County Council - Regular Meeting

Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat.

Do you feel

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of the county council together. Don Shelling about leading us in the flag to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Okay, we got the minutes from our October meeting. Anybody need time to look over them? They were emailed. I did read them. The only thing I seen was Bill pointed out Deanna Burkhard instead of Birkhart. Thought we had a new got new new councilman. No. And I didn't get remarried. Yeah. I didn't see anything else. I'll make a motion we approve the minutes. Bill makes motion to approve the minutes. Second. Any seconds? Any other discussion? All those in favor? I.

Any opposed? Okay, move right along. Mr. McAdams. [clears throat] Good morning. Um, so over at court services, we've been reviewing some juvenile fees, specifically prior to 2023. um circuit court currently has a juvenile fund that pays um some juvenile things like house arrest and things like that. Um we found some outstanding fees in the amount of $790 through our community corrections accounts. So I spoke with judge day. um he gave me his blessing and I'm coming here to ask I guess just request your approval to take money from their juvenile funding that's already been approved in circuit court to pay that $790 and then that would take care of kind of bring us up to date and put us at zero for owed fees.

Do I have any questions? You won't need any more. I mean that's well so it's something where I guess since I started here in 23 I think beat collection has been a little bit different. Um so it's kind of those outstanding some of those some of those clients too realistically are probably never going to find. Um so just to bring it up to zero and then starting new with kind of when I guess when I started and collecting. So that would be good for us to just kind of balance it out. Okay. Any other questions? Entertain a motion to approve.

I'll make the motion to approve. Ashley makes a motion to approve. I second it. And a second. Thank you. Any other discussion? All those in favor? I. Any oppose? Okay. Sheriff Marros.

Good morning. So, I've kind of outlaid outlined a couple items in an email to you. We'll start with the commentary issue. Um, we're willing to purchase new patrol rifles. We've got a mishmash of four different kinds of patrol rifles. And in fact, we have I think it's three of our deputies who are carrying their own patrol rifles. So, um, this fits the commissary code that at my discretion we can purchase this. I'm not going to get in trouble with commissary because it's been such a hot point for sheriffs. Just making you aware because uh we can make this purchase out of commissary. We're going to proceed with that. Again, as as an email, I told you our current balance is 112,000 something. These are going to cost 40,300. So, we're going to make that purchase and and make sure we have the same platform of gun in every car. So, just again just information for you if you have any questions.

How much how much? 40,300. Again, the receipt I copied the excuse me the invoice in the email. You should have got it. If not, I can get you one. I'm not getting emails or something. Now, that gives every included trade same rifle. I'm sorry. I think that included the trading. Yes, that includes trading as well. Yes. And also includes optic sites. That gets everybody the same same rifle. Correct. So, it's a what do you get? You want to answer that? We're gonna go with a MCX.

Yeah. Is there a policy that you have that if I'm a deputy that I can't grab my AR and take it on patrol with me if I discharge that? And then this becomes evidence. That's the hold up. So may get tied up in the course for a while and they would not have possession of it. Well, it's not a really bad thing if you do it, but it does create aggravation. Correct. Yeah. I've given Christie a copy of the invoice for the minutes just to be aware. Any questions? Okay. Thank

Motion made by Bill, second by Rick. Any discussion? All those in favor? I. Any oppose? Okay. Thank you. Make it official. Make it official.

Okay. So, the second item is in the last legislative session, Senate Bill 144 came up. It now requires us to report to you at least yearly our pension and benefits fund. And again, I'm sorry, Bill. I emailed that out. Um, our current they paid out last year in benefits. um excuse me, $152,120 and our current balance is $5,737, excuse me, 5,737,74. So, we got a healthy balance in there right now. Again, I forwarded that to you. I talked to Christie. That report will get forwarded in the gateway by by her. So, we'll be all good. This doesn't require any action. Again, it's just we have to notify you where we're at. So, there's your yearly notification. firm out of Indianapolis and you would ask me that. I didn't bring it with me.

