22 January 2008 Dearborn County Council Meeting Notes

22 January 2008 Dearborn County Council Meeting Notes

Present: Fehrman, President, Ullrich, Barrott, Morris, Lansing, Cheek, Kraus, Sr.
Also Present: Pickens, Auditor, and Messmore, Administrator.

All three commissioners were present for the roads discussion.

Charlie Fehrman apologized for the tardiness of the agenda, as he was sick for the past 4 days. [NOTE: Council agendas are normally not available ahead of the meeting date. It is unclear how members can prepare for meetings with no agendas prior to the actual meeting date.]

Fehrman was re-elected as President. Dennis Kraus, Sr. as Vice President.

Mike Rozow- presented the ongoing county agreement with the Chamber to manage the CVTB and Redevelopment Commission. Money was already appropriated. Agreement was signed.

Dennis Kraus, Jr. Surveyor- requested $1684.36 for a new transmission for the Suburban they got from the county’s old cars last fall. County Highway garage mechanics will install it free. Request granted for maximum of $1684.36.

Kraus, Jr. also requested using some GIS part time funds and some corner perpetuation funds to add to Andrea’s (staff member) wages to get her closer to full time hours. The plan is to have her at full time the following year. Approved.

Fehrman introduced Aaron Negangard as the Honorable PERSECUTOR. Negangard announced that they are working with a group to get money back to the county as reimbursements and are getting about $7,000 for 2007 for a stipend from Federal Gov’t for child support.

They are also further expanding out into the Courthouse with a reception area and freeing up what limited space they have for another lawyer they hired. They are combining 4D and receptionist duties and are asking for a max of $6,000 for office furniture that they didn’t get in 07 budget. They think it can be done for $2,000 and 66% will be refunded by the federal government. (It was unclear if he meant- we pay $2000 and the $4000 will come back from the feds or if $2,000 would get 66% of it back.

Council decided to take $6,000 out of contingency fund 196 for this as it didn’t need to be advertised if that fund was used.

Gayle Pennington- Treasurer- complimented her staff and Pickens’s staff as working very well together. She went on to say they have an unfunded mandate from the state on forms that have to be sent to every taxpayer and they won’t fold easily into the tax bills. They plan to stuff them separately. These are forms required by statute and DLGF wants the taxpayers to be able to see them to compare last year’s and this year’s taxes. Several minutes of discussion on why this has to be done and that there is no good way around the expense or extra labor required. [NOTE: Can’t see why the taxpayer can’t just go to their records and look it up themselves.]

Jeff Hughes, President of Commissioners, addressed Council with a packet of information on Highway Funding. They identified 3 roads they want to do- North Dearborn, Downtown Bright intersection, and Collier Ridge slip. He noted two are in D-2 and one is in D-1. [NOTE: This should be immaterial as the highway department is working to consider roads countywide- not just by district. Perhaps this is because it is an election year for D-1 and D-2 Commissioners?]

Cheek asked about federal aid.
Hughes noted we have applied but we are not really getting this aid for some reason. Thompson noted that INDOT said even if we were approved now- it would be 2015 before we saw any construction due to the backlog of projects and limited funds.
Listerman spoke of the $200-250million that INDOT has to spread over 92 counties. That leaves about $200,000 each if passed out equally. The max we can get is 80% and $3 million on any one project. North Dearborn is over $5 million now. Bright won’t qualify for federal dollars, as it wasn’t programmed that way. Collier Ridge could qualify for the bridge funds in late February and Listerman thinks they can get part of this covered with federal funds for Bridge 55 (the old iron bridge to be replaced in a new alignment)

Hughes wants a committee of 3 commissioners, some council and Listerman to meet for the next month and work out the priorities and how to tackle these 3 projects. It was decided that in addition to Commissioners, Barrott, Morris, Pickens, and Kraus would sit on the committee.
Hughes talked to Cunningham about getting Lawrenceburg to help with funding- they are willing to hear them for a community grant.
Council set a special meeting March 25th for just this item to get their recommendations.

Bill Black- Emergency Management- will be back in May to get approval for gutters, downspouts, and drainage issues repaired on their building. He asked about getting a couple heaters and building a wall inside as well. Thompson reminded Council that Commissioners ONLY approved him coming to Council for the gutters/drainage issues. Black may be using the $10,000 they made on selling off old donated equipment. The gutters are creating ice ponds and rusting out the iron edges in the concrete ramps. Concrete is then crumbling.

Jenny Smith of Sand Run Road came at Doug Baer’s request to seek financial help to rebuild her septic tank. He has been trying to get an indigent fund set up for people unable to finance their sewers or septic. Her only bid was for $15,000. Council suggested she try SEIOC in Aurora and she had already tried Versailles office and was turned down. Smith is being sued by the Health Dept and has $750 in attorney fees. She works for Amazon.com at $11/hour and her husband is incarcerated until 2016. She is in danger of losing her house.

Baer also gave her a 504 funds form to try for those also. Local courts don’t like to kick people out of homes so they fine them $25 per day until fixed. They have one case up to $16,000 in fines. [NOTE: Have they considered the Dearborn County Foundation- to set up and manage an indigent fund?]

Pickens couldn’t think of any state agency to help.

Fehrman said- short of each of the council members getting shovels and repairing it themselves he didn’t know what they could do.

Pickens gave her Township Trustee Art Little’s phone number for him to help.

Fehrman pointed out a letter from John Zeiden in their packets and noted he’d talked to him at length. Pickens said- there’s a CD of Commissioner’s meeting when he spoke if they want to hear that! Cheek noted he’s on holding tanks and pumping. Ullrich said that when he purchased he didn’t look before he leaped… [NOTE: Zeiden owns Starlight Reception Center on US 50 and wants sewers brought to it.]

Council made Board appointments- all the same as last year except Dan Lansing is now the Plan Commission member.

Dennis Kraus, Jr. handed him his packet and said his first meeting is Monday night. Someone said- they pay $100 a meeting now. Pickens laughed and said and nothing is open when the meeting is over.

Ullrich presented materials from the Sheriff noting how they plan to spend in house generated commissary money on other smaller items less than $500. This is apparently allowed per state code.

Listerman received the OK to create the special highway position for the former foreman salary to be frozen at current wages until the other drivers catch up to him. He is also dropping one position and creating one summertime mower part time on a trial basis to see if it works as well for us as it does in other counties.

In March Listerman will present the $500,000 for Collier Ridge slip repair Phase 1 as it wasn’t advertised for tonight. Pickens noted they could use Major Moves money with $400 + 200K in the account.

Pickens said he is sending 13,000 refund checks out and visited some GIS sites. He wants Kraus, Minzner, and Thompson to help with that.

Pickens said Tracy is leaving his office for Superior Court I position in the Courthouse as it pays about $7,000 more. He was bemoaning the loss and wants to get on a merit system with formal reviews so he can pay his employees who deserve it better.

Meeting adjourned at 9:30 PM

Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township