HOWARD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING JANUARY 6, 2003

The Howard County Board of Commissioners met in Special Session on Monday, January 6, 2003, at 8:30 a.m. in Hearing Room No. 338 of the Howard County Administration Center. Those in attendance included President Paul J. Raver, Vice President Bradley J. Bagwell, and Member John B. Harbaugh. Also present were County Attorney Larry Murrell, Personnel Administrator Wanda McKillip, and Auditor Martha Lake.

The newly elected Howard County Sheriff, Marshall Talbert, called the meeting to order.

The minutes from the special called meeting held on December 30, 2002 were considered. There being no additions or corrections, Mr. Harbaugh made a motion to approve the minutes as submitted. Mr. Bagwell seconded the motion, which carried.

IN THE MATTER OF REORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITY:

President Raver called for reorganization issues concerning the Board of Commissioners.

A motion was made by Mr. Harbaugh to nominate Mr. Bagwell as President. Mr. Bagwell seconded the motion and it carried.

Mr. Harbaugh made a motion to nominate himself as Vice-President. Mr. Bagwell seconded the motion, which carried.

For the year-2003, the President of the Howard County Board of Commissioners will be Mr. Bradley J. Bagwell, with Mr. John B. Harbaugh serving as Vice President and Mr. Paul J. Raver serving as Member. Mr. Bagwell assumed the chair and presided over the reminder of the meeting.

IN THE MATTER OF COMMISSIONER APPOINTMENTS FOR 2003:

1. The Commissioner Committee Appointments for 2003 are as follows:

BRADLEY J. BAGWELL Work Force Development District V

President Howard County Plan Commission

Solid Waste District

Community Corrections & Work Release

Technology Coordinator

Kokomo/Howard County Joint Dispatch

Township Trustee Welfare Appeals

Drainage Board

Emergency 911 Operating System

Kokomo Technology Center Executive Board

Kokomo/Howard County Governmental

Coordinating Council (As President)

Draft of Commissioners Budget for 2004 (As President)

Draft of EDIT Budget (As President) in cooperation

with President of County Council

MS4 Advisory Committee

City of Firsts Automotive Heritage Museum/Johanning

Civic Center, Inc. Board

JOHN B. HARBAUGH Plat Review Committee

Vice President Insurance Committee

Solid Waste District

Personnel Administration Committee (PAC)

Kokomo/Howard County Development Corporation

Emergency Planning Council

Federal Planning Council (FEMA)

Main Street Association

Traffic Commission

County Highway Department

PAUL J. RAVER 4-H Exhibit Association

Member County Extension Council

Solid Waste District

Wage Determination Representative

Building & Grounds Superintendent

Court House Renovation (Building only)

County Home (Haven)

Drainage Board

Darrough Chapel Sewer Planning

Waste Disposal including Taylor Regional Sewer District,

Septage Disposal and County Sewer Plan

GIS Steering Committee

Mr. Harbaugh made a motion to approve the list of Commissioner Committee Assignments for 2003. Mr. Raver seconded the motion and it carried.

2. The Commissioners held a discussion to clarify the boundary limits involving the Courthouse Renovation Project. The construction equipment has torn up the grounds surrounding the building. Landscape work needs to be considered. It was the consensus of the Commissioners that the Renovation Project includes the building only and the Board will appoint someone to study the landscaping issue at a later date. One concern stated is that the renovation contract includes restoring the land to its original condition when the renovation is completed. If new overall landscaping is desired, it would be a waste of time, as well as costly to restore the grounds and then tear them up again in order to re-landscape the area.

IN THE MATTER OF HOWARD COUNTY APPOINTEES FOR 2003:

1. Mr. Allen Polsgrove was reappointed Administrator of the Howard County Veteran’s Office for a term of one (1) year on a motion made by Mr. Raver. The motion was seconded by Mr. Harbaugh and it carried.

2. Mr. Harbaugh made a motion to approve Resolution No. BCC-2003-01, a Resolution reappointing Mr. Larry Murrell as County Attorney/Coordinator and Mr. Brian Oaks as Assistant County Attorney. Mr. Raver seconded the motion, which carried. The resolution states job descriptions and terms of employment (see attached).

