.

Exactly 17.

Mm-hmm, 191.

And you're at a loss because you're not the one who did it. Right.

So I just want to, I guess my concern is I want to make sure this stays a full-time position and if there's 10,000 out there in the legacy tobacco dollars, I'm not seeing it anywhere.

So I know that you've always had a full-time environmental health vet doing primarily septic and a full-time food serviceman primarily food service. I think you definitely need to have those positions and I think you're probably going to have to come back and we're going to have to look at the salary. This is what we paid the environmental health specialist and put those together. Again, because you're a loss and because you're not able to prepare the budget. I understand that.

So who prepared the budget?

Melissa.

Oh, okay.

So we have the three environmentalists, and they're all getting cross-trained, have been cross-trained. We've got one that specializes in food. We have one that specializes in septics. And now we have one that specializes in pools. And Tiffany can tell you, and the fees on that, do you know about how much money we've put?

Okay, and I do know that I do, I'm sorry to interrupt you. That's okay. So I know that the plan was, and this can be done apparently, I mean, I haven't checked on it, but... that because the pool fees have brought in over 66 000 dollars that's they want to not charge the county health fund that money they want to take it from the pool fees we actually talked about this a meeting or so doesn't this is going to be coming up um so we need to look at her salary coming out of those pool fees, and they have to do a line item, a payroll item, properly through the State Board of Accounts to have those fees paying for her salary so it's not coming out of the county taxpayer, which I think is an awesome thing. So that frees up money. for the county taxpayer as well. So that's my understanding.

So a quick clarifying question. So the 66... That's their fees they brought in.

Just from pools and spas.

Is that for the 12 month period? Yes. Does that cover full salary and benefits for the person responsible for it?

Actually, I'm showing Ernie to get $45, $80, $30, $45. I'm sorry, what was that?

$40.

You're talking about pools and spa, Julie? $45, $80, $30, $45.

No, she's talking about Ernie.

Okay, so for pools and spas, does the $60, instead of all that comes from the pools, spa...

Yes, everything.

Licensed home, hotel, inspection.

Yes.

Yes, on their collection form, they separate, they have to separate that.

Okay, so that specifically, that kind of tourism's fee structure, is it fully supporting the position? Yes. So they're paying for the full, that's good, okay.

Right, and it's even doing the payroll. including equipment and supplies that are needed, training, membership fees, mailing, educational materials. So yeah, it covers much more than just the salary. And that's something that's going to have to get worked out with you guys as the line items, right, that we need to create for this position.

It is. And she will still be cross-trained and septic. She will still have the same pay grade, that whole thing, because those pay grades are all set by those, I mean other people have done, in the past we've done pools and those kinds of things, it just wasn't done for a while and now it's being done again. So we need to do that, that's for sure, is to get those moved over, however perfectly that's done. I don't know.

That's just showing that there's $34,000 out of one fund and then $10,000 out of another. For Ernie, right. Yeah, there's $10,000. I don't know where the $10,000 is. I don't see it here.

Right. And you're showing the $34,000 coming out of the $1,159 and the $1,160. It doesn't show it on this. Okay, okay.

But if she has $17,000 and $17,000 in there, obviously you take the $10,000 out, you got the $34,000. Yeah. And the rest of it is.

So are we assuming missing and the budgets $10,000? Exactly.

But if she's got 17 and one, because it's always been 10,074. If there's already 17 in there, you're not missing the 10. It's just over.

But we're not seeing we're not sending two 17s together. His salary is 45,000.

Yeah, but isn't there money already in health for that?

No. The health fund is showing, the 1159 is only showing 17,000. Then in 1160, it's showing 17,000.

Okay, so who's 41,850 on here?

That is a, it says it's an environmental specialist.

I think it's the assistant.

That, okay.

That would be 41,853. But then on 12, 12103, we have 46,531.

That's the only documents I ever see or work off of.

1-2-1-0-3.

Well, I'm on a different. What's the line number? 11-6-15. I know.

We're talking. It's environmental health.

11-15. 11-6-15 is part-time.

I know, but he's not part-time. He is full-time current.

I don't know where these numbers came from.

Okay, look at this book.

It's towards the back. When you say towards the back, do you have a page number? Well, there's one, two, and three, sorry. If you look at the very top of the page, it says 1169.

Right, I see that. Page 2 on 1159.

So that would be Ernie at $46,531. Which one to show Ernie?

The top one.

Top one. 12-1-0-3.

Ernie is the 12-0-6 it says here.

He's 1-2-0-6.

And then 1-2-0-6, where does that?

I don't even see that on there.

On the form 1, he's 1-2-0-0-6.

Okay, she's got...

See 12103, excuse me, 12103, which is at the very top of page 2, that's the food inspector. So we're looking for 12006.

So if you go... We're not talking bad things or good things. Scott. We can do food and septic. That's why I'm giving you numbers.

Scott, if you go to page one at the very bottom... Judy, can I get you to slip over here real quick? What?

The way I see this, I'm going to jump in and say what I've got to say. Your total budget between the two funds, $763,590. At the core, I'm showing you guys you've got 10 employees. Is that what you need to fully staff that department for you guys to be able to do what you've got to do? Yes. So of the $763,590 budget, 61% is labor costs. Okay? This is top-down approach. Big picture. Alright? We can play in the weeds all day and we're blue in the face. $763,590 is all in it.

Are you talking about both budgets?

That's both formulas. Okay. So everything. Sure. You testified, I just asked, you need 10 people to fully staff the health department in order for you to stay on top of the workflow.

Right.

Correct?

Mm-hmm.

