Commissioner Candidate Debate October 11th Hosted by We the Hoosiers

What:  Meet the Candidate night

Where: Lawrenceburg Firehouse at 300 Tate St

When: 6:30 pm Thursday the 11th of October.

We The Hoosiers will be featuring the four contested candidates for Commissioner in Dearborn County. They are Phil Darling and Kevin Lynch for D-1 and Art Little and Tom Orschell for D-2.

This is open to the public.

Alex Parniuk

we The Hooosiers

MAKE CANDIDATES EARN OUR VOTES

MAKE CANDIDATES EARN OUR VOTES

I am disgusted every time I look at an election ballot and see the line indicating a shortcut that I can fill out to vote either all Republican or all Democrat with one quick mark. It’s an insult to the voters, the candidates and the brave men and women who fought and gave their lives so that we can enjoy the privilege of voting.

In Dearborn County Republicans count on single ticket voters so much that they know can put up just about anyone (qualified or not) and that person will generally get elected, sometimes even without campaigning. According to the State Election Commission, this predominantly Republican or Democrat population has the same effect in several Indiana counties.

Local elections matter because what happens in our community affects our daily lives. What is so great about living in a small county is that we have the ability to get to know more about our officials both before and after we elect them. In addition to the newspapers, radio, and flypod.com, there are usually 2-3 meet the candidate nights in the fall. Candidates often have their own websites and facebook pages. Talking to our friends and neighbors who are politically savvy is another option.

I have attended county meetings for more than 17 years. I have seen elected officials from both parties who have been good public servants and some from both parties who haven’t. There are conservatives and liberals in both parties. There are Democrats who are pro life and Republicans who hate guns, but I haven’t heard any say they don’t believe in God. Just because individuals belong to a party doesn’t mean they all agree on everything that party stands for.

Because of my experiences with county officials, I think it is important to look past party affiliations and see what kind of character the candidate has (or in some cases, is!) Check out their resumes. Are they trustworthy? Do they have a skill set that will enable them to do a good job? What has their past performance been? Do they know how to spend money wisely?

How does being a Democrat or a Republican affect being a good coroner, surveyor, clerk, recorder, assessor, auditor, treasurer, prosecutor, or judge? Do you care if your child’s teacher is Republican or Democrat? How about your doctor, plumber, dentist, mechanic, mailman, or trash collector? Or do you just want them to do a competent job?

This November- even if you vote for all Republicans or all Democrats- go down the entire ballot and vote line by line. I like to know the names and qualifications of every single person getting my approval. And if I don’t know it, I leave it blank. It’s not a test- it’s a ballot and there are no points off for leaving something blank. Diversity in party, age, education levels, gender, and culture brings many perspectives to county offices and boards. It moves the county forward. It helps prevent corruption. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit and vote both sides.

I hope that someday our legislators decide to abolish single ticket voting. It is time we make every candidate EARN the votes they get.

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township.

DOES YOUR INDIANA TOWN HAVE THAT CHICAGO FEEL?

DOES YOUR INDIANA TOWN HAVE THAT CHICAGO FEEL?
Reprinted here with permission from IPR.

Say, do you remember

Dancing in September

Never was a cloudy day

Golden dreams were shiny days
– “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire

By Liz Brown

“September” might be the sad song my hometown will be humming soon. Will we remember the September before our city government was on the precipice, before it came to the fork in the road? Will we remember when it still had the chance to change course? Will we remember what we did about it -– or did not do?

With apologies to Earth, Wind and Fire, the Grammy-winning Chicago band, there was prescience in those dreamy 1978 lyrics. For there would come a September three decades later when my city would miss cloudless, shiny, golden days.

Because in September city governments throughout Indiana had to make a choice, had to draw that line in the sand and say: “No more; we're going down the wrong path; we're not better off than we were four years ago.”

If that line could be drawn, we told ourselves, we could be better off in four years, we could look back and remember that we made the right choices this September.

But first the citizens in my town needed to remember that . . .

• Last year our city called for a property-tax increase with a cash reserve of only about $15 million, a little less than 10 percent of the annual budget.
• The 2012 budget was passed with $3 million more in expenditures than the city expected to receive in revenues, thereby avoiding that property-tax increase but requiring the city to dip into its cash reserve.
• The 2013 city budget also asks for a tax increase. And if our council passes it without one or without spending cuts, then the city again must draw from cash reserves, perhaps this time to a level below which bond insurers will find acceptable.
• And finally, we will want to remember that our city council was looking at increasing the tax burden at the same time our largest school district was asking for a property-tax increase and that city residents were facing years of sewer-rate increases in order to comply with an order from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Similar stories of "politics as usual" were written throughout the state, all of which reminded the observer less of the historically responsible Hoosier governance of three decades ago and more of the “Chicago Way” of today.

