26 January 2010 Dearborn County Council Meeting Notes

26 January 2010 Dearborn County Council Meeting Notes

Present: Dennis Kraus, Sr., President, Maynard Barrett, Vice President, Liz Morris, Bill Ullrich, Bryan Messmore, Dan Lansing, and Tom Cheek. Cary Pickens, Auditor also was present.

Commissioner Orschell was present.

Kraus was elected as President and Barrett as Vice president.

Board appointments:

Advisory Board for Master Plan- Kraus
Alcohol Board- Ralph Schaefer
Animal Control and EMA- Ullrich
BZA- Rick Pope
CVTB- Morris until Barrett takes it over
Econ Development- Kraus
Juvenile Detention and YES Home- Morris
OKI and SIRPC- Mark McCormack
Plan Commission- Lansing
PTABOA- Tax appeals- Mary Booker and Ken Madden
Redevelopment Commission- Kevin Lynch
Solid Waste and Mental Health- Cheek
DCRSD- Art Wentzel and Jeff Stenger
Liaison to Redevelopment Commission Kraus for Barrett
Community Corrections- Messmore

Additional Appropriations:

1. Judge Humphrey approved to reinstate $10,000 for repairs fund out of Contingency Fund. Per Pickens, there is $357,000 in Contingency and nothing extra in County General now.

2. Judge Blankenship approved for $3500 to honor ongoing computer maintenance contract

3. Carl Fryman needed no approval- Council appropriated the amount for part time from last year for $7470

4. Salary Ordinance was revised to correct a jail corporal salary and the judges supplemental were revised to be in biweekly paychecks.

5. Todd Listerman- Transportation Director- approved salary ordinance for Highway supervisor to be exempt and have no overtime. Salary to be $47,398, instead of $42,500 with $5,000 in overtime average per year.

Listerman also was approved to fill the assistant engineer position with $41,989 in the budget.
He wants someone with a college degree and background in construction management.

Budget issues with recertifying his budget due to error in appropriations line by line will be done at the next meeting per Pickens.

6. Sandy Carley and Dennis Monroe of PAWS gave an overview of their proposal for taking over the Animal Shelter to Council. Their bottom line number was $286,599 annually to run the shelter with their share of $159,500 and the county giving $130,000.

The county’s number did NOT include the ACO’s salaries and related expenses. Pickens wanted to know how they would take over the ACO’s eventually as natural attrition occurs. Ullrich was concerned with legal liabilities on some of the duties.

Carley was not sure about taking over ACO’s – she seemed surprised at that idea.

Morris said not to hire a director or 4th ACO with this in flux.

Lansing asked about leasing land and their plans. Carley said they were pursuing all offers.
Barrett said- why go to Greendale dumpsite if there is no sewer there?

Lansing asked about PAWS and county and what would happen if there were problems. Monroe said that would be in their succession plan. Lansing also asked what happens when Mayor Cunningham no longer runs for mayor. The next one might not be so generous for PAWS.

Ullrich said- the county is OBLIGATED to provide Animal Control. Pickens and Carley both said- if it is built on county land- it reverts to the county.

Council said PAWS is going in the right direction- discussion and task force continues to meet.

7. Bill Ullrich brought up 2 items for the sheriff- renewed the commissary items to be approved by sheriff if under $500 and approved upgrading the whole campus card security for $11,555 with bid from H&P to be paid out of the COMMISSARY FUND. [NOTE: What does commissary have to do with security?]

8. Contract signed for lobbyists.

9. Conflicts of interest discussed by Kraus regarding him voting for anything on Surveyor( his son’s office), Ullrich with the Sheriff’s Dept., and Messmore with the Prosecutor’s office ( Victim’s Advocacy) He wanted to make the board aware of the appearance of conficts of interest and to avoid them.

10. Lansing apprised the Council of the Sugar Ridge Road issue and the possibility of $30,000 chip seal on Augusta Drive as a county expense.

11. Kraus asked about the County adm/coordinator position and whether it would be funded in 2011. Rumors that it wouldn’t were making it hard to fill the spot. Council said they wouldn’t stop funding nor would they promise it. Economics might determine it- but as long as they could get someone in there to do a good job- they would try to keep it funded. They perceived it as needed.

12. Cheek asked about salary grid. Barrett and Morris indicated the numbers were high- maybe use the minimums as a guide. No money now anyway.

13. Cheek also asked about grants being reviewed to be sure that the county was not on the hook for expense or continuing the position post grant.

Meeting adjourned at 9 PM
Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township