20 May 2025 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES

 20 May 2025 DEARBORN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING NOTES

Present: Jim Thatcher, President, Duane Bischoff, and Kevin Turner

Also present: Andy Baudendistel, Attorney, and Sue Hayden, Administrator

ABSENT: Connie Fromhold, Auditor

TITLE VI STATEMENT FOR COMPLIANCE was read by Baudendistel as legally required.

OLD BUSINESS

Cemetery Board - open 5-yr term position - continued tabled- no recommendation yet from Cemetery Board.- Thatcher said the open position has been filled by Julie Saylor. Approved. 

NEW BUSINESS

911 Contract Fee Discussion – Vince Karsteter, Mayor of Greendale- Re-presented the pitch he made to Council.

$1.79 million. 980,000 budget shortfall. 50,679, 15,259 residents. 16,304 calls from their cities. 1.32 valleys per resident. Remainder 13,000 call for the remainder of the county. 5,435 calls is more appropriate number for their population. The 3 cities feel they are being double charged. The shortfall is made up from County General. And these town residents have already contributed to that. 

He said Pat Schwing ( Aurora Mayor) is very passionate about this. We have a couple ideas of how to address this.

Pay the shortfall out of county general for everybody. 

Add .06 to safety LIT  

Fees based on police call volume. ( Why not the EMS too?)

Talked to Randy Maxwell and Garrett Bascom.

Most counties pay it from the safety LIT. 

County would like to see the cell phone fee raised. They have not raise it in 12 years.

Gov Braun is not big on raising taxes. 

We are facing a $174,000 shortfall next year. 

Mayors are trying to freeze wages in other areas of the state. 

Looking at the property taxes- it’s hard to figure out how those rates are determined. It comes from a DLGF mandated formula.

Thatcher- said in future contract negotiations they are up for suggestions. Has talked to several others in the state and trying to get more support to take this to legislators to push something through. Raising teh cell phone tax from $1 to $2 would go a long way to fix this. 

Karsteter said Liz Morris has no appetite for raising the safety LIT. St Leon gets next to nothing out of this. Dillsboro gets $58,000.

Turner and Bischoff encouraged Vince to start getting the fires lit to get this taken about for the next legislative session.

Thatcher said in defending Morris - that there is a lot of churn in state government and so they are pushing more things to county level. Wants to see how this works out before raising taxes. 

Baudendistel said that maintenance and operational costs are what some others are. The county is only passing on the operational costs to the other cities and towns. He invited Thatcher to go to lunch to talk more. Thatcher asked if Vince was buying? Vince said he always buys. <Chuckles>  

ADMINISTRATOR – Sue Hayden- nothing tonight 

AUDITOR – Sue Hayden for Connie Fromhold -Claims/Payroll and May 6th Minutes-Approved

ATTORNEY – Andy Baudendistel-nothing tonight

COMMISSIONER COMMENTS: Kevin Turner-  Had a happy Dillsboro homecoming- weather worked around them 

LATE ARRIVAL INFORMATION: None

PUBLIC COMMENT: none

ADJOURN- 6:25 PM 

After the meeting Commissioners recognized and took pictures with 2 Eagle Scouts who were at the meeting working on their projects  from Lawrenceburg- Caleb and Ben Steelman. One is working on the composter for the community garden. The other is doing a project there too. 

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township