HOWARD
The Howard County Board of Commissioners met in Regular Session on
The meeting was called to
order by Sheriff Marshall Talbert and conducted by President Bradley J.
Bagwell.
The minutes from the regular meeting held on October 20th, and two
Executive Sessions held on October 9th and
IN THE MATTER
OF HIGHWAY ISSUES:
Mr. Ted Cain, Howard County Highway
Engineer/Superintendent presented the following issues for Commissioner
information and approval:
1. Materials and Supplies for Year 2004: Bids
for the Highway Department’s 2004 operating materials and supplies were
received and opened by Mr. Cain at the scheduled time advertised of
Item #l Precast
and Prestressed Beams –
None
Item
#2 Various Grades of Asphalt, Emulsion, and Tar –
Asphalt
Materials, Inc.
Mohr
Construction Co., Inc. (E & B)
Item #3 Bituminous
Coated Aggregate, Asphaltic Concrete Binder and Top –
Mohr
Construction Co., Inc. (Bought by E & B Construction Co.)
Item #4 Stone
–
Martin-Marietta
Materials
Hansen
Aggregates (Bought out Stone Co.)
Item #5 Equipment
Rental –
Baker & Schultz
Mr.
Harbaugh made a motion to take the
2. Performance Bond No. 104126305 in
the amount of $100,000.00 was submitted from Pillars Housing L.P. for the
installation of a new access drive for Pillars Place/Rainbow Gardens
Subdivision in
Mr. Raver made a motion to accept the performance bond for Pillars Place/Rainbow Gardens Subdivision as presented. Seconded by Mr. Harbaugh, the motion carried.
3. Quotes
for New Vehicles:
a. 2004 Model ¾-Ton Pickup Truck Price Includes Trade-In of Two
Trucks
Brad Howell Ford $22,998.59
Graham Ford $23,154.34
Mr.
Cain would like to buy this truck as soon as possible in order to prepare for
plowing snow this winter. Mr. Raver made
a motion to authorize the purchase of a 2004, 3/4 –ton pick up truck from
Kokomo Auto World for a net price of $22,512.25.
Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which carried.
b. 2004 Single Axle Cab &
Chassis Truck Price Includes Trade-In
Wiers International $50,952.98
Mr. Cain anticipates this
truck to be received in February 2004. Mr. Raver made a motion to authorize the
purchase of a 2004 single axle cab & chassis truck from Speedway International for a net price of $50,265.12. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, and it
carried.
IN THE MATTER
OF SHERIFF DEPARTMENT ISSUES:
Sheriff Marshall Talbert presented the following
issues for Commissioner information and approval:
1.
Lieutenant Don Howard
passed away on Saturday, November 15th, 2003. Services will be held at
2.
Jail
Report for the Month of October:
The average daily inmate population was 285 compared to 292 in
September.
3.
Audio – Video Recording Equipment:
(See pages 1-2, November 3rd, 2003 minutes, “In the Matter
of Sheriff Department Issues”, Item 2, for related discussion) The following three (3) vendors provided
estimates to install real time audio and video equipment:
Electrical
Equipment Company $11,525.00
Central
Security and Communications $12,142.00
Aadco $16,846.00
After viewing a
demonstration by Aadco, Sheriff Talbert commented that the quality of their
equipment is incredible. The digital
recording equipment has the capability of adding more cameras in the future as
well as remote networking with the Courthouse.
This means that in the event of a problem, the Sheriff would be able see
what is going on at the Courthouse.
Alternatively, Courthouse Deputy Craig Trott would have the ability to
observe the Book In area at the jail.
Sheriff Talbert proposes to commit money from the Misdemeanant Grant
Fund to purchase the equipment. Kokomo
Police Chief Tom Dinardo has indicated that the city would be willing to assume
some of the cost. A cost to link the two
networks was not included in the quote.
Aadco Representative John Hill indicated that once the components have
been installed, the County’s networking system should be able to zoom into the
Courthouse and vice versa.
Information Systems Director
Terry Tribby stated he would like to look further into the Aadco digital
recording equipment. In order to have 6
months of data storage capability, there would likely be additional hardware
costs involved. Mr. Tribby felt this is
a very good application but is concerned whether the current link between the
two facilities would be large enough to accommodate the proposed video transmission;
it would consume a substantial amount of bandwidth. Mr. Bagwell stated, typically it would not
be running across the bandwidth all of the time. Sheriff Talbert said this would only be used
in the event of an emergency.
