24 May 2022 Dearborn County Council Meeting Notes
This was a 2.5 hour meeting
Present: Liz Morris, President, Dennis Kraus. Sr., Dan Lansing, Kevin Turner, Tim Doll, Alan Goodman, and Glenn Wright.
Also present: Connie Fromhold, Auditor and Leah Bailey, Comptroller and Jim Thatcher, Commissioner
Title VI Statement read as legally required.
DEARBORN COUNTY EMS ALLIANCE- Funding- Kevin Havlin ( sp?) President of EMS Alliance and from Manchester. He wants to give a state of EMS in the County. Some counties have 2-3 units covering their county . We have so many different units covering the county. Used to get training via the hospital and then with IVY Tech. County wide response totals have been increasing. In 2020 served 5,600 calls. 2021 had 6,500. This year thru April have had 2,048 plus 317 in May so far. Funding for EMS is $ 2000 per unit. For the smaller depts there is a huge difference in number of runs. They survive on soft billing insurance companies for some of this shortfall. Manchester $57,000 in and $87,000 out. Trying to get shift work.
Tom Craig- Greendale EMS. Private organization with and annual contract with Greendale. They get $26-27,000 with a $1 on the utility bill. Hard ti find EMT’s and turnover is high
$21,000 comes in from billing. They write off $75,000. Hospital is moving to Greendale so the trip charges will be less then. They have more population they cover as there are many people who work in their city beyond the residents. Their ambulance from 2001 needs to be replaced. They have 2 units in Greendale. They have missed runs due to staffing issues.
Dennis ??? Last name - EMS from Bright- have 14 EMT basics and 5 paramedics. 1300 requests in 2021. Weekends staff is only 60%. Only 2 of them do not have full time jobs. The rest all have full time jobs. $11hr- EMTs and $17hr paramedics. $287,900 $273,900 payroll and $60,000 payroll; taxes etc. Citizen assist has been going on for people who need to be lifted. They do not get paid for this. They need EMT education ins this county.He wants the county to use their influence to get this education via the hospital or IVY tech again. Decreasing trend in new EMS certifications in the past 10 years in the state. $245,000 to replace a squad . EMTs have not had a pay increase in his memory. 2008 is when the squad payment went to $20,000 per year. Per unit.
Kevin Havlin- summarized- 160 hrs of classroom time and then more contact time etc, to get about 200 hours to become an EMT. We need ideas and funding. Supplies and fuel billing are all in their budget. They do get clean sheet linens from the hospital .
Commissioner Jim Thatcher- appreciates all they do and what they have to go through. In regards to EMS training. St. E’s will be bringing EMS training back to the county soon. He thinks we need to start addressing these problems now. In 5 years we may not be seeing these guys if we don’t help. It’s not all financial - other things to consider.
Council took this all under advisement.
CLERK- Voter Registration Officer per diem $10,765 (1001)- Gayle Pennington wanted to discuss the stipend. The statute should word this differently. This is an all year thing to do- not just at the elections. They have reports to the state and feds etc. She does all the legwork for the election board. It’s just a lot of planning and coordination. This is at the discretion of the council. This can go back retroactively per statute. She also gave them all the info from the other counties. Morris said they could adjust to for 2022 and put it in the budget for 2023. Morris did not want to go retroactively to the 2020 election. Thought it would be a bad precedent. Turner agreed with Morris. Dennis said there was precedent when they did not with the former county administrator in the past. Turner motioned for the $10,765 all the way back to 2018- failed Motion. Doll motioned to approve $2000 and the change in FICA for 2022 and with an adjustment to the salary ordinance for 2022 at the next meeting and also to go into 2023 budget Goodman and Wright were nays. Morris voted Aye. Motion Passed.
Glenn Wright brought up an election poll worker issue in the last election with giving wrong info to a voter.
SOLID WASTE- Sandy Whitehead, annual report.She gave a power point presentation so that they would know what the county is funding under Solid Waste. 28 years as Solid Waste. Only place that takes TVs and Household Hazardous Waste.They have a lot of building space and lots of programs. Creation Station. Hazardous materials. Material storage until ready to shop. Costume swap. Re- prom. 15 drop off recycling areas. 3 extra cardboard containers and 3 extra plastic only trailers. Drive thru has document shredding, cooking oil, paint scrap metal etc. Tires, TV and refrigerators have a fee to recycle. Commercial recycle trucks go around the county got go to businesses and schools. Seeing over 500 people per month at recycle center in 2021. They do take scrap metals there but do not pay for it. Latex paint gets donated to Matthew 25 ministries. They also have other things they source to them. Rumple and Bestway are the county’s 2 haulers. 8% is our diversion rate. The national rate is 32%. Diversion rate is how much we keep out of the landfill. 1,391 students were seen last year. They did a shred day in St. Leon and Computer recycling in Bright. Booth at the 4H fair. 503 donations to Creation Station in 2021. 819 customers for costume swap. 435 Re- prom customers and $1,638 in donations. Holiday giveaway- 555 customers and 31 Xmas trees given away. Lending station for event supplies etc. There is a catalog on the website about these 400 plus items to borrow. Received grants for use in supplies and more recycle trailers. Many employees have been there 11 years and on down. There is not a lot of turnover now. Glad they stuck around- it makes her job easier. $892,000 was their total last year. 6 full time and the rest part time. Tim Doll and Jim Thatcher sit on their board.
