FULTON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
November 6, 2006, 9:00 A.M., E.S.T., in Assembly Room of the Fulton County Office
Building.
Meeting Called To Order:
Richard A. Powell called this Meeting to Order at 9:05 a.m., E.S.T. Present for this
meeting were Commissioners Richard A. Powell; Roger D. Rose; Leslie Walters; Denise
Chandler, Auditor; and Gregory Heller, attorney.
Highway Department:
Superintendent Scott Tilden reported that the drains in the highway department garage
need to be connected to a holding tank that is sealed off and does not drain out to a tile.
The other options are to connect to city sewer, which isn’t available, or close off the
drains, which would flood the garage in the winter. He said this is due to new EPA
regulations. He said the tank will need to be cleaned, the contents tested, the tank sealed,
which will be costly. Compliance is required by January 1, 2007.
Tilden introduced Dick Robertson from Level 5 Engineering to present the 2006 Bridge
Inspection Phase I, which has been completed. Tilden said that there are a couple of
bridges that need to test for weight limits and another that needs a posting correction.
Bridge #506 is off the report, as the bridge was replaced with a culvert with a span
smaller than 20 feet.
Clerk:
Karen Miller said that a utility worker asked her to let him into the basement for access.
She said that in the past maintenance personnel accompanied anyone while they were
working. She said that she didn’t have the time to monitor utility workers. She said she
left him unattended and wanted to notify the Board.
County Equipment Auction:
Dave Tofson wants to have an auction to dispose of the spare electronic equipment. He
said there are four copiers, 13 or 14 computer systems and more. Tofson will contact an
auctioneer to see who will handle it. Roger Rose moved to have an auction on surplus
county equipment of electronics of various types stored at the EMA building, and Dave
Tofson will look into having a sale. Leslie Walters seconded the motion. Motion carried
3-0.
Mt. Zion Dam:
Roger Rose reported participating in teleconferences with American Consulting and
Senator Richard Lugar’s office to find funding for the dam portion of the Mt Zion
project. He said that funding is established for bridge replacement, and the dam portion
remains an obstacle. He said that the private ownership of the dam is a big obstacle in
the efforts to get federal assistance. He said that all other funding possibilities have been
exhausted. He said there is a sense of urgency due to the rate of deterioration of the dam.
He said the Board should discuss taking ownership of the dam, the issues surrounding
that and whether that is the appropriate move at this point. Attorney Heller said that
Lugar’s office requested history of the dam, specifically, who built it, how it was built,
why it was built. He said that he has talked with Fretz Abstract about researching the
dam. He asked that the Board approve hiring Fretz Abstract to do a title search, knowing
this may not uncover all of the information needed. Tofson recommended not taking
ownership of the dam until there is a commitment from the federal government on the
grant funding to do the emergency action plan due to liability. After federal approval for
the grant, it will be eight months until the action plan is complete. Tofson suggested
using the leverage of the DNR spending $2 million on the hydrilla weed on Lake
Manitou to seek further funding. He explained that if the dam broke and flooded Lake
Manitou, the waters could release hydrilla into the Tippecanoe River. He said the DNR
has stated that once it reaches the Tippecanoe River, they will not be able to control it due
to the current. Roger Rose moved to hire Fretz Abstract to conduct a title search and seek
the history of the Mt. Zion dam for the possibility of taking ownership of the dam. Leslie
Walters seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
WTH Engineering:
Rob Bryant reported to the Board that NAVTEQ has contacted him asking to get address,
road and highway data, bridges, township boundaries. He said this company works with
On Star and such companies. He said their agreement would state that they cannot pass
the data on to anyone else. This will be tabled until the next meeting for modifications of
the agreement and review.
Commissioner Meeting Minutes:
The minutes of the October 6, 2006; and October 16, 2006, Board of Commissioners
meetings were reviewed. Leslie Walters moved to approve the minutes of the October 6,
2006; and October 16, 2006, meetings as presented. Roger Rose seconded this motion.
Motion carried 3-0.
Health Insurance:
Alan McCloskey with Consolidated Union, the current health plan for Fulton County,
also introduced those representing SIHO, the third party administrator. He said 50 people
participated in the health risk assessments, including a questionnaire and health screens.
He said this is lower than their normal 90% participation. He said that this year to date
the County has actually spent is $644,452.13. He said this time last year the County had
spent $753,710.36, $109,258.23 or 14%, more.
Public Hearing:
Richard Powell opened the public hearing for the requested Zone Map Amendment for
Indiana Renewable Fuels. It wants 430 acres rezoned from agriculture to industrial. The
Plan Commission made a recommendation for the change in zoning with commitments.
The Board recommended additional commitments. The Plan Commission suggested a
change in one of the commitments due to the terminology. If passed, IRF has 90 days to
record the commitments or it will be null and void. Roger Rose moved to close the
public hearing. Leslie Walters seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
IRF Rezone:
Roger Rose moved to approve the modified commitments as presented by the Plan
Commission. Leslie Walters seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
Plan Director:
Casi Cramer presented a request for the Board to waive the $50 application fee for a
Special Exception, the $20 fee for the location improvement permit, and the $150 fee for
the building permit fee for the proposed Richland Township Community Building.
Following some discussion, Roger Rose moved to waive the fees for the permits as
proposed. Leslie Walters seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
Cramer also said the Area Plan Commission is working on a recommendation to
consolidate the zone districts to make them uniform across the County. There are
currently 39 districts. She also presented proposed Articles of Organization for the Area
Plan Commission. She would like to see the Area Plan Commission in effect in June,
2007.
