Tuesday, September 18, 2012

18 September 2012 Dearborn County Commissioners Meeting Notes


18 September 2012 Dearborn County Commissioners Meeting Notes

Present: Jeff Hughes, President, Tom Orschell, and Shane McHenry

Also present: Gayle Pennington, Auditor, Teresa Randall, County Administrator, and Andy Baudendistel, Attorney.

Meeting was preceded by an executive session and started at 9:20 AM. Commissioners gaveBaudendistel and Randall permission to negotiate in county’s best interests. No more details.

OLD BUSINESS:

OKI Funding Contract Agreement- Teri Randall said there was no other MPO in the area and they need to be in this to get federal dollars. She tried to get OKI to modify the contract to fit our fiscal year. Options: Continue to operate without a contract or go to an 18 month contract. She said that her professional analysis leads her to recommend that we sign the contract as is. She thinks we need to work on our relationship with OKI more aggressively. We need to hold them accountable for things we think they did not handle appropriately and communicate more. Hughes said it’s unfortunate we have to pay to play. Hughes is having trouble with the water quality report. She and McHenry met with Hedrick about this issue and she thinks we need to work with our municipalities also. She thinks we need to move forward and fix the problem. Commissioners mostly agreed to keep the OKI agreement. Hughes seems to be against it still. Contract will come back at the next meeting. [ NOTE: Does our MPO include the entire county or just the populated sections?]

NEW BUSINESS:

Lifetime Housing- Carla Burkhart- Signatures for Lien Releases- 5 lien releases were presented for signature. Commissioners agreed to have Hughes sign the releases.

Planning and Zoning- Mark McCormack- proposed Changes to the Zoning Ordinance:

Article 17 Section 1720- Plot Plan Requirements – they changed the requirements so that 3 copies are no longer required. The scale is not specified but they want it in 8.5x11 or 11x17 and legible. They are putting these in digital format. They also eliminated some square footage etc. Proposing to eliminate driveway specs as it is on the driveway permit anyway. Mostly eliminated some minor requirements. Commercial developments require bigger plan sets still.

Commissioners passed these changes to Article 17 section 1720 with no public desiring to speak on it.

Article 25 Section 2516- Location of Accessory Structures or Uses- reworded on places where these poles barns and garages can be located. If a barn or garage is the first structure on a piece of land it is not accessory- as there is no other structure as primary. They are to be in the side and back yards of the primary structure. Variances are also an option for owners to request.

Commissioners passed these changes to Article 25 section 2516 with no public desiring to speak on it.

Article 21 nearly all sections affected-  parking requirements. Changed minimum loading spaces. Changed the authority to the technical review committee from the planning director on this section. Conflicting statements were removed. Commercial parking requirements changed with more items listed to give more direction. A few have one less space required. Nursing homes have half spaces previously required. Churches were increased. [NOTE: Is the Planning Director part of the technical review committee?]

Commissioners passed these changes to Article 21 with no public desiring to speak on it.

Proposed Changes to the Subdivision Control Ordinance

Article 2 Section 200- Subdivision Types (Exemptions)- this acknowledges a new type of subdivision. Divisions for federal street ROW, utilities ROWs, retracements of  a parcel to correct error etc.

Commissioners passed these changes to Article 2 section 200 with no public desiring to speak on it.

HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT: Todd Listerman, Highway Engineer- Bid openings:

 Paving- $158,365- Rowe- won the bid. O’Mara was higher at $159,533.30.

Striping bids were opened and all roads carrying 1000 vpd will be striped. 5 bidders.  Ind Sign and Barricade out of Indy $94,589.72 was lowest and was approved by commissioners.

Designs for 4 bridges approved at previous meetings: Replacement Plans Bridge 9 designed by Fuel Pettit Bender Berger- $35,700- approved. Barth and Associates for the other 3:

Bridge 5 Laughery Creek - $54,450- approved.

Bridge 29 Old North Hogan $56,050- approved

 Bridge 44 – Turkey Point -$56,500 approved.

Tim Grieve, Highway Superintendent- installing electric and need to grant REMC easement to put the box on their property. Baudendistel  reviewed at the meeting and said it was OK to sign. Commissioners approved the easement papers and membership in REMC and signed it.

Council decided to buy a new tractor to replace the old one that went out. $110,605.05 for new John Deere. Cab tractor- bigger boom. Better built mower. It will operate the brush cutter. Smith out of Greensburg low bidder.  Zimmer was $20,000 higher.  Commissioners approved the purchase from Smith Tractors in Greensburg.

Paul Rowe won the chip seal contract and they are working on Mt Pleasant now. McHenry wanted to be sure emergency vehicles can get thru if needed. Grieve said they could – but prefer they use other routes.

