HOWARD
The Howard County Board of Commissioners met in
Regular Session on
President Paul Raver called
the meeting to order. The minutes from
the last regular meeting held on
IN THE MATTER OF HIGHWAY ISSUES:
Mr. Ted Cain, Howard County Highway Engineer/Superintendent presented the following issues for Commissioner information and approval:
1.
Notice
to Bid for Materials & Supplies for Year 2003: Bids
will be received at the Howard County Auditor’s Office until the hour of
2. Bridge Repairs:
a. The deck was replaced on the bridge at 1150 West and
opened to traffic last week.
b. The bridge on 350 South,
lying between 1250 East and 1330 East, was closed for repairs. A new concrete deck is being poured
today. The bridge may be opened to
traffic by the end of this week.
c.
The deck on the bridge located on 300 North between 1100 East and
1200 East is scheduled for replacement.
This will be the last bridge repair before the winter season.
d. The culvert structure on 300
North, between 1200 and 1300 East was closed today for repairs. The structure looks like a bridge but is
considered a culvert according to State Guidelines. The structure will be removed and replaced
with pipe structures. It will be closed
for approximately (2) days.
3. There is a problem with items being stored
and vehicles being parked in the county right-of-way on
Plan
Commission Assistant Director James Hunter said his office also received a
complaint from a neighbor about junk stored in the right-of-way. Mr. Hunter made three (3) visits to the site
and did not find any items located within the right-of-way. Mr. Hunter stated the records in the
4. The Memorandum of Performance Bond for
IN THE MATTER OF HOWARD HAVEN HOME
APPLICATION:
Center Township Trustee Jean Lushin presented an
Admissions Record Contract on behalf of Preston C. Stafford to move into Howard
Haven Home as a self-pay resident.
Kimberly Krieg, Director of the Home, provided a letter recommending approval of Mr. Stafford’s
application. There have been recent
discussions in regard to discontinuing the Haven Home operation. It was the consensus of the Commissioners to
consider applications on a temporary basis only. Mr. Bagwell made a motion to approve Preston
Stafford’s application for residence at Howard Haven on a probationary basis
and authorize the President to sign on behalf of the Board. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which
carried.
IN THE
MATTER OF PLAN COMMISSION ISSUES AND PROPERTIES FOR APPROVAL:
Plan Commission Director, Glen Boise, presented the
following issues for information and approval:
1.
Flood Hazard Mitigation Grant Assistance: There has been no further information
received from the State. Mr. Boise is
currently working on updating the flood plan and should have additional
comments to present at the next meeting.
2.
3.
In September 2002, Mr. Boise presented information about the Community
Rating System (CRS) by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This system is used by the flood
insurance program to reduce flood insurance rates by 5-10% for communities
participating in the program. Mr. Boise
asked the Commissioners to review the information and consider whether they
would be interested in pursuing the program.
In order to participate in the program, the County can do as much or as
little as it wants. The activities are
voluntary. More activities means more
points awarded to reduce flood insurance rates.
The County is already performing about one third of the recommended
activities such as the Highway Department clearing debris from around
bridges. The Plan Commission maintains
flood elevation certificates and Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) and is
working on a storm water management plan.
Though there will be some expense for seminars, mailing newsletters, and
time to administrate the program, the existing staff should be able to handle
the additional work.
Mr. Bagwell made a motion to
authorize the Plan Commission to proceed with the Community Rating System
Program set forth by the National Flood Insurance Program. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which
carried.
4.
In another project which is running parallel with the grant application
to purchase one or two more homes, Mr. Boise in proposing to request services
in regard to designing a Flood Proofing Plan which would set forth an
appropriate method of flood proofing, and define a second phase implementation
process. The Howard County Flood Hazard
Mitigation Plan identified twenty-three (23) buildings in rural
5.
Unsafe Structures: There has been no response from
the Bankruptcy Trustee regarding Martin Myers property located at 3904 South
350 West. (See
IN THE MATTER OF
MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT ISSUES:
Maintenance Superintendent Thomas Harrison chose to
delay his discussions until reports regarding the status of the Courthouse
Renovation Project were heard. (See page 6, “In the Matter of Courthouse Renovation Issues”).