Okay. So 61% of that budget is $468,618.52. Right. Okay. 25% of your budget, which I appreciate y'all doing, is you've got $103,000 in there for group health. Right. And you have Social Security, FICA tax, Medicare, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Right.

That's 25% of the budget. So 86%. We've done a good job, and if we can keep it there, that's great. We've got to work on labor costs.

And what you have to figure, too, in after labor costs is what's left over. Which isn't much. A big chunk is $43,000 in attorney fees and $7,000 in malpractice insurance. So what does that leave us with?

Nothing. Let's just do the math. Let me do it. I'll do it. Yeah, so what you're looking at is other services and charges, which is $47,300. That's another big chunk, right? So if I take 47,300, divide that by the 763,590, that's another 6%, all right? So if you add those up, that's $61,000 plus $25,000 plus $6,000. That's 92% of your budget, just those three separate categories, which does not leave you much left over. It's only 8% to cover the copy of your paper.

Okay. So I guess bottom line, what is your point in presenting that?

You guys have done a good job. I like the budget. It's fine. You know, the main issue is you have to have, and I don't want to 12 month cycle, you have to have 10 people, right? Exactly. Because to me, when I think of the health department, I think of the health department every time I go eat food in Brown County, okay? That's my value the most about the health department, right? I want to make sure I'm not eating, you know, I want to make sure my food is good. Bad lettuce. Thank you, yeah. Right. So then you get the pools, then we get the subdues. Exactly. And then you get all the other stuff.

And the pools is something brand new, that's all.

Well, that sounds like the pool thing is cash flow in itself. Exactly. It's a money maker. Yeah, that's great. That's a good thing. Yeah, so that's not even factoring this, that's, because the revenue that the pool thing generates, is that money getting deposited back into the 1159? Yes. does it julie it will what when the miscellaneous revenue comes in from the health department does all miscellaneous revenue coming from the the health department goes back into their funds in 1159 yeah okay yeah yeah so yeah so you guys so actually you know your numbers are actually better because you guys are generating cement a lot of fees yeah that's right so when that goes back into their fund does that have to be reappropriated or does it go

She's going to have to find out how to do that properly through the state accounts to move it from the health fund collection area into a payroll area. Used to, you couldn't even do that, but I've been since then told that you can legally do that now.

Yeah, the only thing that the health department is going to have to be, the only thing on the health department you guys are going to have to keep a close eye on this is based off of you know you've got it on 1159 um it's showing a projected revenue of 600k for 2027 right and so it looks like your projected cash balance could end up somewhere in 185 so obviously we want to protect those cash reserve balances you know in a perfect world you'd be able to watch that grow a little bit every year right so to me based on your budget your cash flow and you know there's And what I don't know on the revenue, Julie, is whether or not, you know, Reedy is including this, you know, what their forecast is on miscellaneous revenues. Because if they get the forecast wrong on how much actual miscellaneous revenues are coming in from the health department,

They should be aware of the pool thing because it's not just here.

They have to do what their projected revenues are from January 1 to June and then June fall. Absolutely, the fall is going to be a little more Usually a little less because when most of their fees come in in January and February, those kinds of things.

But what I don't know is on the revenue coming in from the pool inspection thing, has that, how long has that revenue been flowing in?

About a year, a year and a half. Since January. Since January. It's annual.

We don't have a long historical track record yet on that until we kind of get it. And then the only other thing, my only question would be is, you know, What's the probability the Indiana Department of Health is going to continue that? Because they came out about two or three years ago.

Right. We've been assured that to expect the same amount we received this year for 2027. And, you know, it's every year. It's just wait to see.

Where you guys can get in trouble is if Indiana comes back and says, oh, no, 1160 is gone. You're not going to get any more money. This is right.

OK. So it's my understanding that after the first of the year, whether it's true or not, someone was going to go part time. So I'm going to assume here, and I don't like to assume, that's where that $17,000 came in. OK. All I'm going to say about that is you have to work out that internally, obviously, if somebody is going to be part time or not part time.

with that said we have to be captain okay so if you look at page one at the very top there's your seventeen thousand dollars right you're on the 1159 no i'm on this white booklet here well which fund are you on the 1159 fund He's at the very bottom. Here he is. Okay, he's at the very bottom of page one at 17,000. So let's just say that the 1159 budget and that 17,000 is a part-time EHS.

Okay.

But in the overall 1159 budget, then we've lost a full-time EHS.

Well, these were feeder positions, all right? I mean, I can go and pull them in if I need to. These were feeder positions. When people left, these people were trained to take those positions. We were not here, and it was very well stated, we were not here to grow government. They were here being trained to take over those positions as people aged out, retired, quit, whatever. We are not going to be growing government.

Right, I understand that.

Okay, so technically, we're not losing people. We always had environmental health specialist we had two septic ones and one food service okay so we've had two feeders and we had two others we had four so I don't think county's looking at growing four okay so if that's the case which I appreciate then that seventeen thousand dollars is not correct and I'm not getting any assurance from anybody on at county council that this is still a full-time position let me pause for a second

Because we added a pool person.

No.

Is that separate or no?

No. That's a new responsibility. No. I'm just asking the question. The food person used to do pools and food. Okay. Okay.

Before the new responsibility.

We've always had three.

No, we had food and pool forever. And then there was a time when they just, for whatever reason, decided they weren't going to do pool. Now pause.

Isn't there a new chunk of time for pool and spa inspections that was not there previously? No, they always did pool. Well, no, they did it.

But not to the extent of what it's now.

Isn't the new workload, I mean, how much workload is it? So that's what I'm trying to get at. But not like this. How many do you have? I think 160, 170. All right, we just have about 110, 120.

