Clark County (The Evening News)
Clark County Council postpones funding decisions
County clerk, judge say they have to have more cash to operate; airport employee added to payroll
Because the Clark County Council is waiting to receive a budget order from the state to determine what the county’s property-tax rate and maximum levy will be, the offices of numerous elected officials will have to wait for the council to take action on funding requests.
The council Monday night tabled requests from the offices of the treasurer, county clerk and each of the county’s courts. If fulfilled, the requested additional appropriations would have restored the courts to their 2009 operating budgets.
“I’m just asking for my employees back,” County Clerk Barbara Haas said. “I don’t think there’s any need to sit here and whine and tell you that I need them. If you’ve been in the office, you know I need them. If you ask any of the judges, they’re going to tell you I need them. Enough said.”
The council voted to table the issue until its next regular meeting, which was rescheduled to take place at 5 p.m. March 19. The meeting was moved back to allow time for the budget order from the state to be received.
The council voted to table requests from Superior Court No. 2 Judge Jerry Jacobi, Superior Court No. 1 Judge Vicki Carmichael, Circuit Court Judge Dan Moore and Superior Court No. 3 Judge Joe Weber.
Jacobi told the council that the probation office will need emergency relief to continue to operate, and urged the council to act with haste to rectify the problems in the office.
“I will have to have emergency relief or divine intervention,” Jacobi said. “Or, I’ll be forced to shut it down.”
SALARY INCREASES
“If I come back with a salary increase outside the matrix,” asked Haas at the end of her time before council, “as long as the funds are outside the general fund, it’ll be approved? Is that correct?”
The question was initially met with silence from the council. Haas asked the question because early in the meeting, the council approved an amendment to the salary ordinance making Melodee McNames, manager of Clark Regional Airport, a full-time employee of the county.
The request was made by Ron Barnes and Jack Vissing on behalf of the Board of Aviation Commissioners.
McNames previously was employed by the air board as an independent contractor when she was a full-time employee of Hap’s Aerial Enterprises, but was not retained when Hap’s was sold to Honaker Aviation.
Barnes told the board that hiring McNames as a full-time employee of the air board was necessary for the continued operation of the airport, as McNames served as the air board’s liaison to the Federal Aviation Administration and other entities.
However, McNames’ new salary of $37,024 was the subject of debate among council members, because the salary fell outside of the county’s salary matrix. After much discussion — and protest from Haas before the vote, who said she’d protest every increase to the salary ordinance until her six laid-off employees were brought back — the council approved the salary 4-3. Council members Barbara Hollis, Jackie Dickman and council President Jack Coffman cast the dissenting votes.
Kevin Vissing, David Abbott, Chuck Moore and Perry Smith voted to approve the addition of McNames to the county’s payroll, which will be paid for out of the air board’s operating budget — funded by money people and businesses pay to use the airport.
The council also approved an increase to the salary of the county’s drug prosecutor, Jacob Elder, after Prosecutor Steve Stewart told the council that the increase comes as a result of a grant to the county from the federal government and that denying the increase might mean the forfeiture of the grant funds. The increase, approved unanimously by council, raises Elder’s salary $10,000 to $75,000 per year.
BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS
The council approved the introduction of ordinance 2-2010, a bond ordinance that would pay for improvements to the Clark County Government Building.
The council also scheduled a special meeting for at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 23 to hold a public-comment session on the bond issue and a vote. If approved, the county will issue bond anticipation notes and general obligation bonds worth as much as $6 million. If approved, the council also will determine the term of the bonds.
Improvements needed at the Clark County Government Building would include repairs to the building’s roof, ceilings, sprinkler systems, heating and air-conditioning systems and boilers.
The county accepted bids from 14 contracting companies for the projects in October, said building authority Director Mark VanGilder. Ferguson Construction, of Columbus, submitted the winning bid for $3,775,000. VanGilder said that the bid package includes about $300,000 for the removal of asbestos from the building.
“This building is full of the stuff,” VanGilder said.
He said that Ferguson had agreed to honor their original bid until Feb. 19, but that he would ask them to hold on a bit longer.
The council approved the introduction of the ordinance by a 5-2 vote. Abbott and Moore dissented, with Abbott pointing out that the issuance of bonds would lead to a tax increase.
IN OTHER BUSINESS
• The council unanimously approved an additional appropriation requested by the Clark County Department of Weights and Measures for $2,500 from the riverboat fund and tabled a request for an additional $2,500. The funds will be used to pay for the department’s travel and fuel expenses.
• The council unanimously approved an appropriation requested by Haas from the Clerk Perpetual Fund for $5,000 to pay for a retired part-time employee to cover absences.
• The council unanimously approved step raises for four probation employees.
• The council unanimously approved a $10,000 appropriation from the rainy-day fund submitted by Carmichael for attorney services.
• The council unanimously approved a request by Weber for $52,000 from the alcohol and drug fund to pay for information-technology services and assist the circuit court with labor costs.
• The council voted 4-3 to approve a $3,000 salary increase for Adrianne Fuller, an employee in circuit court. Moore said Fuller has been fulfilling the duties of several employees and the broadened scope of her duties justified the increase in compensation.
— Matt Koesters is a freelance journalist who lives in Southern Indiana.
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