That's okay. Yes. You get any uh interest or anything on that money? Have they got it invested? It's invested in Messer and Burkart and they're doing a pretty good job managing that money for us. Thank you. Creing King. Yeah.

Yeah. So that was the main reason for my question just to make sure it's being monitored and managed to make sure it's ongoing. Correct. Me and Burkhard are handling the financials end of it. Creed and King is handling the distribution [laughter] if you will. Yes. Any questions on that? All right. Thank you very much, Sheriff. Okay. Okay, we got Christy Smiley, auditor, part-time. Rick, yes. I'm gonna let Bill take this over. I'm going to abstain.

Okay, so we have a full-time employee that is needing to drop down to part-time um come January, and it's for personal reasons, and I'm just asking if I allow her to drop down to part-time, she's going to work roughly just six hours less a week. Um, she's going to go from 35 hours to 29 hours a week. Um, she already knows the job. I will not hire a full-time position in for her place. She's going to continue to do that job with just six hours less. Um, and that's why I'm asking for her to have more pay than her than the um approved $18 an hour because she is it is her job that she's going to continue doing. She's knowledgeable of it. We are dropping her down, like I said, from fulltime. I do have her listed as full-time in my budget. This is just coming about for for sure. It's kind of been So, it is listed as full-time. Um, I'm requesting $22 an hour. That still puts her at $10,000 less than if she were full-time a year minimum because then she won't be paid the holidays. She won't, you know, all of all of those holidays and other I'm sure she'll still take vacation. Um will not be paid either. Um PEF will save almost 5,000 a year on her PEF. And then also the insurance is a huge amount.

No insurance. No insurance. Going back just like normal part just in normal part time. And and that's and because she is she's been with us for two years and she she has you know her set job that she does and she knows it very well. That is why I'm asking for a higher um other than if this doesn't work out, she may have to then totally quit. Then I have to hire bring on a full-time person starting over again. So that is my request. Is the 22 per hour what it would equal out to for her fulltime? No. No. So next year she will be making $246.

So it's still a reduction. She would have Okay. gotbody got anything? How many other people how many other people would this potentially impact? I mean, if if let's say I'm another department and I've got somebody that I you know that they want reduce their hours. I mean, if we do it for one, we probably open up the door to do it for all, right? Well, I mean, anybody in any department can decide to ask for part-time to say they need to go part-time.

It's usually the insurance that keeps people at full time. In her case, it's [snorts] um So, right, it's usually the insurance that keeps people full-time. The hours is not significant because because we are at 35 hours a week for full time. Do we have any other departments that have part-time help that work 29 hours and they're currently getting paid $18? Some of them. There's different departments that come in and ask. So, there are several departments that make more than we and we've approved that in the past. What does the salary order say? I mean, we've

Well, right now the salary for this year that the it's 17. Next year is 18. But you probably have a handful of departments where it's more than just coming in and and filing or answering phones. Um, so you do probably have a handful of departments that have their part-time work making more than that at least. EMA just came in last

to 20 Well, I think you have to our goal the last few years has been to segregate the departments based on that department, not looking at what other departments are doing. We're we try to decartmentalize thank you [laughter] each uh office based on what they're doing. So when you look at that, um, you know, there was already budgeted salary there for a full-time person. We're stepping it down to part-time, which is going to save the county money. The money had was already appropriated in the budget. Um, and far as looking at, you know, if we do that, what's the other offices going to do? Well, those will be done based on what they do. I mean, you have to look at them individually, not as a we're going to have to do it for every office. We have to look at it based on the individual situation. [clears throat]

Well, it sounds like it's a valuable and you look at Yeah. two years and understands the job and there's no training involved and I mean that carries some value and um what are the specialized um she well she already knows all of the um all of the deeds that come in. She knows all of that. on the property. She does all that. She does all of the other departments assets works counter. She's currently on insurance, right?

She is. Yes.

So that's a plus. Absolutely. Take them from I agree. My point is though last month we went by the salary orders and denied a $400 increase. Now we're going not follow the salary or just because it makes sense. Does make sense, but I think we need to be consistent what we do. Well, that situation in last meeting though was a different situation. It was a higher date time. It wasn't talking about part-time.

