16 August 2005 Dearborn County Commissioner Meeting Notes

16 August 2005 Dearborn County Commissioner Meeting Notes

Present: Benning, President, Fox and Hughes.
Also Present: Pickens, Auditor, Messmore, Administrator, and Ewbank, Attorney

1. Executive session preceded this meeting concerning a Med Ben appeal. Commissioners tabled any decision on this.

2. Transportation Dept.- Mike Davis introduced Todd Listerman, the new engineer.
Davis recommended that Paul H Rohe be given the paving contract. Commissioners voted to do so
A-tech (sp?) from Lawrenceburg was granted the contract to do the oversight and inspections for paving in the county on Davis’s recommendation.
Davis also asked for permission to go to Council for the following amounts of money from the 147 Riverboat Revenue account: (Commissioners granted permission)
$80,000 for stone to widen roads prior to paving
$50,000 for pothole patching
$14,000 for crack sealing in D-3
$150,000 to widen Sawdon Ridge to 20 ft throughout from N-Dearborn to SR1.
[NOTE: potholes and patching are maintenance- not special projects- it is unclear why Council has to be asked regarding those, unless there is no money elsewhere.]

3. Dennis Kraus, Jr, County Surveyor- talked about recent work updating plats for taxes and the county farm survey. Several issues surrounding some cemeteries in the county that need to be surveyed and fenced in Bright and Lawrenceburg and also some major work on the one at the County Farm, which requires $5000 to do penetrating radar to locate all the unmarked graves. Commissioners approved going to Council for that money.

4. Steve Walker- County Park Board gave an illustrative and illuminating power point presentation of the 5 parks in the county and their facilities and improvements needed. The 5 parks have 4 stewards- Scott Fortner- Dillsboro Park, Shawn Simon- both Bright Parks, Terry Stephens- Guilford Park, and Steve Walker, Gladys Russell Park. Park Board can be contacted at parks@dearborncounty.in.gov
Vera Benning questioned why the restrooms weren’t always open. Walker explained that with no staff really, there were maintenance and vandalism issues, so they were opened for events mostly. The master plan for the parks is also available for viewing.

5. Leroy McCluskey of Southeast Indiana Media Arts Center gave a presentation on getting a public access channel available to the three counties of Dearborn, Ohio, and Ripley. The county would need to approach SUSCOMN to provide the public access to get a PEG (public, educational, and government) station. Other local counties have these. They can also do public service announcements for non-profits. They do no advertising. This is supported by HHH and the commissioners voted to table it until Ewbank could review it.

6. Health Dept- will present at the 9/6 meeting.

7. Claims and minutes signed. RFPs for recording device cameras for sheriff’s dept. were accepted for the sheriff to review. HNB systems was $74,400 and Norcom was $72,611.

8. Ewbank noted that the county was being sued by Dorothy White in US District Court for violating her freedom of speech and some 1983 civil rights claims. Ewbank and the county hired Barnes and Thornburgh in INDY to assist in the county’s defense. [NOTE: This is over a sign saying STOP THE GREED- COWS AND HORSES NOT CARS AND HOUSES that she placed in her yard. John Maxwell filed a complaint against with the Zoning office. She was asked to remove it. Coverage on this issue was in a recent Register Publications front-page news article]

9. Bryan Messmore- County Adm- reminded the commissioners that he’d attended the Transportation Plan Kickoff and the appropriate paperwork was mailed, that there is a Future Land Use meeting at the adult center on Tate St on Thurs. 7-9, and that the budget hearings are Aug 29-31.

10. Hughes and Fox had nothing to add. Benning read a series of letters and meetings that were hopefully in their packets, because she gave no real particulars on them.
Drainage Seminar, Work Force Development meeting being subbed by Messmore for Benning who is out of town that day, CINERGY and DCEDI requesting commissioners to attend their meeting on Ag 17th (for what???), and the new cell # for the engineer.
Benning also would not second Fox’s motion to stay within the 4% guidelines that Council recommended for payroll. She felt that some employees needed more of an increase than 4%. Fox said he understood and wasn’t offended by a lack of a second from her or Hughes.
Pickens reiterated that it was a formality and Council does whatever they want to do anyway.

Meeting adjourned 7:55 PM

Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township