Mr. Bagwell commented that
it is critical to get the video recording equipment installed in the Book-In
area and suggested taking a look at linking it to the Courthouse at a future
date. He recommended that the new system
have USB port capability. Sheriff
Talbert stated that most of the incidents resulting in litigation happened in
the Book-In area and projected that the video recording could reduce liability
issues.
Maintenance Superintendent
Tom Harrison cautioned the Sheriff to make sure that existing wiring does not
get cut or damaged during installation of the video recording equipment. This problem happened during installation of
the camera system in the Courthouse, which resulted in costly repairs.
Mr. Harbaugh made a motion
to authorize the Sheriff’s Department to purchase the video recording equipment
from Aadco in the amount of $16,846.00, and acknowledge that it is not the
lowest quote, but due to compatibility issues with the existing video
monitoring system at the Courthouse it is the best choice. Mr. Raver seconded the motion, and it
carried.
IN THE MATTER OF COURTHOUSE RENOVATION FOLLOW UP:
1. New Holding Cells / Prisoner
Bench Update: (See page 2, November 3rd,
2003 minutes, “In the Matter of Maintenance Department Issues”, Item 1, for
related discussion) Maintenance
Superintendent Tom Harrison took measurements and found that an 8-foot bench
will not fit in the new holding cells.
Mr. Harrison suggested installing a 6-foot bench on one wall and a
4-foot bench on the other wall in each cell at a cost of $1,760.00 plus
shipping for a total of $2,200.00. Mr.
Raver advised there was enough money in the Courthouse Renovation Budget to
cover the cost of the benches without using Misdemeanant Grant money.
Mr. Raver made a motion to authorize the purchase of four 6-foot benches and four 4-foot benches in the basement of the Courthouse for the four holding cells in the amount of $2,200.00 to be paid from the Courthouse Renovation Fund. Seconded by Mr. Harbaugh, the motion carried.
2.
Terstep Company Inc. will arrive tomorrow on November 18th,
for a meeting scheduled at
3.
Mr. Harrison reported that the Sheriff Deputy station on the
first floor of the Courthouse has been disassembled and removed.
IN THE MATTER
OF PLAN COMMISSION ISSUES AND PROPERTIES FOR APPROVAL:
Plan Commission Director
Glen Boise presented the following issues for Commissioner information:
1.
There were no subdivision
plats to be presented at this time.
2.
Unsafe Buildings: Mr.
Boise reported he did not have an opportunity to complete the fieldwork
necessary to provide updates on unsafe buildings.
3.
Flood Mitigation Issues: Mr.
Boise is working on the pre-applications that will be sent to F.E.M.A.
IN THE MATTER OF MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT ISSUES:
Maintenance Superintendent
Thomas Harrison presented the following issues for Commissioner information and
approval:
1. Maintenance Issues at Howard
Haven: (See pages 2-3,
●
The sump pump was replaced in the basement. This has resolved most of the water problems
in the drains. The issue of soap coming
out through the drains cannot be resolved.
●
Economy Glass has been contacted to replace the door glass and some
glass on the second story.
●
Maintenance was unable to repair a clothes dryer that stopped
working. Mr. Harrison advised the
Co-Managers to proceed with purchasing a new one.
●
An estimate of $2,450.00 was obtained for cement work to widen the
entrance to the building to accommodate a wheel chair, plus a cement pad west
of the garage to hold the gas tank. Mr.
Harrison proposes to request money out of the Cumulative Capital Development
Fund to pay for the cement work.
●
Some old faucets were replaced along with a sink vanity.
●
Mr. Harrison plans to contact a roofing contractor to repair some leaks
on the building.
●
The transportation van was repaired and it is up and running.
●
On Wednesday, November 19th, the Jail Trustees are scheduled
to help discard items that are no longer used by the facility.
2.
3.
Certified
Laboratories Annual Contracts: The 2004 contracts for water testing and treatment
were presented from Certified Laboratories.
In the past five years Certified Laboratories has provided their
services, chemicals, and materials to test the systems in five (5) county owned
buildings. Mr. Harrison advised that he
has money in his budget to pay for the following contracts:
Building 2004
- Annual Contract Cost
Howard County
Administration Center $
1,175.00
Kinsey Juvenile
Detention Center $
2,397.00
Howard County
Government Building $
2,295.00
* For 6 months from July 1st to
December 31st, 2004 due to the warranty in effect for the work
completed on the HVAC system.
Mr. Harbaugh made a motion
to approve the water treatment proposals with Certified Laboratories as presented and authorize the President to sign
on behalf of the Board. Mr. Raver
seconded the motion, which carried.