So we're going to increase it about 30 to 50. They didn't inspect all of those, did they? No.

Well, they had to have, if there was a problem, they did. But they had the pool, water was brought in and tested. And if there was an issue, retesting was done. And if we had to go out, we went out. Now I realize you can go out once a year. Is that correct? You don't go out and check every pool every month. No. You're doing it once a year. So let's just be clear. Once a year, they're not doing it.

But that's on a rotator basis. You don't do 160 pools. at one time a year. You've got those on a rotating basis. Right. Break it down to 10%, you'll be 16 at one time, 16 on a rotating basis.

And they don't always pass. Right.

So then there's retesting and remediation and all that stuff.

I guess I'm just trying to get a new workload, right? And I don't know how more inspections more testing tests are being brought in but you're also having to do on-site inspections that you weren't before so trying to get at your point which is okay we've always had three now there's this much more workload for pool inspection I don't know how much that is and okay three people are doing that work is that I mean is that is that part of this rub that we're

Well, it's just that it was presented to us that these were the fever positions and to take over the possible people we were going to lose through attrition.

Okay, let's take a step back real quick. What changed in the pool inspection? State code. Yeah, the state code. What did they change? They do hot tubs, right?

Right, in tourist homes, yeah.

But they've always had a portion of that. But they didn't do it seriously. Hold on.

Before the law changed, what were you expecting?

To my knowledge, when I got here, they weren't inspecting anything, but I don't know that they ever inspected or mandated that the hot tubs had their water tested, which that is actually a lot more work than I realize, like monitoring those tests as they come in and then providing guidance when they fail.

It was always there. But it was only addressed if there was a problem.

It was mandated, but they weren't. I don't think they were doing it. I don't have any records of any.

There should be records there because they used to have to.

So you're saying it wasn't proactive, it was just that you discovered a problem. Right. And now it's proactive. You've got to go do it.

Now the state mandates that you do every one. One time a year. One time a year. So that's where the bump in the load has taken place. And that's 160 new inspections on site. 160 inspections every year that have to happen proactively every year.

How many site visits, doing the quick math, you're 106. So it's just every other day you're doing one inspection.

We're trying to figure that out. We promise people we wouldn't disturb their guests. So, you know, some days there might be a lot of inspections and some days not.

And that's paying for a full-time position. The fee, the new fees, based on the new law and 160 new inspections are paying for a full-time position that was previously not being paid for.

Yeah, we tried to make the program self-sustaining. So we allotted a part of that money to go to the legal fees.

And I'm not against that position. It is paying for itself. It's just that my discussion here also is that I'm just reminding you of how it was presented to us. And we need to look at, you all need to look at, if somebody, we lose them through attrition, you bring them in part-time are they going to be temporary are they going to be under that 29-hour threshold so that they're not getting benefits those types of things we want to know those things need to be brought to us because it costs us money and that that's not a position that is being paid for by your pool or whatever but yet we do want these septics inspected and that kind of thing so With that said.

Okay. So I've still not got a clear answer on whether the $17,000 out of the $1,159, the $17,000 out of the $1,160, I need assurances from you that this is a full-time position. And where's the $10,000 coming from?

Well, I think Julie has some paperwork now that the actual amount is not correct. It does need to be fixed.

So when you say it's not, what's not correct? Just curious.

Well, if you're adding the $17,000, you're only getting $34,000 or something. I think there's $10,000.

I've got it right here. Okay.

And there's longevity.

So let's look at that eight, all right? And whatever that that eight number, you know, let's set that at 2,080 and add the longevity back here.

44,930.45 is what the actual base pay should be.

But that doesn't include longevity, right? No. Okay, so how many years have we got longevity there?

Ten.

Ten, so another thousand bucks. So what was that number again? Okay, so 45 grand, 46,000 is what we need in those two line items. So take 46,000, that would be $23,000 each line item, and go ahead and change those two line items to 23 grand, a lot of being.

Okay, now, which two line items are those? It's the same line item. Before we go to, I want to know which line item it is so I can make a note of it. Okay, hold on. 12006, and that is, what's the title?

I'm going to give you the answer because I have the information in front of me It's twelve thousand and six.

All right was currently a is 17191 and that's out of fund 1159. So line 12006 which is currently 17191 20 out of the 1159 needs to be increased to 23k. That's for fund 1159.

I'm on that page and I'm making that note. I need to know what is the title of that job position.

environmental specialist environmental specialist thank you okay here's the problem with that okay let's just finish this conversation and what does that position do we got another they do septics I'm sorry he's asking you questions they do septics pools and food but primarily septic okay thank you all right in fund 1160 right environmental health specialist 615. That number is $17,191.20. That number needs to be increased to $23,000.

Okay.

That would give you enough to be able to make sure that that individual, that position, can be compensated based off their current job classification.

There's issues. Yes. Okay.

Because in the 1160, they show it under the 11615 number and it shouldn't actually remain in the same number.

So I've got 12,006 for this position.

On the 1160 budget, it's different.

1159, I'm sure. Yeah, it is.

That's what the problem is. What do you mean? In 1159, it's under 1206, and in 1160, it's under 11615.

Yeah. So both those line items, one of the line items needs to change.

Yeah.

So you need to change, you're the auditor, do we change, just keep it at 12006 and make it 12006 and 1160? Yes. Okay. Everybody, Judy, you clear on that?

Yeah. Maybe I missed this, but 11910, it says Assistant Environmental Health Specialist 39805. In this book.

Yeah, I didn't even see the 1-1-1. Page 2.

I'm looking at the actual form once. Where are you again? Assistant, environmental. Assistant environmental specialist. On the front row, there is no. Page 2.