Well, it's still part of the salary ordinance.

Well, but it's a different situation. You got to kind of look at the situation and what they're asking for. I will say too when we go to conferences two times a year we will not have to have part stay here keep the office open now bringing in somebody and doing what we've advertised before was limited services just because that part coming in couldn't do very um and I also would like to keep that just open to possibly her ever coming [clears throat] back full time um like I said I wouldn't hire for that full But if two years I would like to still Okay. Well, I guess I want to make a motion. I'll make that motion that we accept also to part time at 22 an hour motion. Have a second.

I'll second it. Got a second. All in favor? Any

Thank you. Okay. Thanks, Bill. Okay. RDC annual spending report done. We are now.

What will be left after the 9.5 million? What will be left in the account there's five five seven plus the four right

yeah four Okay. So, okay. Yeah. What's that bring in? Was What's that bring in a year from Honda? What kind of

1.7? Okay. Any other questions? I want to commend Don, too. Don does one wonderful job with this tiff board. Absolutely. He does a great job. I mean, a great job. Absolutely. I hate to see you go one of these days. Hope you get somebody trained behind you. Don't look at me. [laughter] But Don does a great job keeping everything in line, keeping everybody informed and keeping Christie informed on what's going on and everything like that. Thank you, Don.

Cuz that's that goes to what? 32 or something. 36 goes to 30 31

2031. Okay. Yeah. Just go back on regular property tax. Yeah. Well, I think it goes Does that stay in intact till 36 till the money spent? Is that how it works? I think so. [snorts] But yeah, they give you like five years to distribute the rest of the funds. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks. Great job. Okay, Ryan.

Did you get everything straightened out? Okay. As I said at the last meeting, we have the finalis city, county process. It was conducted by [snorts]

just the uh First, as far as the project, analysis. Gather This is a

This is our house. going by the data analysis of the key findings. There's recent change in population growth. Pressure also aging last years. Yes, I found

What is this? Awesome. We have a

[clears throat]

couple. My name is

[snorts]

We feel strong. mentioned before.

challenges. Questions Also, there's a question [snorts]

[clears throat]

wrap it up. Increase the diversity of housing fully build.

Yeah. Nobody got it. [laughter] Any questions for Brian? I think it was a great great thing you put together.

Um, when it said in there about I think it was rental compromised. I can't remember the word when you can't afford your rent or can't afford your house payment. Right? So to get out of that bracket, what would be a normal rental payment or house payment for the people that were involved in the study demographic? I just wondered if if it was, you know, $1,200 a month rent get you into that compromised level. Housing stocks in the community need to be $800 value to get that get to that level and get people into it. That's part of the deal. We can't build $1,500 a month, $1,800 a month

because you're going backwards in the other Any other questions? Thanks, Brian. Everybody take a chance to read that. Try to go through it. I may go down there and have you print it up. I got enough ink in my printer. Went through about 50 pages. There's quite a few pages I say.

Thank you. Thank you. I I have a question. How do we

I want to go back to the part-time thing a minute if I can. Salary ordinance thing. I don't know that I understand it all completely. I do get maybe Ken's comment about every situation's different. What would be the opportunity then given what we just voted on to bring Chris's issue back up to the council and revisit that if if the reason I voted the way I voted last month was because I wanted to what I thought was to stay within the written word to to not go around that policy. But it appears that we have in the past and different situations do different things. So if that's the case then I don't think we did right. I don't think I did right by voting the way I voted. I'll put it on me last last month. So

well there was two different to me there was two different issues. One was a hire date and the other one is somebody that's been there for two or three years that's already working. Now that's I'm and I'm not so I'm just asking I guess officially the ask I abstain because it was a conflict of interest. Do we bring that back up for another opportunity or is it a done deal and we just move ahead? I think it can be it can be last month last month. So my thought Chris's Chris is

my thought was with the issue last month is there's the July 1st and after hire date situation but then there's also the situation of the salary in general and one of his workers making more than him as of January one. In my mind those are two separate things. And if we want to handle the employee making more than him, that is different than going against the July one rule that we set previously. Does that make sense?