IN THE MATTER OF PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATOR
ISSUES:
Personnel Director, Wanda
McKillip presented
the following issues for information:
1.
P.E.R.F. Benefit Seminar Report: Over 100
county employees attended the two-session, joint City-County seminar on
2.
Breast Cancer Awareness Class: Everyone was
reminded that the class is scheduled for
3.
Howard
4.
Flu Shots will be administered to county employees on Thursday,
November 14th and Friday, November 15th from
5.
AFLAC Voluntary Insurance Plans: American
Family Life Assurance Company (AFLAC) representatives will be available to meet
with employees at the following dates:
Tuesday, November 12th,
Wednesday, November 13th,
Thursday, November 14th,
(No meetings will be held at the
Courthouse due to the construction in progress.)
6.
The Commissioners were opposed to placing a handout advertising Greentown
Performing Art Center in county employee paychecks. It was deemed that paycheck stuffers should
be limited to County related issues.
However, the Commissioners passed a resolution, by consensus, that such
advertisements and information promoting activities in the community may be
placed in the employee break areas.
7.
The list of appointments for the 2003-year will be presented at the
8.
Vickie Hinkle attended a Homeland Security Meeting in
IN THE
MATTER OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER ISSUES:
Mr. Terry Tribby, Information Systems Manager, presented the following issues for
Commissioner information:
1.
The cabling contractors are getting ready to start installing
cables for the data, telephones, and connecting the second floor Communications
Center to the first floor in the Courthouse. Hopefully the connections will be completed
this week. The server needs to be
removed from the dusty environment. It
is anticipated the furniture for the
2.
DoxPop Update: The DoxPop Company sent an
e-mail to several people in the County to look at the site for recommendations
regarding the information to be posted on the internet. The program will be tested for approximately
two (2) more weeks before making it available on-line.
3.
The current County Website (co.howard.in.us) has been updated with Site
Search. This enables the user
to search for information contained in old ordinances and various other
documents related to a particular subject.
IN THE MATTER OF
(See
County Dispatch & Communications Director Tony
Ramsey presented the following issue for Commissioner information and approval:
In March 2002, the Commissioners approved a computer
upgrade for the radio manager that controls the radio system at the tower. (Ordinance No. 2002-BCC-12.) See
IN THE MATTER OF SHERIFF DEPARTMENT ISSUES:
Sheriff David McKinney was present for the following
discussions:
1. The Commissioners questioned a purchase from Klings Computers
in the amount of $22,621.22 that may not have been presented for their
approval. The Commissioners must approve
any purchase exceeding $10,000.00 first.
Information Systems Manager Terry Tribby said the purchase was for
laptop computers specially designed to be used in vehicles.
Sheriff McKinney stated that Major Larry Shipman had already made the presentation several months ago. In November 2001, two Build Indiana Fund Grants were approved by the Commissioners; one for $50,000 for the Sheriff’s Department to purchase equipment, and the other for $30,000 to accommodate the purchase of a vehicle for the Greentown Special Police. Since the cost of the computers was over $10,000, when the actual purchase of equipment was negotiated in August 2002, the request should have come again before the Board, who is the County’s Purchasing Agency. This failed to happen.
2. Captain Harold Vincent is working on
finishing the monthly census report of the
IN THE MATTER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTIONS GRANT FOR JUVENILE PROBATION:
Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Don Travis
presented the following issues for Commissioner information and approval:
1.
Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant Program
(JAIBG): The Commissioners approved the
Grant Application in July. (See
2.
The Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant
(JAIBG Program) Quarterly Narrative and Financial Report for the quarter
ending
IN THE MATTER OF HOWARD COUNTY TREASURER ISSUES:
Howard County Treasurer Ann Wells presented the following issues for Commissioner information and approval:
1.