Looks like they switched the position because actually Ernie should have been 11-6-12.

Yeah, it's nothing in this year, but in the past it's been. Yes. Yes, okay.

Okay, 11-6-12 then is who?

Without a name, job position. Actually, 11-6-12 would be the assistant environment, a sanitarian.

Okay, 11-6-12 is the assistant environmental specialist?

You chose environmental health specialist.

And 1160, Judy, is that not your HFI? Right. So you'll have to go in and get some permissions, right?

Right. So, Jim, as far as you saying, okay, let's take up the money out of the 1160 fund, it's not that simple. I mean, we have to get permission from the state to do that. They could come back and say no.

I know. I was just trying for the council position to address the issue, solve the problem, and then that you guys got to do what you got to do.

And if they come back and say no,

Wait a minute. Hang on a minute. Let's just think this through. And you're talking about the Indiana Department of Health. Right. I didn't think the Indiana Department of Health established compensation for county employees. I thought that was the council's fiscal responsibility. They don't. Then how could they come back and tell the Brown County Health Department that you can't pay this person this? Because that's, in essence, what you're saying. Let's think it through and make sure it's fact-based.

It is fact-based.

She just got through testifying that the Indiana Department of Health cannot establish compensation for, does the Indiana Department of Health, go look at statutes, go pick up the phone and call them, can they override the county council, because from a statutory standpoint, the county council has the exclusive discretionary authority on all compensation in for county, for Bryan County, Indiana. And the compensation for this county has been established by an ordinance by the factory evaluation system and based off job classifications. So we just did the job classification. We based it off the 26, you know, the 26 salary ordinance. You need 46 grand. And what you're saying now is that we can, we made an agreement, I'm assuming we made an agreement that we're going to bump those two line items and those two different funds up to 23 get to the 46 case, you've got enough money to cover this employee, who's going to be full-time, and now what I hear from you is you're telling me that you've got to get approval from the Indiana Department of Health. And the only thing I'm questioning is Indiana Department of Health doesn't have the statutory authority to be able to override the county council on compensation for employees. Because if that was true, then MDOT would be doing it and everybody else would be doing it. Now, if they want to pay for it, fine. You guys pay for it, but the Indiana Department of Health can do this all the money, and we can take it off our budget.

I had a comment or a suggestion. I think we're just trying to find a way to easily fund the position And a full-time whatever it is. And so we need 10k added to your budget and perhaps you know if Last thing we want to do is require some kind of state application request for change all this stuff. It's not it's just a burden on Everybody? That's my question. Instead of doing the five out of there, could we just do the full ten over here and then shift five into that for an already authorized expense?

Scott, where are you getting the five from?

The HFI. Well, he's doing five in each fund to make ten.

Oh, okay.

Five was out of the HFI fund. You're saying that triggers a state application. Let's try to avoid that is what I'm hearing. It may or may not be approved. Probably will. They're not setting our salary, but they have to approve the expense on that fund. That's how it works. And so to avoid triggering a state application, a whole deal for everybody, could we just do 10 out of the other fund?

Oh, the 1159 fund?

Yeah, but shift five out of that, reduce five out of that, and put it into the HFI fund, add it to the HFI for an already approved expense? Or do you have, would that trigger, you can't fit it into an existing approved category? Judy, are you following me here?

I'm just going to state this. they have to sign contracts as we did not we but the county did and if they do not follow they we're right they don't set our our salaries right but we have to ask permission they have to ask permission does this fit in with your rules and regulations can we do this etc they're probably going to say yes we do not want to risk them losing this money and it all coming back to us, Jim, because we're asking them to do something that they should do and ask. It's part of the whole – HFI money, it's federal and state money and there are rules and regulations. If they need to ask, let them ask. They're probably going to say yes. But let's follow the rules and not risk them losing all their money because they're not doing the proper procedure. Period. My recommendation...

I don't have a problem with the health department being in compliance with the Indiana Department of Health, okay? What we had discussed, and Scott has got five grand, it's $5,809 per fund. That's the increase. So whether you all want to take $5,809 out of $1,160 5809 out of the 1159 fund. You tell me what you want to do.

I would suggest that we leave the 1160 fund alone.

Perfect.

17,000 whatever.

We need to increase the 1159 fund by $11,618.

And that's how it should have been submitted to you in the first place.

Perfect. So does that solve the problem?

Yes.

Perfect. Does that work? what we're agreeing to is to in order to make sure that this position this full-time position is the compensation is consistent with the 2026 salary ordinance factory evaluation system including longevity we need to increase that line item which is You will increase that line item twelve zero zero six in the eleven fifty nine fund by eleven thousand six hundred and eighteen dollars Jim that is a really good idea Keeps it clean and simple

But you will get back to us on this part-time thing, let us know before you hire or whatever happens. Oh, absolutely. And keep us in, because again, we need to know what you guys are doing. Absolutely. Before you hire somebody and put them in there and say you're getting benefits or you're not getting benefits, because those kinds of things are eating us up. Oh, sure. Okay, thank you.

Okay, so what we're doing on line 12006 and 1159, where it currently sits at 17191, we are adding 11618 for a total of 28809? Yes. And we are leaving 1160, line 12006, which... And it stays at... It currently has nothing.

Well, add it, 17191, and then take it off the 1160. It shouldn't be at the 11.6.

That was my next question. There's a line. 11.615. Yeah, take that off there.

That is zeroed. And that's out of the 11.60. That's the 11.60. What's going to be taken out of this?

Yeah, let's make sure we get this. 11-615 and 11-60.

Basically, it sounds like 17 change went from the 11-60 to the 11-59. Is that what? Yeah. In our budget.