ADMINISTRATOR: Teresa Randall- had Mark McCormack to join her on this. $58,500 form DCF grant to study EMS issues. Fire and EMS was lagging when she came on board. Fire is trustees responsibility and EMS is Commissioners responsibilities. She said that the data they are recording on run times is not based the same. They are not comparing apples to apples. Two pieces that she wants to bring up to get guidance on this. She has gotten a grant extension to October 31st.  $22,000 approx is the cost of phase 1 and 2 and is done. She said that she can’t get consensus on this next step. She said that this project is to large for her to handle. She wants to modify the scope and get the consultant to help with this. She said once they modify they scope she will come back and ask for guidance. The information is telling a different story and they may need to go in a different direction. She thinks she understands this problem better than before. She wants to form a new board to work on this. It needs people from all factions.  911 and EMA board have a gap between them on this problem. They will want an attorney on that board for the legal issues. Baudendistel said a committee first and then see if they need a board. Probably have a group of 9. Randall will try to get an idea of areas and people to appoint.

Kendall from Hrezo Engineering- the water line in Hardintown has been installed and now hooking up services to properties there. Hope to have it all done by this week to next. McHenry said feedback is positive there.

Kendall gave an update on Votaw Building  saying they are ready to go to advertise for bids. They plan to bid the demo and then bid the fill and excavation work. They are bidding Shumway as an alternate. There may be some savings in doing it now.  Commissioners approved going to bids for demolition of 230 West High Street. Cleary plans on not having court the day of the demo.

Hoosier Square stairs look fantastic- much safer.  Fiberoptic is moving along with CSX fixing glitches.

Randall wants to have Planning and Zoning in the same area as Environmental and Building Inspection. She thinks they can do this without having a lot of renovations in the building. By next meeting she will have a plan on where folks would move. 

AUDITOR: Gayle Pennington- minutes approved for Aug 21 and Sept 4. Pennington apologized for getting behind while they did budget.  Claims approved with Orschell abstaining on some as he hadn’t had a chance to review some of them.

ATTORNEY: Andy Baudendistel- nothing

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS- McHenry had a concern about moving voting into the courthouse and all going thru the metal detector. They may be able to limit access to one room and eliminate the detector. This starts in early October.

LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION- none

PUBLIC COMMENT- Carol Wessler read a thank you for the grindings they received on her road. No sealer was put on the road. They did not ditch the road. She said she fears they will lose the grindings. She pushed hard for sealing. She asked about Lutz rd compared to hers. Grieve and Listerman explained that Lutz had other surfaces applied to it in years past. New milled roads have loose millings until they set up. They plow the road light with a pick-up truck and they do not use as much salt as the road cannot take it. Wessler said her taxes are the same as others and she wants it to be sealed. Mr Steinmetz brought in large soft ball size balls of chip seal and said these are not rolled in. Wessler is about ½ mile. He agrees that if it’s done right they won’t have to come back for a long time. He asked about the paving contracts- and was told that was for thru roads. He restated that it needs to be chip and seal to hold it. Listerman asked if commissioners wanted him to go back to Council for money to chip seal Wessler. Listerman said council did not fund any of their capital projects for 2013. Council gave them operating budget only. They cut all capital improvements out and they will have to go back and ask in the spring. Wessler said she’s a taxpayer and she wants to see that the grindings are not wasted. Listerman said they have a pavement preservation program. They get to look at thru roads as priorities. Repeated discussion- but Council said they are BROKE and they have to wait. McHenry said to go to Council and ask for Wessler Road. Orschell asked- are we going to stick to priorities or not? Hughes said he will send his brother on Council out to look at the road. November is the next Council meeting. October 9 is just for budget adoption- no additional money requests per Pennington. Have to advertize by Nov 1.

Bill Black- EMA- letter from the state requiring signatures for salary reimbursements from the state for Elwood, Mary and himself. They did do the training and got all the certifications. Commissioners signed it.  Black signed his own name for Elwood and noted that he passed away Sept 1.

Meeting adjourned at 11:20 AM

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township

 

23 comments:

Taxpayer said...

"Listerman said council did not fund any of their capital projects for 2013. Council gave them operating budget only. They cut all capital improvements out and they will have to go back and ask in the spring... Council said they are BROKE"

Then what the hell are we doing spending 10 million on a jail we probably won't need in a few years!?

Anonymous said...

GRIEVE IS TAKING CARE OF ALL HIS FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS BRIDGES AND ROADS WHERE HE LIVES TAKE A LOOK AROUND AND SEE JUST ASKING?

Anonymous said...

They're BROKE?!