Delinquent personal property tax collection: The County entered into an agreement with
Atlas Collection Agency in 1999 to take over delinquent personal property tax
collections. The number of collections
diminished and the Agency failed to follow through on taking delinquent
taxpayers to court. Mrs. Wells decided
to terminate the contract with Atlas Collection Agency with a thirty (30) day
notice. (See
Mr. Bagwell made a motion to contract with Attorney George Hopkins for collection of delinquent property taxes for a fee of 30% above what is owed to the County. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion and it carried.
2. NSF Checks: The Treasurer’s Office receives about 85 to
150 bad checks each year. Mrs. Wells
requested approval to raise the current $10.00 NSF fee to $30.00. The law states that a business may collect up
to $30.00 plus three times the amount of the check if taken to court. Deducting funds from the computer that have
been collected for distributions to the various agencies such as the State,
townships and schools is tedious task.
Mr. Harbaugh made a motion to approve the NSF Check fee increase from
$10.00 to $30.00, effective on
IN THE MATTER OF THE MS4 STORMWATER ADVISORY
COMMITTEE:
James Hamilton,
1.
Request for formal action on the map boundary: The original boundary of the MS4 District
includes 47 sections of public land survey.
The Advisory Committee recommends that the map be modified to include
three additional sections as shown on the revised map. (Sections: 20-24-4,
Mr. Bagwell made a motion to add the three sections indicated on the revised Howard County MS4 Boundary Map. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which carried.
2. Direction on development of the initial
assessment: Amy Moore, Environmental
Engineer with
IN THE MATTER OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)
Mike Condre and Andrew Harrison of The Schneider Corporation presented the following for Commissioner information and approval:
Pursuant to a contract signed earlier in the year in regard to mapping, Mr. Condre presented an Authorization to Proceed with creating topology on the Kokomo/Center Township parcels as well as train and assist Howard County Personnel to finish the remaining townships.
Mr. Condre congratulated
Mr. Harrison said
The current system in the Mapping Department meets the needs of the public by delivering parcel maps but does not meet the needs of the other efforts, such as layers which would accommodate projects such as MS4 and Disaster Recovery. The GIS System would be centralized with one base system in the Auditor’s Mapping Office, which would be updated and could be tapped into to retrieve base data on which layers could be built to accommodate the operational needs for the individual departments/projects that use maps in their daily work.
The cost of $9,450.00 for GIS Professional Services has already been appropriated in the Reassessment Fund. Mr. Bagwell made a motion approve the Authorization To Proceed for The Schneider Corporation to create topology and new centroids for the Kokomo/Center Township parcel map, subject to funding being available, and authorize the President to sign on behalf of the Commissioners. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which carried.
IN THE MATTER OF UPDATING
Mrs. Jamie Shepherd, Mapping/Property Records Coordinator & Drafting Person of the Howard County Auditor’s Office, stated the county aerial maps were last photographed in the spring of 1998. Current aerial maps are an important part of Reassessment process and for use in the Auditor’s Office. The Schneider Corporation has performed various updates to the parcel maps and the county has assigned new PIN numbers. The PIN numbers will be the intelligent link of the parcels to the database. The Mapping Department would like for the The Schneider Corporation to assist with the RFP for the new aerial photography, planned for Spring 2003.
The cost of the project is based on the quality of the photographs. When the photographs are shot, a lower flight elevation means better quality photos at a higher cost. Mr. Condre said the biggest concern is not to “step backwards”. The Mapping Department has laid a solid foundation and The Schneider Corporation does not want to do anything less than the quality that is already established. The City’s photography was shot at 6-inch pixels and the County at 12-inch pixels. A recommendation was made to shoot the entire county at 6-inch pixels instead of 12-inch pixels to give a better view.
This is a County project. Because there is sufficient Reassessment money available, the County proposes to pay for both the City and County aerial photography. Mr. Condre said the cost of project would be less if completed all at one time.
Mr. Bagwell made a motion to authorize The Schneider Corporation to proceed with the RFP for the service of generating the aerial photography. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which carried.