The first page of 11-60. Okay. Two-thirds of the way down, there's line 11-615. Right. That has 17-191.

In the 27 request column, the 17,000, see that? For environmental specialists.

Right, and that will stay the same. That's not changing.

Well, that one, I think Julie's suggesting we shift that full amount over to the 1151.

This is the number, because it's her number. It's the other number.

So that's where a lot of the confusion is coming from.

Yes, he's at two, is this 1160? Yes. Alright. This is where he's at.

Somebody messed up the thing so he's here so the 11th is 17 191 needs to be here and

I see what you're saying, okay. Now is that a recent...

I'm going to need to remove it from this one because that's not... That's not that recent.

Yeah, okay. That makes sense, yeah. Thank you.

Okay, is that... And the other one will, on the 59, the 2-0, or the 12-0-6.

Right. It'll be the 28.

Okay, Julie, is that a recent change because if we look at the 24 and 25 adopted...

I have no idea who did that. Honestly, I didn't change it. If you go back here, that was $4,000.

I'm aware. I know, but I'm saying, is this, how did we now get, was this a past?

That's a question you would have to ask Melissa.

Okay. So HFI.

So this is 12, 2006. It's going to be early. Yes. Okay. Hold on. Is the assistant. Assistant? Where are you going, Jeb?

What? Sit back. Go ahead.

Yeah, I've noticed.

Well, the issue here is because it was $37,000 in the last one, so they hadn't 10 to this one, so that would be a missile pay.

This is 1160, right? Yeah, so they would use the 10 and go back to the other $159, and if you had

See, they have, yeah, and 30, so if you added these things,

But this is now being zeroed out. Are they going to try to keep that in 1160?

No, it's not being zeroed out.

I don't know. That's what I said. This one is being zeroed out.

You're taking it down to take it across.

It's been 10,000 for the past three years.

It's only been 10,000 because she screwed up the number.

I don't remember the years.

This is where it's coming in. It's going in. So it needed to be adjusted or... Switched around.

I know what I'm saying.

Right. But what I'm saying is... I know what you're saying. I don't want to zero something in 1160 if we still need it. You don't have it. No. But it's not there. Okay. Okay. Okay. So it has to... Thank you.

We're just shifting it from tobacco to Agent 5. Essentially. Yeah. That's fair enough. Yeah. Makes sense. Right.

Okay, but the twelve twelve oh six at twenty eight We're still getting We're still getting out of the If we can get this resolved I don't want to step this is the step to resolve Add it to the 28,809. We end up with 46,000. That's it? That's it.

Okay.

There's a suggestion to send it back to you and have you resubmit it. I don't want to do that. I want to resolve it now so 1159 your

So 1159 fund in the budget book.

They need to be sure you're getting this right because you're not going to have a position if we don't.

And we can make you copies, though, if you need to take it back. This?

Yes. That's what I'm going out of right now.

We'll take the pages out and make copies and put it back in there.

So 1159 fund. Yeah, go ahead.

Yeah, go ahead. It's your it's your yeah, it's your department. It's coming here.

Get it right Double-check our work here. Okay, so are we talking?

Okay, we're in 1159 page page 1 page 1 Okay, we are at 2006 Which is in there as assistant sanitarium? the bottom line

Okay, 1-2-0-0-6, okay, that's 17,000.

Yes.

Okay.

It is not 17,000 anymore. We added the 11-6-18 to it for a total of 28,809. Right, yeah, that's environmental specialist. That's what I was trying to clarify earlier.

Tell me those names have been weird for years.

Well, I'm trying to clear them up so they're not weird. And up above on line 1612, that says sanitarian environmental specialist. Sure. That is the Assistant Environmental Specialist. Is that correct?

Yes.

Okay.

So those are the two changes I have on that page. What was the change there? Just the title?

The title.

Just the title.

It's not Sanitary and Environmental. It's Assistant Environmental Specialist to line 12006, which is the Environmental Specialist. Yeah. Yeah.

Yes.

Covering septics, pools, and septics and pools primarily. Now, I go to page two. Up at the top, line 2103, Environmental Health Specialist. Is that a correct title?

Yes.

Okay. Line 220... okay line 12 103 all the way up at the top which does not have the header on it that's environmental health specialist correct correct title yes okay and which what what subcategory is that which are they food that is primarily food food okay thank you now line 2108 also environmental health specialist

That's food, pools, septic, bed bug, yeah.

That's your new number. Septic. Okay. Vector, yeah. Vector. Vector, yeah. I knew there was a cleaner word for that. Um, 2201 emergency preparedness, is that correct? Okay. Page 3. I don't think there was any questions on that.

I do have a question on emergency preparedness.

Okay.

So, it's, I showed that there's Okay. Is there a reason why that's so low?

Well, because that position will get anywhere between $20,000 and $25,000 from the state grant. Okay.

Thank you. I knew there was some . Okay.

And while we're on that, I was going to wait until we get to 1160. That has That has paid a couple thousand dollars out of that previously, and that has been zeroed out. Is that because that fund is no longer paying that? Where are you? On 11-6, sorry.

Well, some of that, pardon me. I'll give you the breakfast, sorry. Some of that went with Cory, right, because it was, yes, thank you. I don't know what the term is. Some of it had to go.

Is that right? Right. fund, we get reimbursed from the state. We have to send it an invoice for that $20,000, $25,000 payroll. They reimburse us, and then that money, it depends on how things are done in a particular year, but sometimes that money gets deposited into the 1159 fund to offset that salary. Sometimes it's put in its own fund, and at the end of the year, it's all moved over into the 1159 fund. But that's where it should all end up, is the 1159 fund. Okay. Okay. Thank you.