4.
Water
Tower at Jail: Quality Plumbing
& Heating will begin installing the new water tower at the Criminal Justice
Center today.
5.
The patching work has finally been completed on the County
parking lot at the northeast corner of
IN THE MATTER
OF PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATOR ISSUES:
Personnel Director Wanda
McKillip together with Mr. Doug Heath from Miles and Finch Insurance presented
the Health Insurance Renewal Proposal for Commissioner approval:
Mr. Heath presented the Howard County Employees
Summary Report for claims period
Last year Anthem projected claims for the previous
2003 contract year at $2,811,871.08, based on 423 employees plus their spouses
and dependent children. However, the
claims actually came in at $4.2 million.
The expected fixed costs for
The Health Insurance Committee met on
Mr. Heath reviewed the renewal options that would
begin on
The monthly premiums, based on 423 employees, will
increase approximately 26%. The
full-time employees hired prior to
Mrs. McKillip explained that prescription and vision
will no longer be included in the medical coverage. Each plan stands alone to enable an employee
to choose which options they want to buy.
The provider for the vision plan has been changed from Vision Service
Plan (VSP) to Anthem Vision Plan. Mrs.
McKillip reported that the County Council met on Wednesday, October 12th,
2003 and voted to pick up the employee contributions for medical only for the
2004-year.
Mrs. McKillip and her staff are working on compiling
information packets for employees.
Enrollment meetings are scheduled for December 2nd and 3rd,
2003. The enrollment packets, listing
all of the information will be distributed to employees on Friday, November 21st.
Mr. Harbaugh made a motion to approve the renewal
option and the proposed rates as presented, effective
PUBLIC
HEARING – VACATION OF ALLEY LOTS 5 AND 6 IN TOWN OF
Scheduled
Public Hearing –
The
public hearing was opened at
Attorney David T. Baird, UAW-Chryler Legal Services
Plan, presented a petition to vacate a portion of an alley for Lots 5 and 6 in
the Original Plat of the Town of
There was no one in the audience with questions or
comments.
Mr. Raver made a motion, seconded by Mr. Harbaugh
and carried, to close the public hearing.
Mr. Raver made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 2003-BCC-51, an
Ordinance vacating an alley in the town of
Close public hearing –
IN THE MATTER OF
Howard County Clerk Mona Myers wished to publicly
thank Information Systems Director Terry Tribby and Network Administrator John
Templin, for their efforts in helping post election results on the County
website on
Mrs. Myers said Mr. Brown is working on updates to
show which precincts that are coming in during the election next year. To purchase this type of software program
would cost $15,000. Mr. Brown was kind
enough to provide the program at no cost to the County.
IN THE MATTER OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS DIRECTOR ISSUES:
Information Systems Director Terry Tribby presented
the following issues for Commissioner information
and approval:
1.
Court Record Internet
Publishing: Mr. Tribby
contacted Dox Pop, the company that handles internet access to County court
records. Currently there are about 40
registered users, which resulted in approximately 25,000 hits on the site in
October 2003. Mr. Tribby interpreted
this is 25,000 pages of information that the internet has delivered to people
requesting records. This means a savings
of employee time in gathering this amount of information.
2.
E-911 Dispatch Link: Information
Systems has been working on establishing a link between E-911 Dispatch and the
Kokomo Police Department and connection.
Initially, there were several ISDN lines making the connection at a cost
of $1,000 to $1,200 per month. The Kokomo Police Department server is
now in production. There are just a few
minor issues to resolve but Mr. Tribby did not foresee any problems. He advised that the ISDN lines might be
cancelled in as little as the next two to four weeks, which will result in
significant savings to the County.
3.
Last week the Information Systems redesigned the Howard County
Internet Website. Mr. Tribby
encouraged the Commissioners to view the site and express comments.
4.
Card
Access System Update: Best Access
Systems put the card access program on a server and the Courthouse was set up
for access to the main system. Training
is scheduled for Friday, November 21st. Sheriff’s Department Personnel Administrator
Ree Moon designed the cards that are ready to be printed. Mr. Raver has prepared a news release to
notify when the west doors will be closed to the public. Mr. Harrison recommended delaying the news
release until after the test run on November 21st to make sure the
card access system is working properly.
Mr. Tribby will report on the status of the system at the next meeting
on
5.
