January 29, 2013

The Ripley County Commissioners met Friday, January 18 at the Ripley County Highway Department, Osgood, prior to its 8 a.m. meeting at the Annex in Versailles.

Commissioners Robert Reiners, Mark Busching, Gary Stutler, and Auditor William Wagner were present.

At the highway department meeting, the first item of business was the generator at the annex. The generator will be checked and fuel delivery determined. The drop down chains for the highway trucks will not be sufficient to help a truck to get back on the highway. It was decided to explore how other counties are handling this situation.

Superintendent Junior Heaton questioned the lack of funds in the 2013 budget for USI bridge inspections. He also advised the cost of filling the pond and cutting a drainage ditch around it would be approximately $2,500. He plans to get a quote from Holman. It was agreed upon by all that Heaton is to accept the lowest quote possible.

Foreman Pat Kissell said the new pickup will arrive on January 21. He is working on getting pricing for a fence to go between the highway and recycling on the north side

With no further business to discuss, Commissioners recessed and reconvened in the Annex meeting room. Present were Reiners, Stutler, Busching, County Attorney Ertel, and Auditor Wagner.

Following the pledge to the flag, Alvin and Mark Busching presented commissioners with two plaques from the Busching Bridge. The plaques contained carved names in the original lumber, dated 1886. The plaques will be displayed in the Annex.

Johnnie Lohrum, maintenance, reported loose shingles on the courthouse tower that are leaking. He said that they had been repaired, but will need to be replaced.

Kelly Vollet asked if a procedure was in place in the event of a security issue. Commissioners said they would review the current plan. She said the data and phone lines for the courthouse renovation need to be done as soon as possible to deter possible work delays. They currently have one quote from Matrix for $4,842.00.

Patrick Rose discussed the emergency procedure for the county annex building is complete. In the event of an emergency, courthouse operations will be moved to the Annex instead of Batesville. The courthouse cannot be used. The lower floor restrooms and the veteran's office will serve as emergency shelter for tornados. Rose gave t-shirts and emergency radios to commissioners, as well as badges for identification. Wagner and Attorney Ertel received t-shirts, also.

Katherine Taul reported that Karen Vollmar has resigned her position with the Tourism Commission and asked that Anita Fledderman be appointed in her place. Motion carried.

Kim Jahnigen questioned the timer switches in the hallways at the Annex in the evening when she is there cleaning. She said she feels uneasy with the lights going off too early while she is there working. The lights are programmed to reduce the number of fixtures being used at night, but this could be changed. This was taken under advisement. Also, commissioners advised her to buy a runner for the health department to minimize tracking into the hallway.

Assessor Shawna Bushhorn asked commissioners if a current part-time employee needs permission to work part-time in another office as needed. It was decided to look further into possibly creating a "floater" position and requested further information.

Charles Malinoski of Malinowski Consulting advised commissioners that the county will recover $63,301.00 at the start of 2013. This will be quarterly and will be unrestricted funds to the General Fund. He also said that all purchases of items need to be approved prior to using Title IV D funds. He said they need to be split as to the percent of usage for Title IV D within the clerk's office.

Linda Kreinhop asked if a decision has been made on providing EDIT funds for businesses in the industrial park in Osgood. Commissioners said it will be a bridge loan until they can complete the TIF procedure. It will be in the form of a loan to Osgood that can possibly be re-used for future businesses locating in the town. Commissioners approved funding in the amount of $75,000.00.

Dan Goris and Amy Thomas were in attendance to represent the Versailles Kiwanis. Commissioners approved their request for use of the courthouse lawn and restrooms for their event on Saturday, May 18, from noon to 6 p.m. Custodial costs will be reimbursed.

Tony Schneider, health department, told commissioners the county ordinance for septic installation needed to be updated to match changes within the State of Indiana. Commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance change.

The annual financial report was presented by Treasurer Amy Copeland with no questions from commissioners. She also presented a job application for the person recently hired to work in her office.

Sam Puterbaugh and Ed Soots presented monthly reports for the courthouse and Annex. The Annex parking lot should be completed by no later than April. The Terazzo in the Annex was also discussed. They said to get a high shine would require another step (vitrification) in the process. The company is planning a mock-up demonstration on January 23, for review. It was estimated that the probation department offices will be ready by February 4 and the courthouse renovation will be an additional two weeks until completion.