Page three, there were no... Anybody have any questions about anything on page three while we're on it?

I don't.

I don't see anything out of...

Page four of the 1159 Health Fund. I don't see anything out of line there. Everything stayed the same. Page 5 of the 1159 fund, I don't see any changes. Nothing is out of line there. Page 6 also reads. Okay, now to the 1160 fund.

Right.

Page 1 of the 1160 fund. We come down to... 11... 16th line, 1612. That is still the assistant environmental specialist, the same as it was in the 1959 fund? 1612?

Yes, that is, that was Tiffany's position, only it was Aaron's. So that would be assistant.

Assistant environmental specialist, okay.

I do have a question. We blew through some. Are we going to hire the vacant ?

We'll come back to that after we get all this. Now, the 11615 environmental specialist, I had noted here that that was assisted. Was that incorrect?

That should be changed to 12006. Is that right? Yes. That was the note I meant to add to the line up above.

So that is zeroed out and does not exist anymore, correct? Correct. 11615 is not applicable.

It goes to 12006. In the 1159 fund? Yes. Okay, and then you go to page 2 of the 1160 Fund.

Going back to that, what's the title of that one?

That's... 11615 is a line that's going to disappear, correct?

Oh, it disappears. Right, right, right. Okay, gotcha. It's not applicable.

Gotcha. It is a non-existent line. Okay, so then we go to page 2 of the 1160 Fund. 12006. That is the Environmental Specialist.

Right.

pools and spas primarily? No, septic primarily. Primarily septics or pools, spas and septics?

Primarily septic, but yeah.

And that's got zero requested.

Right, we have added 17191.

Added 17191. And that is this line disappeared and moved to code 006. To 1160, okay.

No, next page. No, yeah, sorry. Yeah, that's. That went away because that's. 1160. No, 1160. because that was put in the wrong line of action. So that's where that becomes cut.

Okay.

Does that take care of all the confusion for everybody?

Well, if you guys want to add those up and make sure we got it right.

I've been kind of adding and we've got it, you've got it.

Yeah, I've seen everything change in my head, which is, nobody wants to see that. Okay, now Judy, to your question about adding.

Well, I'm not adding, I'm just asking.

No, what, you're asking about adding.

Are you going to fill that vacant public health nurse position? Public health nurse?

A nurse, yes. Which line item is that?

We're just kind of going at one at a time.

That is funded out of the 1160 fund.

100%. Page 1 on 1160.

Right, is that right? Is she in the 1159 fund?

There was a line in 1159 for public health nurse.

Well, they have public health nurses in there, but this is a vacant position. That's when I...

On page 1 of the 1159, there's a public health nurse.

Right.

That is not the position you're talking about?

No, I'm talking 1160.

OK. And that is the 1811.

And they're going to fill that.

Wait, which one was it?

Right here, on page one. No, the sign number. Part-time at 35,000.

10, 520. But it's only half of the salary.

It had changed to part-time, yeah.

Changed it to part-time. So 100% of her salary comes out of the 1160 fund.

Yeah, it's not in the 1159 budget at all and a hundred percent of that salary is 35,000 part-time and it's part-time and you said it's a school liaison for nursing they bridge that Gap between the health department and the school, right?

Instead of having a full-time nurse

Oh, so they're half-time at the school, half-time at the county?

No, they're just half-time. They're part-time at the school, strictly at the school? Employee, but they go to the school and do vape education, hand-washing education.

They're doing health department things. Yeah, they don't need to be there eight hours a day.

Okay.

And so the cut to halftime, what are they not doing that they were doing? Well, it was budgeted last year for $69,000.

I think at one point, and I wasn't here, there was discussion full-time, but then it

With HFI cuts it went down to part-time.

I know it used to get a lot and then it got cut.

Well since 24 it was $66,000, $25,000, $70,000. But HFI got money cut.

It got cut from, that represents full-time. It got cut down to half-time or part-time.

Yeah, it used to get a lot of money and then now they don't.

So it wasn't our decision, it was mainly a demonstration.

It was an HFI position, like mandated by HFI I'm pretty sure, right? Yeah.

And they used to get X amount of dollars and then the state came in and said, no, not just our department. Everybody got cut, so then they had to cut. But I was just going to say, we are going to try to fill it. You said yes, you're just taking it one at a time. Okay.

In 1160, on page 4, the vaccine refrigeration fee has gone up to $6,000.

In 25, it was $15,000. 26, it was $4,100. This year, it's $6,000. What's the fluctuation?

I think from 25, didn't you change? the refrigerator? Didn't something change?

Well, I just want to bring this up. I still get notices from Helmer, because I think you probably still have the Helmer, right? So the warranty is out, and I meant to forward that to you. I mean, I've told them I don't work there anymore, but I still get it. So I don't I don't know if they got a new refrigerator. I don't know anything about that. But I'm just letting you know.

I think that's what that was.

I'm just letting you know that the Helmer warranty is out.

Okay. I'll talk to Celia. I'm pretty sure that she's been in contact with Helmer.

I'm sure she probably has. I'm sure she is.

I know it's sometimes really hard to change those emails. Go to a different person. Yeah.

Heard an advertising went up from 1,200 to 3,500. Is that just an increase?

Are you looking at the 1,159 budget?

1,160.

Okay, and what was the question? I'm sorry.

On page four.

Printing and advertising? Yeah. Increase?

Or are we looking at this one?

Does that include maybe the increased cost of postage when we send out mail in?

That's what I think. I thought there was another postage.

What's the category, I'm sorry?