IN THE MATTER OF COUNTY ATTORNEY ISSUES:
1. A claim in the amount of $296.00 was presented from County Attorney Larry Murrell for legal services rendered by Barnes & Thornberg. Payment was approved on a motion by Mr. Bagwell, seconded by Mr. Harbaugh, which carried.
IN THE MATTER OF CLAIMS AND REPORTS:
1.
Operating claims payable on
2.
Commissioners’ Salary Claims for hourly,
salary, and overtime payable for October 25th and November 1st,
were approved on a motion made by Mr. Bagwell. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which
carried.
3.
The
4.
The following statements (Application No. 4) have been approved
by Mr. Bassett and submitted for payment for the Howard County Courthouse
Renovation:
Terstep
Company, Inc. $377,376.32
First
National Bank (escrow) $41,930.68
A
motion was made by Mr. Bagwell to approve payment as requested. Seconded by Mr. Harbaugh, the motion carried.
IN THE MATTER OF
COMMISSIONER ISSUES:
1.
The Commissioners received information
regarding the
2.
The Report from the Veteran’s Service Officer for the Month of
September 2002
was accepted on a motion made by Mr. Bagwell.
Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, and it carried.
3.
The Weights and Measures Monthly Report for September 15th
through October 15th, 2002 was accepted on a motion made by Mr. Harbaugh,
seconded by Mr. Bagwell, which carried.
IN THE MATTER OF COURTHOUSE RENOVATION
ISSUES:
Mr. William Bassett of William Bassett and
Associates was on vacation and not in attendance. President. Raver and Maintenance
Superintendent Tom Harrison presented the following issues for Commissioner
information and approval:
· Construction is moving forward according to the schedule. The contractors are getting the offices ready for the Clerk and Prosecutor on the second floor. The heating will be inspected by the end of this week. Contractors are getting ready to put the final coat of paint on the walls. Carpet is scheduled to be installed the first week in November. The offices may be ready for occupancy sometime in November.
·
Furniture for the Clerk’s Office was ordered and ready to be
delivered. Contractors are scheduled to
install the track for the new file storage system this week.
·
Three quotes were obtained for furniture (delivery, setup and cleanup)
for the Prosecutor’s Office:
Humphrey Printing Company,
Inc. $7,745.00
Rite Quality Office Supplies,
Inc. $6,700.35
Mr. Harbaugh made a motion
to approve the lowest bid from Beckley Office Equipment in the amount of $6,668.00. The motion was seconded by Mr. Harbaugh and
it carried.
·
There are four (4) desk units in the former Prosecutor’s Office that
will not fit upstairs. Contractors will
try to fit these units into another area of the Courthouse.
·
A week ago today Terstep brought in two cranes, one to accommodate the changes
in regard to the heating and cooling systems, and the other one to remove the
old skylight. The new skylight was in
place by Wednesday.
·
A complete change over on the electricity was made on Saturday, October
19th. Installation of the new
electrical main panels has been completed.
·
Water has been run through approximately 90% of the heating system
pipes. Later this week chemicals will be
added to clean the system out. Heat to
the building is anticipated to be turned on no later than November 4th.
·
The microfilm room was moved upstairs into the law library so the
contractors can tear down the wall in the Clerk’s Office.
·
The area where the present law library is located has books on shelves
from the ceiling to the floor. There are
two sections of books on the east side that need to be moved for access to the
jury room. A decision must be made
whether to dispose of these books or find somewhere to store them.
·
This week the contractors will start tearing out the wall in the
Clerk’s Office Child Support area to begin work on the inmate elevator.
There being no further business before the Board at this
time, Mr. Bagwell made a motion to adjourn.
Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion and it carried. The meeting closed at
THE
HOWARD
___________________________________________
PAUL
J. RAVER, PRESIDENT
___________________________________________
BRADLEY
J. BAGWELL, VICE-PRESIDENT
___________________________________________
JOHN
B. HARBAUGH, MEMBER
ATTEST:
__________________________________
Commissioner Minutes,