In Chicago, the mayor received over $1 billion dollars from the lease of its parking facilities and meters only to spend it filling the budget holes there, leaving his successor in debt. It sounds familier, doesn’t it? It hits close to home.

And if that doesn’t make you want to give the budget to a fiscal conservative with a red pencil, consider the national news: Household income is down 8.2 percent since this president took office while state and local government pay is up; health insurance premiums are up $3,065, not down $2,500 as promised four years ago; and Medicare Advantage enrollees face a $515 benefit cut this next year.

Add it all up at your kitchen table. There’s no legacy anywhere there, not unless our elected representatives get a hold on expenditures.

How will they do that? Our children are showing us the way, teaching us to sing a new tune. A recent Wall Street Journal article noted that savings is increasing atypically among members of the coming generation. They realize that they are going to have to live within their means.

So can our cities. All of us at the local level, Republicans and Democrats, know it is necessary. Our children’s means and our means are being squeezed by short-sighted, self-serving political decisions in Washington and at City Hall.

In our hometowns at least, let’s cut spending and start saving. Let’s lighten the burden on already overworked taxpayers trying to stay within their means.

Then we can look back and remember that this was the September we invested in responsible, prudent government and not merely in somebody’s political career.

Elizabeth M. Brown, J.D., is an adjunct scholar of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, a graduate of Notre Dame and an active member of the Republican National Lawyers Association. She served four years on the Fort Wayne City Council in an at-large seat and was a candidate for mayor in the GOP primary. Contact her at director@inpolicy.org.

Tracy Cochran-Evans Independent Coroner Candidate- on theflypod.com

Greetings to our listeners and subscribers --
To hear the latest Politically Correct podcast for Dearborn County, simply enter the following link into your browser:
　

http://indiana1.theflypod.com/episodes/tracy-cochran-evans-coroner-race/
　
For our long-time listeners, you're going to like our redesigned media website. We hope you enjoy listening to our shows. Tell your friends, neighbors and co-workers about TheFlyPod.com New-Media Network.
　
To submit your ideas, questions, comments or complaints, email us directly in Studio #7 at -- shout@theflypod.com

Agenda October 2 Dearborn County Commissioners Meeting

AGENDA

DEARBORN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING

 October 2, 2012

6:00 p.m., Commissioners Room

County Administration Building

215 B West High Street, Lawrenceburg, Indiana 

I.              CALL TO ORDER

II.            PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

III.           OLD BUSINESS

1.  OKI Funding Contract / Agreement  

IV.          NEW BUSINESS 

V.            HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT

A.  Highway Superintendent – Tim Greive

            1.  Updates 

B.  Highway Engineer – Todd Listerman

            1.  Updates  

VI.          ADMINISTRATOR –  Teresa Randall           

VII.         AUDITOR – Gayle Pennington

1.  Claims/Minutes 

VIII.        ATTORNEY – Andy Baudendistel 

IX.          COMMISSIONER COMMENTS 

X.            LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION            

XI.          PUBLIC COMMENT 

XII.          ADJOURN

WE CAN DO BETTER – Part 15

WE CAN DO BETTER – Part 15

By Alan Miller, Candidate for Judge Superior Court II

 

Fairness and Individuals Appearing Before the Court

Individuals appearing before the court

 

Too often we hear of individuals being treated differently because of their last name, because they “know someone.” It is not uncommon to observe a party treated differently due to their name, financial history, inability to hire an attorney, or which attorney they have chosen to hire.

Such inequality cannot be what our Founding Fathers envisioned when they laid the groundwork for our justice system. As Judge, I will treat all who appear before the court fairly and with respect, always keeping in mind that a judge’s role is similar to that of a referee or umpire: a fair and impartial fact-finder who does not impact or interfere with the outcome.

 

No more “legalese”

 

Attorneys seem to have a language of their own, what we call “legalese.” One can be a rocket scientist and still not know what happened in a court proceeding. When elected, I want to make sure that when the parties leave the courtroom, they understand what happened and why it happened that way.