Printing and advertising. We're also

paying a part-time person to be more out there on social media, like Jen will do a live feed on how to wash your hands. Contractual, right? It's a contractual feature. And that's part of that, coming out of the HFI. Okay.

That's all the questions I have.

Did we pass, Jim? I was done a long time ago.

You're ready to let us go.

We have to argue through it. I apologize for the arguing.

We can stay above the line.

I felt that discussion.

We don't want to feel the discussion. We want to have the discussion.

We don't enjoy the discussion.

Then we have it. And if you have questions, just come back to us.

So just to kind of give you a heads up, we're still interviewing for the school nurse liaison, for Corrie's old position, for environmentalist if we get that person to retire. And so my position, this position has been replaced. She starts Monday. And then Addie, who was the front person, is coming back. She was on maternity leave and she starts Monday. Yes, Jim?

Who replaced? Position because you are standing in for Melissa right and then this position on Monday begins with Taylor Alton She's coming back My understanding is that we have the board and towards you and your board members. The board is responsible for hiring the doctor.

Yes.

From a statutory standpoint, the doctor is the manager over the entire health department. Yes. Okay. To me, and what's this position that you're in right now, what's the title of that position you're in?

Office administrator slash manager. Okay, so the administrator.

to change the, in other words, give the administrator exclusive irrevocable authority over the health department. So to where the doctor, because here's the thing, my understanding, again, I don't know what I don't know. My understanding is that I'm assuming that it's pretty difficult today in today's world to find a physician Number two, I think the current person in that position, the doctor, serves on two counties, is what I've been told. So that, and I'm assuming the individual's got private practice or has a full-time employer. So that means that individual has three different areas of responsibility, which would limit their amount of time that they're going to be able to a day, week to week, month to month operations of the health department, which places the administrative person kind of in a conundrum. And I guess what I'm solving for is that administrative person needs to have the full power and authority so that the remaining employees can't go around and try to circumvent their authority, if you will. I understand what you're saying. Yeah, I don't know if that can be resolved, but I think that's an issue that probably should be looked at. We probably should try to resolve that if we could.

Would that be changing code, though, if we did that?

There's so much, Jim, involved in code that it would have to be looked at very thoroughly.

We've got a lot of worms to pick up off the ground from that.

So, yeah, I just, you know, that's a concern, area of concern. Obviously, as a council member, I have nothing to do with it. Okay, so that's my only... Sure. Duly noted.

Thank you. Thank you, guys. Thank you so much.

Well, you're welcome.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Yes, thank you.

And good job. Good job.

Yeah, you did a great job to pick up the pieces.

I just wanted to make sure that one area was clarified. And you did a great job.

Well, we needed it clarified. And I'm sorry we had to cut to discuss it the way we did.

I think I was afraid of you.

I don't think Judy's ever been afraid.

Maybe a little nervous. I remember when we met at the Music Center during COVID, you guys were sitting up on the stage and we were like, now look at that.

That was structured that way. We're going to raise this pedestal here a few feet too.

Thank you. Thank you.

Y'all come back now, you hear? Not me.

You never got a jury. I can't. I'm on county council.

So what changed with the commissioner's schedule? When are they going to try to come in? At 1. At 1?

Okay.

Sorry. Yeah, so we can bring a recorder up.

I mean, this should only be like a minute.

Yeah. Twelve minutes.

Twelve minutes? And you didn't bring my package up?

Well, I thought about it, but...

You're going to pay everything out of your perpetuation fund.

Yeah, I turned in the exact same thing, except for salaries. Well, AJ and myself. But yeah, Amy comes out of salary, or out of perpetuation, and I left everything the same as last year.

And you're still signing your document that says you, I think you have to, that says you have enough money in there to fulfill the obligations of the office. The sworn statement.

The sworn statement, yes.

Probably every year.

Do you know how many transactions you guys go through on the average of a day or a week?

can print that out and tell them.

Overall, for the year, we do probably less than 5,000. Because one day we could have five, and then one day we could have 20 to 30. So it just kind of depends. We're doing a lot of our documents are now electronic. which has been really nice.

So people can do remotely rather than going to the office. Yes.

Yeah, they have to do it through a title company.

Because you can go towards the computers you got for the people.

Yeah, we still have a few searchers that come in, but the searching in person is way less than I'm sure it was.

So the company is getting literate, computer literate out there and doing it that way.

Well, through the years, the office has had everything digitized and brought up over a period of time through them entering documents, companies coming in and doing it and that kind of thing.

So it's just evolved. We're still doing back indexing. I think when Judy was recorder you guys got to the 50 year mark for back indexing which was a huge milestone because most of the searches that happen through title companies they do a 50 year search for home sale transactions. But yeah we're still We're still back indexing.

Yeah, out of the old book.

It's just very, you know, you want to go to sleep.

So does that change the demands for the structure of employees, since you don't have to have face-to-face time or anything like that? No, uh-uh. Wow, how come?

It just doesn't. Yeah, I mean, because there still has to be an employee to do the electronic work, and it splits it up enough to where each of us have... You're pretty much at the minimum right now, so you can't go below that. Yeah, I have my first deputy, and then Amy.

And if they go on vacation, or they have to go to... conferences, which they're required to do. They have so many things they have to do. Somebody has to be in that office. So you've got to have that half time or three quarter time, whatever it is, to fill in when they're doing their mandatory stuff.

Yeah, Amy's there Monday through Thursday. I mean, there are counties that have two employees and it's awful for them. I mean, even just since I've been recorder for six years, some of the recorder's offices that even though they were paying their other person out of their perpetuation, the council or they would you know whoever they said you don't get this position anymore and they take it away and it's it's awful for them because then they have to they like some of the offices will actually close if they you know if there's no one there yeah if the if the recorder is at a training and if the other person is sick or had something you know happen they just shut the office down because there is no

And then that shuts not only your office, it shuts down the transfer, it shuts down the transfers in the other office.