Transpo:
Director Terry Moore said that Transpo is approximately 2,000 trips ahead of where it
was this time last year and they had 5,492 boardings in the third quarter of this year.
Fedco:
The Board is required to make an appointment to the Fedco Board for an annual term.
Leslie Walters nominated Roger Rose for the Fedco Board. Richard Powell seconded the
nomination. Vote 3-0 in favor.
Wayne Township Community Focus Grant:
Wayne Township needs the Board’s support to apply for the Community Focus Grant.
Roger Rose moved to sign the letter of support for Wayne Township. Leslie Walters
seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
Copier Maintenance Contract:
The County recently purchased three new copiers for the Auditor, the Recorder and the
Soil and Water Office. A semi-annual per copy maintenance contract includes all toner
and supplies. Denise reported that for the Auditor’s office, there is no increase in the
monthly cost for the contract. She said that the Treasurer’s cost should decrease. The
Soil and Water office will get its new copier in December when the current contract
expires.
Transfer Requests:
Highway Dept.:
From
30202
To
30100
Bridge #88
$
8,960.04
All Bridge Inspection
$
8,960.04
Surveyor:
From
101-36000-000-006
To
101-32000-000-006
Maint on Equip
$
225.00
Telephone
$
225.00
Repair Equip
$
1,000.00
Prisoner Meals
Utilities
$
$
200.00
800.00
Public Defender
From
101.21000.000.271
To
101.21100.000.271
Office Supply
$
200.00
Postage
$
200.00
Aviation
From
211-31007-0-211
To
211-21000-0-211
Utilities
$
500.00
Office supplies
$
500.00
DCS
From
843.39105
To
843.31105
Independent Living for Wards
$
2,000.00
Care of Wards in Foster Care
$
2,000.00
DCS
From
843.32003
843.37201
To
843.31502
Misc Costs for Wards
Medicaid Rehab Option
$ 10,000.00
$ 8,000.00
Care of Wards in
Therapeutic Foster Care
$ 18,000.00
Health Dept.
From
801.31203.000.197
To
801.31104.000.197
Environmental Health
$
1,200.00
Prenatal Care
$
1,200.00
Sheriff/Jail
From
101-380-36001
To
101-380-39104
101-380-31007
Emergency Mgmt
From
160-31012-000-240
To
160-30011-000-240
Services & Supplies
$
400.00
Fax Machine
$
400.00
$
25.00
$
25.00
Drainage Board
From
101-063-32400
Publish Legals
To
101-063-32000
Telephone
These transfer requests were reviewed and approved.
Appropriation Requests:
Veterans Office
101.19000.000.012
Part-time
$ 2,500.00
Commissioners
101-37200-000-068
101-37300-000.068
American Legion
VFW
$
$
215.00
215.00
Courthouse
22104
22003
39001
Janitor Supplies
Gas-Mower/Garage & Motor
Laundry & Uniforms
$
$
$
1,000.00
200.00
500.00
Sheriff
101-380-39104
101-380-31007
Prisoner Meals
Utilities
$ 12,000.00
$ 6,000.00
Council
176-31016-000-176
Longevity Pay
$ 17,000.00
Aviation
202-22006-000-202
Jet Fuel
$ 60,000.00
Commissioner
101-36002-000-068
State Institutions
The additional appropriation requests were reviewed and approved.
$
5,000.00
Claims and Payroll:
The Commissioners reviewed Payroll and all Claims and signed them for payment.
Old Business:
The Board needed to reappoint Dr. Brubaker and Linda Baldwin to the Health Board or
appoint someone else for four-year terms. Roger Rose moved to reappoint Dr. Brubaker
and Linda Baldwin to the Fulton County Board of Health. Leslie Walters seconded the
motion. Motion carried 3-0.
Roger Rose asked about the status of the taxable fringe benefit issue with which Greg
Heller is working with the IRS. Denise said that, in addition to the current issues, it has
been determined that election workers are subject to 28% withholding if they earn over
$100 annual.
The Board discussed the costs of the health insurance program is not as high this year as
they could have been and have been in the past. Roger Rose reported that the Health
Insurance Committee recommends that the Board adopt the Pekin Health Insurance plan
through Jennings with a $2,500 deductible and a $2,000 HSA. He said under this plan
the County would only pay on the employees’ portions of health insurance. If the
employees want their families on the plan, it would be at the employees’ costs. The
annual cost is estimated to be $714,593 in addition to the HSA costs.
The Board recessed for lunch at 11:45 a.m.
Reconvene at 2:00 p.m.
The Board continued its discussion on health insurance. The Board plans to conduct
further research to compare costs and plans. The Board will meet again to discuss health
insurance at 8:00 a.m. on Friday or Monday if the necessary information isn’t obtained by
Friday.
New Business:
The Board discussed the need for a maintenance position. Roger Rose moved to hire
Randy Gundrum for the recently vacated maintenance position. Leslie Walters seconded
the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
This concluded the business of this meeting of the Fulton County Board of
Commissioners. Roger Rose moved to recess this meeting at 2:45 p.m. Leslie Walters
seconded this motion. Motion carried 3-0.
FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
___________________________
Richard A. Powell, President
___________________________
Roger D. Rose, Vice-President
___________________________
Leslie R. Walters, Member
Attest:
__________________________________
Denise Chandler, Fulton County Auditor
Note: (tapes of this Commissioners Meeting are filed in the Auditor’s Office).