Further, I will speak with individuals in the courtroom, and not talk at or down to them. Regardless of why one is before the court, there is a basic human decency and respect that must be present. This decency and respect will be present in my courtroom. 

This is the fifteenth part of my platform statement; a detailed proposal for how to improve our current justice system. It will be released over the next several months through facebook.com/makeitmiller2012 and makeitmiller2012.com. PLEASE feel free to forward this to your friends and family.
Thanks for your continued support!

Alan Miller

 

Bright Beacon and theflypod.com Podcast of Candidates Niight

Bright Beacon and theflypod.com hosted a Meet the Candidates night Monday September 24th at the Tate Street Firehouse. The link below provides access to the podcast. If you are looking for specific candidates their location on the podcast is listed below the link.

 

http://indiana1.theflypod.com/episodes/2012-meet-the-candidates/

 

SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA: MEET THE CANDIDATES [Total program length = 2:32:45]

Congress 6th District [at 0:06:04]

Dearborn County Commissioner I & II [at 0:15:39]

State Representative Districts 67 & 68 [at 0:42:06]

Dearborn County Council [at 1:09:21]

Judge of Dearborn Superior Court II [at 1:35:24]

Dearborn County Clerk of Courts [1:47:12]

Dearborn County Coroner [1:57:32]

Probable Cause Affidavit on Acapulco Restaurant Arrests

Link to Register Publications posting of the probable cause affidavit for the Acapulco Restaurant arrests:

http://issuu.com/registerpublications/docs/acapulco_probable_cause_affidavit-1?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222

REMINDER MONDAY SEPT 24TH CANDIDATES NIGHT

The Bright Beacon and The Flypod New Media Network will host a Candidates’ Forum on Monday, Sept. 24 from 7-9 p.m. at the Lawrenceburg Firehouse on Tate Street. Open to the public.

Candidates in contested campaigns for countywide offices in Dearborn County have been invited to participate.

Candidates for State Representative Diatrict 67 and 68 and US Congress 6th District have also been invited.

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 31^st.  $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

 

WE CAN DO BETTER – Part 14

WE CAN DO BETTER – Part 14

By Alan Miller, Candidate for Judge Superior Court II 

Community Corrections

Our Community Corrections department oversees such programs as In-Home Incarceration (commonly referred to as house arrest), Intensive In-Home Incarceration, and Work Release. With house arrest, an individual is confined to his or her home while being electronically monitored by the department. In the Intensive In-Home Incarceration program, the same basic principles apply. However, the individual is also required to participate in individual counseling and more frequent drug testing. In the Work Release program, individuals who can provide documentation of employment are permitted to be released from the jail to go to work, returning when their shifts are complete. All of these programs are funded in large part by the individuals who are participating in them. Thus far, funding from the county has been extremely limited.

In the appropriate circumstances, these programs could be excellent and cheaper alternatives to incarceration, especially for non-violent or first-time offenders. It is in the best interests of our community to allow individuals fortunate to have jobs the opportunity to maintain their employment, remain productive members of society, and continue to support their families.

When elected, I will be asking the county to directly fund Community Corrections. For just 10% of the total figure now being discussed for the jail expansion project, these programs could be expanded significantly. While this would require an initial commitment from our county council and taxpayers, with an increased number of individuals participating in these programs, this cost would be recovered through the payment of user’s costs and fees.

 

This is the fourteenth part of my platform statement; a detailed proposal for how to improve our current justice system. It will be released over the next several months through facebook.com/makeitmiller2012 and makeitmiller2012.com. PLEASE feel free to forward this to your friends and family.
Thanks for your continued support!

Alan Miller

Agenda for Sept 18th - 9 AM- Dearborn County Commissioners Meeting

AGENDA

DEARBORN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING

 September 18, 2012

9:00 a.m., Commissioners Room

County Administration Building

215 B West High Street, Lawrenceburg, Indiana

 

EXECUTIVE SESSION – 8:30 :  Pending Litigation 

I.              CALL TO ORDER

II.            PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 

III.           OLD BUSINESS

1.  OKI Funding Contract / Agreement  

IV.          NEW BUSINESS

1.  LifeTime Housing – Carla Burkhart

            Signatures for Lien Releases 

2.  Planning and Zoning – Mark McCormack

            1.  Proposed changes to the Dearborn County Zoning Ordinance

                 a.)  Article 17, Section 1720: Plot Plan Requirements

                 b.)  Article 25, Section 2516: Location of Accessory Structures or Uses

 