Workstation
Replacement at Courthouse: (See page
4, November 3rd, 2003 minutes, “In the Matter of Information System
Manager Issues”, Item 2, for related discussion) Mr. Raver researched funding sources for
money to upgrade the 22 workstations in the Courthouse. Mr. Raver and Mr. Tribby agreed that the
servers could be purchased with money out of the Courthouse Renovation -
Furniture and Equipment Account.
Mr. Raver made a motion to authorize Mr. Tribby to order the servers as needed to upgrade the 22 workstations located in the Courthouse to be paid out of the Courthouse Furniture and Equipment Fund. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which carried.
IN THE MATTER OF
Mr. Paul Wood, Director of
the Main Street Association, said the Community Foundation of Howard County has
an organization known as the Women’s Forum.
This committee met to research what grant monies might be available for
community improvement. The Women’s Forum
requested Mr. Wood to ask the Commissioners and Mr. Harrison whether they would
be interested in a grant proposal to purchase lights and holiday decorations
for the newly renovated Courthouse. The
Community Foundation is willing to help underwrite the project. Mr. Wood stated that he is in charge of
writing the grant. The Commissioners
recommended that Mr. Wood should be responsible for both processing and
administering the grant. The funding
will also provide funding to help decorate the windows of the various businesses
surrounding the
The Design Committee and the
Art Association recommend placing a single white candle in each window and
white lights on the evergreen trees.
General Plastics in
Mr. Raver made a motion to
authorize the Main Street Association to pursue a holiday decoration program
for the Courthouse in cooperation with the building and grounds
superintendent. Seconded by Mr.
Harbaugh, the motion carried.
IN THE MATTER OF CLAIMS AND REPORTS:
1.
Operating claims payable on
2.
Commissioner’s Salary Claims for hourly, salary, and overtime payable for November
21st and November 28th (payable November 26th)
2003, were approved on a motion made by Mr. Raver. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, and it
carried.
3.
Additional Appropriations, Reductions, and Transfers to be considered at the
Council meeting on
4.
A copy of the Soil and Water Agenda and Minutes was provided to
the Commissioners.
IN THE MATTER OF COUNTY ATTORNEY ISSUES:
1.
A claim was presented from
2.
A claim was presented for services rendered by Barnes and Thornburg
through the month of September 2003 to the Civic Center Board for work in
connection with Forms 990, 872C (forms that are filed with the I.R.S.) in the
amount of $465.30. Mr. Raver made a
motion to approve payment, seconded by Mr. Harbaugh, and it carried.
3.
Chrysler Bond Issue: (See
page 7, November 3rd, 2003 minutes, “In the Matter of County
Attorney Issues”, Item 3, for related information) On Wednesday, November 12th, 2003
a joint meeting was held with the County Council, Redevelopment Commission, and
the Redevelopment Authority regarding refinancing the Howard County Economic
Development Income Tax Revenue Bonds of 1996.
Mr. Chris Johnston of Crowe Chizek sent an engagement letter requesting
the Commissioners to approve Crowe Chizek and Company LLC as the financial
advisor for this project. The fee to be
paid to them will come out of the bond proceeds. Attorney Murrell anticipates having an
engagement letter at the next Commissioners’ meeting from Barnes and Thornburg
requesting approval to be the bond counsel for this project.
Mr. Harbaugh made a motion to approve the engagement letter for financial services from Crowe Chizek and Company LLC and authorize the President to sign on behalf of the Board. Mr. Raver seconded the motion, and it carried.
Mr. Raver made a motion to
approve the engagement letter for escrow verification and authorize the
President to sign on behalf of the Board.
Seconded by Mr. Harbaugh, the motion carried.
Mr. Raver made a motion to
engage Barnes and Thornburg as the bond counsel pending a written engagement
letter to be approved at the
IN THE MATTER OF COMMISSIONER
ISSUES:
After a discussion, a motion
was made by Mr. Raver, seconded by Mr. Harbaugh, and carried, to officially
name the building at
Office Holders and Elected Officials will be
notified in writing regarding the official name change and to work with Maintenance
Superintendent Tom Harrison to install the proper signage.
There being no further
business before the Board at this time, Mr. Harbaugh made a motion to
adjourn. Mr. Raver seconded the motion
and it carried. The meeting closed at
THE
HOWARD
___________________________________________
BRADLEY
J. BAGWELL, PRESIDENT
___________________________________________
JOHN
B. HARBAUGH, VICE PRESIDENT
___________________________________________
PAUL
J. RAVER, MEMBER
ATTEST:
__________________________________
Commissioner Minutes,