ADDITIONALS:
CORONER- Part-time wages $10,765 (1001)- needed for the coming months - this should last till October. Approved. Finally got their new truck in after 6 months of waiting, They will have to go to Elkhart IN to get the cot for the truck.
PARK BOARD- Park Website $2,500 (1001) & Clear Trails $5,000 (1179) Presented by Leah Bailey, Comptroller- Approved
HIGHWAY- Johnson Fork Rd-$624,840 (1001/4915) Tim Greive- passed out pictures. This is really close to Franklin County. Applied for NRCS Grant. We get 75% of the money back. They use “nails” with concrete over them. Project should be about 2 months. They took the money out of Growth and Development- Approved. They also just completed the Wilson Creek bank by Greystone Farm. The nails on Wilson Creek are in 7 feet.
They looked at Lower Dillsboro Rd by Henry’s Place at Thatcher’s request. All 3 slips is $1.4 million to do all 3 slips- it has 47 cars a day. Turner noted that the number of cars is not the issue- it’s dangerous for emergency vehicles etc. School busses refuse to drive on it. They have a smaller bus to go get the students. This is from Chesterville to US 50 on Lower Dillsboro Rd. Stateline Rd slip is a 400 ft slip. These don’t qualify for NRCS grants. Scheich Rd at the bottom of Jamison is bad too. Salt Fork near Jackson Ridge also- and so on . There are a lot of SLIPS. Listerman wants to fix slips before they do paving.
COUNTY ENGINEER- Todd Listerman
Transfers from 7303.41500 Transportation Infrastructure-( has $2.8 million)
$100,000 Lower Dillsboro Rd (East Slide) - this is different from Grieve’s issues on the other end. This is federal aid 80/20. Projected to be $1.4 million.This is for the inspection contract. Approved.
$700,000 Bridge # 108 Harrison-Brookville Rd- Projected to be $3.2million. This $700,000 is for the design costs. This is 80/20 project. Approved.
The numbers for these above projects are what INDOT thinks these will be.
Other projects: In order of priorities due to the ratings on the bridges etc. These have to be followed for Community Crossings money too.
$1,400,000 Bridge # 29 Red Bridge Rd (1001/4916)- Approved with Wright as a NAY.
$650,000 Small Structure 111 &112 Station Hollow Rd (1001/4916)- Approved as these are related to the looming issues on Lower Dillsboro Rd.
The following 3 designs are in anticipation of funding: all 3 approved $180,000 out of 4916.
$60,000 Bridge #14 Bells Branch Rd (DESIGN ) (1001/4916)
$60,000 Bridge #47 Konradi Rd (DESIGN) (1001/4916)
$60,000 Bridge #166 Lawrenceville Rd north of Gutapfel (DESIGN) (1001/7303/4916)
These last 3 have ROW purchased and ready to be let:
$350,000 Small Structure #628 Whites Hill Rd (1001/7303)-to be built this year Approved from 7303
$450,000 Small Structure #148 Hueseman Rd (1001/7303)- to be bid in the fall and built next year- TABLED until budget
$850,000 Bridge #72 St Peters Rd (1001/7303)- to be bid fall and built next year- TABLED until budget
Listerman said the HWY crew is down 14 employees from when he started 17 years ago. They were discussing ditching the roadsides, etc. They need to ask Tim Grieve about that schedule. This does help keep road paving longer. Listerman said they are supposed to get federal aid- but we don’t know what the rules will be for getting at that money. Federal dollar projects cost more because of the requirements- like identifying bat guano to be sure they are meeting federal aid requirements.
AUDITOR-
April 22nd Minutes- Approved.
Ordinance for Rainy Day Fund- Per Baudendistel - since 2008. It has to be established by ordinance and not resolution so this fixes that. This will include the 6 amendments that have been added since that. Discussion as to what the purpose of the fund should be as Baudendistel included some of the language that enables spending o computers, communications etc. Approved and signed.
MOHR CAPITAL- Tax Abatement- THIS WAS NOT ADDRESSED
ORDINANCE FOR INSPECTION FEES-Health Department- THIS WAS NOT ADDRESSED
LATE ARRIVAL- none
PUBLIC COMMENT- none
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 PM
Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township