Because a date is a date. It doesn't change. Whereas experience is a very experiential I mean it can vary from person to person. So to me it's it's a malleable versus a not malleable thing. A calendar is a calendar. You can't change the days. In my mind that's Okay,

we come up with the salary ordinance which has its rules when we start to pay increase 3% or not. And also in the salary ordinance is the part-time wage rate. [laughter] Is that not correct? So if we're going to follow the salary ordinance on one, why do we not follow it on the other? We're inconsistent in what we're doing. 3% is not in the salary ordinance. That's determined by us. It could have been 1% 2%. So then it's not in the salary or No, there's no percentage. I'm thinking it was in the salary ordinance.

No, we did. That was the salary committee's suggestion, but it's not. The salary comm salary ordinance does not state 3%. Am I right? We don't guarantee an increase year over year because we never know what our financial situation is going to be said that every year. Yeah, that was that was% that was a suggestion from the salary committee. Okay. We wouldn't it wasn't in stone. It was I'm Rick I'd see like brought back up and revoke it.

Well, I'm going back to Rick's comment on that policy that we have on that July 1st one. I think that is needs to stay there. But I think we ought to take a second look at it and rewrite it as department heads are excluded from that. Well, I I look at it different than you do because I look at it as dispatch is not any better than a department head. Right. I mean, I look at the whole county as a whole, not as an individual group,

an individual type. I mean because we've got Mike Snyder at took got Mike at EMA we've got Chris I don't know how many dispatchers we got and I just I think I think the director of those departments that needs to be separated out from but then you're saying if they're hired on December 31st on January 1st they can get a 3% that's cut out

somewhat we ought that ought to be looked at on a basis individual basis each time it comes up if we leave it as it is. We can't we can't discuss it and look at the situation. If we take it out of there [snorts] and let the directors be based on the situation, then we can talk about it and decide from there. Otherwise, we can't do anything about it. Um, I think that it could cause, and this is totally my opinion, I think, you know, being an employer for a long time, it can it can cause you to lose a chance to hire a key employee because of it. Not saying it it did, but I'm just saying that it could have that possibility. But I I think the policy needs to be there. I don't disagree with that. I just think that the directors of the departments need to be exempt from that and talk and decided on situation by situation. We have the flexibility to decide that based on that.

So, and I think this individual could have started before July 1st, but he fulfilled his obligation to his prior employer by profisioning out his two weeks, right? Which to me shows loyalty to you do what you're doing. So I think we should have made the exception in the case. Still do. So back to my point, if we would have had that outside of that policy, we could have made that decision based on that information. Wouldn't have been we wouldn't have I mean we made those policies, we need to stick to them. But if if if and we didn't, you know, there wasn't any discussion about this possibly happening when we made that policy. We not we didn't make a mistake. I just we just didn't have that situation that we had to think about when we made that policy. But now we do.

Yeah. Yeah. I agree. Yeah. So, but now now we're at where we are. I think we need to take a look at that and re revisit that and fix it. So, that's my two cents for Is there discussion? Have we how we move forward? Can we can you send that that policy out to email it out to everybody so we can take a look at it possibly next meeting ordinance? It's an ordinance we put Yeah. Send that ordinance out to Patty's got it out. See how it's worded and then Patty will send it address next meeting.

Yeah. Patty will send it out to all of us. put it on the put on the agenda for next meeting kind of part of the HR I agree everybody get their thoughts together on what they think we should do and okay proceed that's fine thank you you take care of that for me Patty

thank you ma'am okay let's move on to transfers and additionals got a letter on the back we got from the judge Okay. [laughter] Deputies must be taking a cut and pay, sheriff. See, your deputies must be taking a cut and pay. I'll move we approve the transfers.