            2.  Proposed changes to the Dearborn County Subdivision Control Ordinance

                 a.)  Article 2, Section 200: Subdivision Types (Exemptions)

 

V.            HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT

A.  Highway Superintendent – Tim Greive

            1.  Updates 

B.  Highway Engineer – Todd Listerman

            1.  Updates  

VI.          ADMINISTRATOR –  Teresa Randall

            1.  Fire and EMS Updates 

VII.         AUDITOR – Gayle Pennington

1.  Claims/Minutes 

VIII.        ATTORNEY – Andy Baudendistel 

IX.          COMMISSIONER COMMENTS 

X.            LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION            

XI.          PUBLIC COMMENT 

XII.          ADJOURN

WE CAN DO BETTER - Part 13

WE CAN DO BETTER – Part 13

By Alan Miller, Candidate for Judge Superior Court II

 

Mission of probation must change from seeking violations to making efforts towards rehabilitation 

Probation violations are becoming more and more common in our court system. This should not be a surprise, given the sheer number of people and lengths of time some are on probation. However, one thing that seems to have changed is the mission of the probation department. Article I, Section 18 of the Indiana Constitution states: "The penal code shall be founded on the principles of reformation, and not of vindictive justice." Over the past several years, it would appear as though we have lost sight of this locally. Instead, the general mission appears to have shifted from working with an individual towards rehabilitation and successful completion of probation to making every effort to find violations of probation.

 

Probation is a privilege, given to one in lieu of jail or prison time. Some violations are very serious and should be treated as such. However, with increasing frequency, probation violations are being filed where an individual has not or cannot pay their court and/or probation costs and fees or has failed to keep an appointment with their probation officer. While these are still technical violations of the rules, filing a probation violation, taking court time and possibly incarcerating the individual do not seem productive, especially when so many individuals are on probation for months and, more often than not, years. 

When elected, one of my first tasks will be meeting with the court’s probation officers to confirm what should be the direction of our mission. 

 

This is the thirteenth part of my platform statement; a detailed proposal for how to improve our current justice system. It will be released over the next several months through facebook.com/makeitmiller2012 and makeitmiller2012.com. PLEASE feel free to forward this to your friends and family.
Thanks for your continued support!

Alan Miller

Sept 24 Candidates Forum hosted by The Bright Beacon and the flypod.com

The Bright Beacon and The Flypod New Media Network will host a Candidates’ Forum on Monday, Sept. 24 from 7-9 p.m. at the Lawrenceburg Firehouse on Tate Street. Open to the public.

Candidates in contested campaigns for countywide offices in Dearborn County have been invited to participate.

Candidates for State Representative Diatrict 67 and 68 and US Congress 6th District have also been invited.

 

Sept 13 Meet Candidates for Judge and Clerk of Courts hosted by We the Hoosiers

Thursday, September 13, at 6:30 pm, We The Hoosiers will host their Meet the Candidates event at the Lawrenceburg Firehouse Meeting Room located at 300 Tate St. across the street from the Dearborn Adult Center. 
 
Featured will be the Judges and the Clerk of Courts races.

 If you've never met your Clerk or Judge, this is the moment in time to do it. Join us and hear what they have to say.

4 September 2012 Dearborn County Commissioners Meeting Notes

Present: Jeff Hughes, President, Tom Orschell, and Shane McHenry (who arrived at 6:15 PM)

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

Moment of silence for Elwood Benning who was with EMA for about 38 years.

OLD BUSINESS:

OKI Funding Contract/Agreement- tabled

NEW BUSINESS:

Assessor’s Contract Revision- Gary Hensley- just a redo based on some federal law regarding Iran and e-verify. Andy Baudendistel has reviewed it. Approved $49,600 contract with Tyler Technologies.

HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT: Todd Listerman, Highway Engineer- not present- on vacation.

Tim Grieve, Highway Superintendent- went to budget hearings- approved chip seal contract for 2012. Council approved buying the O’Mara millings from North Dearborn road and they will take them to Wessler Road near there. Council agreed to let them purchase a new tractor this year also as a replacement.

ADMINISTRATOR: Teresa Randall

Fire and EMS Updates- asked to table this until the next meeting, She has some people she needs to meet with to finalize her presentation. Tabled.