County Clerk Mary Ann McCoy said CSI recommends scanning records instead of storing them on microfilm. She also asked when storage could be moved from the Hunter building to the Annex. Commissioners told her they needed to be cleared through ServePro and records cleaned first.

McCoy reported that Lee Mathews, Everett Thompson, and Paul Mathews will be the Election Board for 2013. Thompson will stay on to train Lee Mathews and be his proxy.

Auditor Wagner presented a request from Southeastern Indiana Recycling District to appoint Melissa Baker to the advisory committee. The motion carried. Minutes from the January 7 meeting were read and approved. Barry Lauber, Brenda Wetzler, and Von McGuire were approved for appointment to the Ripley Count Redevelopment Commission.

Also approved were the rescue squad contracts for 2013. Commissioners signed contracts for emergency ambulance service with Milan Rescue 30, Sunman Area Life Squad and Batesville EMS 10. Also signed were contracts with Heart House, Historic Hoosier Hills, Family Connections, Lifetime Resources, 4-H Corporation, and New Horizons Rehabilitation. Insurance renewal with Encore Insurance was also accepted.

With no further business, to discuss, the regular meeting was adjourned. The next regular meeting of the Ripley County Commissioners will be at 8 a.m., February 4, in the Annex meeting room.

The Jac-Cen-Del school board met January 14 in the JCD Elementary School library. In accordance with bylaw 151, the floor was opened for nominations. The board was re-organized:

President: Kathleen Dickman

Vice-President: Deanna Young

Secretary: Phil Mohr

Recording Secretary: Lynaya Hess - Unanimous approval to continue the practice of using a recording secretary to record all business transactions during an official meeting. This includes a $50.00 fee per meeting.

Legislative Representative/Delegate to ISBA Fall Conference: Stephen Huntington

The entire board will serve as the financial committee to approve budgets and other financial concerns for 2013.

Legal Counsel: Larry Eaton

Career Center Representative, Title IX Contact, Section 504 Coordinator, ROD Representative, Wilson Center Representative and Indiana Virtual Academy Representative: Dr. Leanna Phillippe.

No conflict of interest was noted for any board member, according to the requirement of Indiana Code 35-44-1-3.

Monies received by the board will be a compensation of $2,000.00 per year, as well as a supplement of $50.00 per meeting, not to exceed $2,600.00 per year.

Dr. Leanna Phillippe, Superintendent, awarded the Soaring Eagle award to Chad Pindell for his community work and mentoring during the Holton tornado disaster.

According to JCD's assitant principal, Brian Fehribach, suspensions have increased from last year so he welcomes Fran Moore to the staff as the person to help guide students to make better choices. January 16, 2013 is planned to be an evening to showcase student projects, have teacher/parent conferences, attend a financial meeting and hear a speaker against bullying in schools.

According to Phillippe, the administrative team met with Queensgate Securities, January 14, 2013 and are asking for a final quote to provide a safer learning environment for all JCD students. This will include cameras and a "buzz-in" system. More keyless entries and cameras will be installed as the budget allows. Further research was requested from the board before a firm decision is made.

Under finances, the following were approved unanimously:

• Payroll and other claims for 2012 approved.

• Claims 1-56 approved for 2013.

• Approval of the transfer of appropriations as submitted for 2012.

• Encumbrances for 2012 in the general fund, capital projects fund, and transportation as submitted.

Under personnel, the following was approved unanimously:

Janet Deller as a 2-hour per day nurse for the remainder of the 2012-2013 school year at 17.96 per hour.

Unanimous approval was given to have Ripley Publishing as the print media in which JCD's legal advertisting will appear during 2013. Board meetings will continue to be on the third Monday of each month at 6:00 pm at the JCD Elementary library.

Those in attendance at this meeting were Deanna Young, Kathleen Dickman, Phil Mohr, Travis Neal, Stephen Huntington, Lynaya Hess, and Dr. Leanna Phillippe.

The next meeting will be February 18 at 6:00 pm in the JCD Elementary School library.