Ernie makes a motion to approve all transfers. I'll second. Ashley seconds. Any other discussion on them? All those in favor? I. Any oppose? Okay. Didn't have any additionals. Correct. Okay. Board appointments. Everybody's got a copy of that. First one, Bill, you want to check with Rayon? Yes. Okay. I'll check with Chris TBY if that's all right to keep him as our lawyer. Uh [clears throat] Russell Wilson, you want me to call him, too?

Get him. He want I can get him. I'll get him. Uh, Jennifer Johnson. I don't really know her. You want to check with her? Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Solid waste. Kenny, you want to stay there? Yeah. Okay. Uh, Southeastern Rick, is that okay? Sure. Do you want to report anything on Southeastern? I mean, is there anything?

I didn't get to the last meeting that they had, so I don't have anything to report because I've been that'd be out of town, but I can follow up with that if I got some minutes on it and I'll bring that to the next meeting. Okay. Redevelopment Commission. There's me and Matt Miller. Matt said he'd be willing to stay. I'll stay if you want me to. That okay. Okay. Uh 911 board. Looks like we've got Brad Spear and Scott Chastine. Is that our two? Is that correct?

Is that Ashley? Oh, you're not okay. Pardon? It says by position. That must be what it has. It has to be whoever's holding that position. Okay. So, they stay on. Okay. I'll check with Chris. Uh, one that's not on here. Fair. One that's not on here is a fair committee. You want me to stay on the fair committee? Yeah. Okay. Let me rephrase that, Ernie. Hell yeah.

Back to the N back to the 911 board. Do we need to change Brad on this?

So, is the new AMA director on that board now? We'll be okay. I'd be the position. Yeah, but I don't expire until the 20 until 2028. So, we're just looking at that are in question. We need to change Brad Spear to It says volunteer fireman on here. Yeah, it says volunteer fireman. So, does Mike just be added to volunteer fireman right now? [clears throat] So, did we change Brad to Mike, too?

If you reach out to the county fire association, volunteer firemen, then they could tell you, right? They should. They have to be the person that appoints them. [snorts] I mean, I appointed Kenny would provide Yeah. info on that. Ambulance service. Ambulance service. Ambulance service. Matt Myers. Okay.

Matt Myers.

Okay, got that. Okay. There are council meetings for next year. It's Tuesday July January 20th. Is that a holiday Monday? Commissioners [clears throat] will be here at 9 or at 8. We're at 10. Okay. This is all the third Tuesday of every month. Am I all right with everybody? Entertain a motion to approve the meeting schedule. Kenny makes a motion. Deanna seconds. Any other discussion? All those in favor? I any opposed. Don, do you have anything for us?

You want to Can I get complain? I got people complain they can't hear you. I apologize, but there is a few people actually watch this. Yeah, I'm I'm one of [laughter] can't hear them.

Well, good morning. I just wanted to thank everyone. We had a couple of representatives from the council that were able to attend the 2025 dinner. We had an extremely nice evening. We're able to get out a lot of awards. We did announce at the dinner that the act breakfast for 2026 be Saturday, February 7th. So if you want to go ahead and mark your calendar, that's Saturday, February 7th, and that'll be from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. I did not announce this yesterday. I did not have it approved yet, but I have confirmation the 26 legislative update county be Friday the 20th from 11:30 to 1. So I do have a response for senator represent Friday.

Where will the be? The day breakfast will be at Next Generation Red Barn as it was last year and then the legislative update will be at city hall. Okay, everybody got that? She'll email us, I hope. Yes, I will email you. Thank you. Thank you. Any other question? Thank you, Don. Anybody else have anything for us before you before you pull the trigger? Go ahead.

I got an update on the solid waste is looking to put a permanent site in. um at the old city garage. We approved the the drawings and all the architectural stuff this week. So, we are proceeding forward with that. I hope that we can get started by 1 of January. I mean, we got to get per state permits and all that done, but hopefully by spring we'll have our permanent site up and running. We're going to completely renovate the old city garage and it's going to be really nice. So, we'll have way days will go away.