Jail Project – Preliminary Design Presentation- Council approved a $350,000 appropriation on this.

Presentation was from Mark from Rosser regarding additions and renovations. Their mission was: To passionately design and build quality jail with unquestionable return on investment. They designed several concept schemes. They divided things into 3 categories. Option #3 was the desirable option. They were trying to maximize bed-space thru dormitory style housing, and flexibility on future bed needs. They are connecting to the existing building at a 45 degree angle. They are looking at A and B dormitories with about 32 beds each. This works because the existing jail has more beds already that are more secure. Sixteen bed dormitories for each J-CAP program (male and female each) They have 8 bed dormitory near the laundry and kitchen. The indoor rec area can later become 32 bed unit. Specialty housing on 2^nd floor for J-CAP grads that are still serving time but attending meetings downstairs with other J-CAPs.  Existing kitchen area may become beds or medical areas. Remodeling law enforcement area and remodeled lobby with video conference units to cut down on movement of prisoners and increasing security. Remodeling areas of basement also.

Next step is for the construction manager to put some firm dollar amounts on this. They are working with the sheriff’s staff to see where all the current inmates fit into this plan. They also are checking into staffing needs. He thinks he has a good committee that is wrestling with solving the problems and budget constraints. Orschell noted that by decreasing doors they also have less toilet and plumbing facilities by sharing things within a dormitory style. The plumbing can be centralized also rather than one unit per 2 inmates in a cell. It cuts down walls and doors.

[NOTE: Shane McHenry arrived at this point]

Teresa Randall – said that they have  a talented  J-CAP person on the committee. This doubles are occupants and also adds the graduate program for J-CAP. Mark from Rosser said that J-CAP hasn’t been around that long, but thinks this will further enhance the success of the J-CAP program. Randall said that they have toured other jails to see a variety of design. She believes the dormitory style may help reduce recidivism by keeping first time offenders away from hardened criminals. There is also some peer pressure to keep the inmates on a better path. McHenry asked what they have to cut out if it becomes a price issue. Mark said some of the units or remodeling areas might be able to be cut. Detox padded cells in the medical area might wait to be added later, for example also. The committee will prioritize the cuts – not Rosser International  or Maxwell Construction. McHenry said he wants to focus on the needed beds and the other wish list is secondary.  Mark said they want to have they appropriate project that meets the needs of the community within the budget. Randall said that the committee will reconvene on the 21^st. She asked commissioners to direct anyone with questions to come to them. She wants this to be open with communication. McHenry said he wanted to be sure some people didn’t lose sight of the goals or were trying to take advantage to get something that they might not be able to get. He expressed full confidence in both Rosser and Maxwell stating that was why they entered into contracts with them.

AUDITOR: Gayle Pennington- claims approved.

Margaret Minzner- GIS coordinator- they received a grant from DC Foundation for automatic vehicle location and tracking for 911 dispatch.  WTH is the vendor and the commissioners signed the agreement.  She announced she is leaving the county employment after  7.5 years as of Friday this week and expressed positive comments about her time here. This project will proceed thru Ron Barnhardt in Planning office so that it will get completed.  Orschell said it was a real pleasure working with her and she’s always helped him right away. McHenry agreed and said they have helped them out a lot and move dteh county forward. Hughes said it was only a matter of time before someone snapped her up. Pennington thanked ron for stepping up to finish this one off. Margaret said she still lives in the county and can be contacted with questions if needed.

ATTORNEY: Andy Baudendistel- agreement with CH&M Excavating for the Hardintown project. They need to vote to ratify Hughes’s signature. Approved.

There are ordinance change packets to review for next meeting from Planning and Zoning.

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS- Orschell reminded them of the marathon for Jack’s Forever in Bright this weekend.

McHenry asked about the burn ban. Bill Black said they could lift the county wide ban and leave it up to the fire chiefs in each area to decide what to do. Commissioners agreed to lift the ban and leave it up to the fire chiefs.

LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION- Randall said the county owns property in Hardintown and hopes it is not a problem that the water line is going under that right of way. They will sign off on that this week to keep that project moving. 

Bill Black said they purchased the Rapid Notify system and it has been used twice recently. They also got over 200 people to volunteer to help find that lost person. McHenry said their volunteer fire and ems were also invaluable in this search. He said that was why je loves this county- we are blessed with people that come out and help.

PUBLIC COMMENT-none

Meeting adjourned at 6:45 PM

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township