Anonymous said...

when you go out and buy million dollar buildings that are only worth 150.000 you will have that and buy swamp land that floods half the time you will have that think about it just asking tax payers would like to know?

Anonymous said...

Just wait til Cincinnati's casino opens. Gaming experts expect SE Indiana to lose 25-30% of their traffic. Hollywood just layed-off 160 people due to the slowdown. Why do we need a new jail, when we can't maintain the infrastructure we have now. Incredibly incompetent or just looking out for their friends? Just my opinion.

Anonymous said...

then they will start blaming that for all there bad deals they have made the county tax payers better wake up before its to late just my opinion!!!!

Anonymous said...

It never ceases to amaze me how the jail expansion project continues to rankle. Is this the most UNPOPULAR project in the history of L'burg or what?

Personally I think it's asinine "The Four Horsemen of the Commish" (or was it three? Refresh my memory) voted to empty its coffers for a new jail when the alternative -the justice system taking a moral and intellectual inventory of some of its outdated procedures, and then reworking itself- would have been so much cheaper, smarter and humane. Locking up low level offenders is so 1980's.

Anonymous said...

big brother needs some players for there next game dearborn county got some good players just my opinion!!!!

hk said...

easier to lock them up tosoften them up for plea deals.
then you have continuous source of income as you rearrest them thru their long probations.
only the taxpayers have to foot the jail housing bill.
bigger jail, more employees to march in parades and wear shirts for poltical races that are deemed suitable to the "king" of the courthouse.
remember-no one knows what happens in the voting booth, except for the voter. time to clean out the politically motivated courthouse. in MY opinion

Anonymous said...

To anonymous 6:38: First, it wasn't the "commish" -- it was the Council. Big difference. Also, the coffers were not emptied. But don't let the facts get in the way of the tiresome anti-jail rants. Admit it. You and your friends want to coddle people and keep them out of jail and on the streets.

Anonymous said...

To Anon 7:45

Yes, it would be nice to keep folks out of jail and on the street. If that's 'coddling' so be it.

Anonymous said...

To Anon 7:45
this week at the Commissioners meeting they SAID they were broke! Jeezum, Pete, it's in the minutes.

Anonymous said...

To Anon 7:45 - yes but it was not the Commish that "emptied the coffers," as you put it.

Anonymous said...

i like the election coming up and they all start pointing at each other whom at fault for no money no more ?

Anonymous said...

For the love of Jobe, it's not called Sept, 18 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING for nothing! And everyone knows - my 98 year old grandmother included- knows the council darn near 'emptied the coffers.'

adc said...

Council appropriates the money but commissioners spend it. It takes both boards to get it done.

Anonymous said...

how true!

Anonymous said...

I need a civic lesson: What entity first proposed the jail expansion? Please enlighten me.

Anonymous said...

publicly or privately- probably makes a difference.
i'm guessing the courthouse and prosecutor went to commissioners and council.

Anonymous said...

To Anon 10:44
But why? What was the reason?

nw quad said...

Go back to the original plans for campus expansion- that might enlighten you. It was expensive! Vieste came in with promises of ways to pay for it all using the NW Quadrant for development and tax income etc.
Remember???
What you see now is a scaled down version.

Anonymous said...

I am a perfect example of how the jail is misused. While trying to protect my daughter from local bullies (kids and their parents), I was set up to be arrested. They were trying to shut me up/intimidate me. After years of death threats and disgusting sexual messages left on my daughter's cell phone which the police heard, her brakes being tampered with to the point they went out, among numerous other horrendous things, I was the person who they handcuffed in front of my daughter and husband, taken to the county jail, not allowed to make a phone call, and not allowed to get out on bond. All because they said I raised my voice to a cop. Then someone was given my mug shot which was passed around the high school and passed around at a football game, all for malicious reaons. End result, a huge smear job was done on me. My husband and I consulted withe a few attorneys, all of whom told use we should definitely sue. I also contacted the Justice Dept. and was told that my civil/federal rights, as well as my daughter's civil/federal rights had been abused. We decided to move away from the area. Winning a lawsuit didn't even matter to us. We had seen enough abuse of power and disgusting behavior of those who were supposed to protect our daughter as well as my huband and myself, as citizens. It never stops in the county. So pathetic. There is not doubt that the power is abused and the mail is misused. I am a perfect example of that misuse. To those who are fighting to make changes, my advice is things don't change out there. Too much corruption. Life is wonderful away from that place. However, the corruption is beyond belief and power is definitely abused. A bunch of low character losers with titles who think they are above the law. It was definitely an education as to how low people will go to hurt others. So many good people in the world but we saw the worst. Beverly Valentine

Anonymous said...

In my above post there are a few typos, one of which "mail" should be "jail." Beverly Valentine