Way day. We'll have to have a tire day. We'll continue with that. But talks away day will no longer shred days will be no longer as we'll be open right now. We're planned to be open for sure three days a week, possibly four with permanent, you know, just pull up and drop your stuff off and be an office open at the annex. Yeah. Yeah, we're moving out of the annex. Uh Stephanie will have a new office there and and um one of the cool things we're looking at is on the end of the building facing Moner. We're going to do a mural on that. We're pretty excited about that. That's going to really look neat. Put a tire up there. [laughter] A tire. Well, that's a picture of the woods and there's a toter sitting in the middle of it. [laughter]

Put a picture of the old pool parking lot filled with cars. Yeah. Waiting to get in the talks away. That will remind everybody how valuable this is. Yeah. So, exciting things happening over there. That's great, Kenny. Good. I got a couple things I want to talk about. Deanna has been elected our Indiana County Council Association President for the AIC. I want to congratulate her. And I don't know if everybody knows, but I think at the AIC we're the biggest affiliate. Correct. Correct. So, she's got to put up with seven

I mean there's over Yeah. of 92 counties. So, she's going to have a lot. I'm gonna let her tell you a little bit about what what's coming up and what she's going to entail.

Yeah. I mean, the Indiana County Council's Association is the largest. If you think about every county and the positions that are held, there are seven council members, approximately a couple outliers, but over 600 county council people across the entire state. Um, our main objective is to be a sounding board. I think that we all find when we go to our events that learning from other counties how they're tackling similar projects is very valuable to us. Um but the other big thing which is coming up is legislation and um there are a lot of times that we go as a uh Indiana County Council Association to testify in front of the legislators to tell them why their uh ideas may or may not benefit us and to have that voice. And I think the association of Indiana count the association of Indiana counties is very strong at that. I hold a a place on the board of that as vice president going into president. Um so that you know Senate Bill one last year was a big example, right? Um and a lot of times the voice needs to be heard from a county level that maybe like Senator Bronn has never been involved in county government. So um those are two of our big objectives. Um, we will have um a legislative update day coming up in February. I don't have that date off the top of my head. We have an annual conference in June and uh for Indiana County Council's Association and then of course participate in that annual conference for the Association of Indiana Counties which will be in Fort Wayne this year. So, um but yeah, a lot going on, but um mainly it's just being a voice and and I think it's great that we have a voice at a state level. So, um yep, that's that's why I do it.

Yep. We need to congratulate Deanna and hopefully we got an inside track on what's going on from here on out. She still stays here. Believe me, she's still going to be right here. So, congratulations to Deanna. There's something else. We had winter storage at the fairgrounds on November the 1st. And there's a bunch of people we need to thank for that. We need to start with Patty Hinsley. Patty put all that together. She put all the paperwork together. She come out and worked 7:00 in the morning. We're supposed to start at 7:30. 7:00 when I'm lined up about 15 deep trying to get in there. Anyway, Patty put everything together. She emailed all the people and ahead of time and tried to get as many as she could. She done a great job. How much did we collect, Patty? You have it top here.

I have I have right here. $29,517.50. So, that was a good fundraiser for the fair grounds. Probably the largest. It was a that was one of the best. We got a couple more coming in. We should be close to 30,000 that will get done. So, and then had a group of guys come and help me. Bill came out. He was hobbling around, but he worked in the office for a lot of writing for a while. Done a lot of writing. Had power the past, Clark Martin. Uh Rick Carpenter and Frank Norwall. Frankie Norwall. Well, no. Tom Cherry didn't come, but

Dave Vander Dave Vanderber did, but you probably don't know him as David Spanky. Spanky Vanderber, he came and helped. And then our caretaker, Jake Bower, and his helper, Dwayne Barrett. So, we had a It turned into a big day. Uh, I don't think you can drive a nail in two or three of them buildings out there. There's a full. So, I want to thank everybody that showed up to help with that. It's a good fundraiser. Very good. Good fundraiser. So, anybody else have anything? Make a motion. We adjourn. Any bill seconds. All those in favor? I All right.