Can we use a floater? No. I am very anti-floater. I'm sorry. I am because I'm anti-floater. It's too much responsibility for one person to have in every single office.

It's a living curve. It's not a matter of just entering information into...

It's not.

It's digesting and figuring out all kinds of things.

I mean, the treasurer module, the assessors, the auditor's office. One person, I mean, if I was going to be a floater and I had to learn all of that stuff, oh, you'd be paying me a lot to do that because it's not worth it.

Yeah, I was a pro floater when I first came on council. I was like, well, there's somebody who can just go around and do the clerical work. And then you realize what happened. Yeah. in the office. Yeah, it's not just clerical work. Yeah, that floater is going to have to be probably a $75,000 position because they have to know everything about the recorder's office.

On top of being bonded. You know, yeah. Because, I mean, like as treasurer, the thought of, okay, yes, if somebody had to come in while we were at a conference or something to just do the basic I don't want that responsibility. Yeah, I don't want that responsibility on myself of someone coming in there that doesn't necessarily know everything they should know and If something gets messed up if money goes missing if money gets put in the wrong place somehow, you know There's just too many liabilities. Yeah, exactly. That would be all I would want a floater to do.

important office to Jim's point about property rights.

And I know we're the office that you think, oh, they don't do anything. It's not true. We are a very important office for all of the transactions that go on in each of the, you know, we all work together.

You hold the proof of our property.

Yes. And by the way, you can sign up To be alerted if your property is like being, what is that called?

Oh, yeah. Through DocsPop, you can do a property alert that if there is a change to your property deed, it alerts you. It'll also alert you if neighboring properties are changed also because we see a lot of that where someone will call in and say, hey, I got this alert. But that means it's working because the technology isn't as fine tuned to go right down to every single parcel. But it does work because when people's neighbors change something, then we have phone calls or someone comes in and says, hey, I got this alert that something changed with my property, and usually it's just the neighbors.

Because there are people out there stealing people's property. Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. I mean, we've had people in southern Brown County, they have property and they don't live here, and their neighbor just happened to call them and say, hey, I didn't know you were selling your property. Well, we're not. And so somebody, yeah, that somebody had contacted a realtor, pretended to be these people and said, we want to sell our property. And it was all, it was all fraudulent because they all did it over the phone, over the internet. And yeah, they had to, they pulled it off. They could have, yeah. They could have had the neighbor not called. Yeah, because it does happen. We haven't had it happen here where everything has gone through officially, but it does happen in other counties. But for those people listening, you should give us the alerts on your... Yeah, docspop.com.

Can you do that in the office?

Not through our office. You have to do it through your own computer, phone, however, because you have to sign up through email. Docs pop, D-O-X-P-O-P. And it'll say property alert. I think, or Property Fraud Alert. I'm not sure which, but definitely. It's a free service. Yeah, it's free. And you have to sign up through email.

The irony is you have to give them your information, which is stored on another database somewhere that somebody else got access to.

That company has been around for a long time, and they're a locally Indiana company.

Yeah, DocsPop is a great company that lots of counties work with.

Do Funkhouse still own it? Who? Nick Funkhouse? No? I'm not sure.

We work with a girl named Julie, so I'm not sure.

It's like the story of, let's say, the credit alert company that got hacked for millions. They're there to protect your credit record when they get hacked.

But we got hacked.

Anybody else have any questions?

I know there was discussion about the end of this year, Andy going to the auditor's office and potential for, well, someone's going to have to fill in. Are there rumors for us? Rumors, yeah, there's rumors. No, well, it's more than rumors. You know, someone has to go finish Andy's term in the treasurer's office. And I mean, yes, in reality, I'm probably the most qualified candidate to do that. I don't get to choose that. That's the party has to choose who they want to fill that and, you know, the rest of her term. But you're interested? I'm interested. Yeah, I mean, it's going to be strange to... I'm interested as long as the party can see that AJ, my chief deputy, is the best person to finish my term as recorder. Because I don't want to leave my term in my office as recorder currently to someone who has zero experience. It would be ridiculous to put anyone else in the recorder's office than age I mean AJ should be recorder AJ is brilliant. He knows that office inside and out It was the best thing Judy ever did when she hired AJ as her chief deputy.

So as a precinct committee What I just heard you say is that on scale from 0 to 10 how interested are you in being caucused in January for the

I'm interested. Yeah, 10. I mean, yeah, I'm a 10.

You're a 10, but you're conditional.

I'm conditional.

Yes. Being caucused in to take over the recorder's office. And how many years have you been with the Brown County government?

I started here in, I think, 2002. Oh, wow. Yeah. Stephanie Yeager was treasurer at the time.

So you've been here 24 years. You're a senior member. I'm a senior member. Thank you for your service.

Yeah, with that, I don't want to tour that conversation anymore.

Yeah, no, yeah, no. Yeah, this is my only grown-up job I've ever had. All right. Thank you very much, John.

Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Emergency management. Come on down.

How are you guys?

Good, how are you? Awesome.

We're calmer now.

Calmer? Yeah, we're awake and calm. I like calm, usually I deescalate. Great. So I'm new to this, but he's got me along here. We'll be just fine.

So you're now the director. And Julie, you've looked at his salary and the longevity and all those things are built into that. OK. We're seeing $37,277 in EMA administrator. Is that an ask?

Yeah, I think it was in last budget.

It was an ask last time.

Yeah, so it's the same ask for sure.