3. Mr. Raver made a motion to reappoint Mr. Tom Harrison as Howard County Building Superintendent for a term of one (1) year. Seconded by Mr. Harbaugh, the motion carried.

4. Mr. Ted Cain was reappointed as Department Head of the Howard County Highway Department for a one (1) year term on a motion made by Mr. Harbaugh, seconded by Mr. Raver and carried.

5. The appointment for the Howard County Haven/Home Superintendent expires on February 28, 2003. The Commissioners decided to wait until February to make the appointment.

IN THE MATTER OF HIGHWAY ISSUES:

Mr. Ted Cain, Howard County Highway Engineer/Superintendent, presented the following issue for Commissioner information and approval:

1. Permanent Grant of Right-of-Way: (See page 1 of the December 16, 2002 minutes, “In the Matter of Highway Issues”, Item 4, for related discussion) Mr. Cain met with the property owner regarding purchasing some right-of-way to make improvements to Bridge #37 on 100 West. Mr. Cain hopes to complete the work on Bridge #37 in 2003 before work on the Dixon Road Project moves forward between Zartman Rd. and Alto Rd. The property owner agreed to sell the right-of-way for $6,500.00.

Mr. Raver made a motion to approve the purchase of right-of-way in the amount of $6,500.00. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion and it 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. Case 50-CP-02 – one (1) lot in Wagler Homestead Subdivision located at 9273 East 100 North was considered. Mr. Raver made a motion to approve Case 50-CP-02. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion and it carried.

2. Case 54-CP-02 – one (1) lot in Parr Subdivision located at 4149 South 980 East was considered. Mr. Harbaugh made a motion to approve Case 54-CP-02. Seconded by Mr. Raver, the motion carried.

3. Case 58-CP-02 - one (1) lot in Gollner World Subdivision located at 388 East 400 South was approved on a motion made by Mr. Raver. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which carried.

4. Ground Rules Inc. from Indianapolis is the company chosen, after making Requests for Proposals, by the Planning Commission as best suited to prepare the County Comprehensive Plan. Their consultant Brad Johnson has experience from working on the City Comprehensive Plan when he was employed by a different company.

5. Unsafe Building Issues: There was no new information to report.

6. Flood Hazard Planning: Mr. Boise did not have any information to discuss.

IN THE MATTER OF MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT ISSUES:

Maintenance Superintendent Thomas Harrison presented the following issues for Commissioner information and approval:

1. The maintenance employees were commended for coming into work early in the morning for several days during the snowy conditions to clear the sidewalks and parking lots for county employees and county business.

2. One (1) elevator in the Administration Center has been out of operation for about two (2) weeks Repair parts are difficult to find. With the increasing difficulty of finding repair parts, some consideration may need to be made about replacing the elevators in the future.

3. The main elevator in the Courthouse will be shut down today for necessary renovations. (See page 2, of the September 3, 2002 minutes, “In the Matter of Maintenance Department/Courthouse Renovation Issues for related discussion)

4. There were no problems to discuss in the Government Building.

IN THE MATTER OF MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS:

1. Mr. Larry Sparks of Mobile Radio of Kokomo, Inc. presented two (2) maintenance agreements for consideration:

a. Emergency Service Backbone Equipment ………..…………$11,500.00

b. Voice Radios for Sheriff’s Department ………………………..$20,000.00

Mr. Raver made a motion to approve the two (2) maintenance contracts for a total of $31,500.00 submitted by Mobile Radio of Kokomo, Inc. for voice radios and backbone equipment in the Sheriff’s Department and authorize the President to sign on behalf of the Board. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which carried.

The Commissioners requested Auditor Martha Lake to compose a list of all maintenance contracts from the various County Departments to make sure there is no overlapping in services. Mr. Sparks agreed to meet with Mrs. Lake to see what maintenance contracts the county has with Mobile Radio.

2. Simplex Grinnell Agreement: A motion was made by Mr. Harbaugh, seconded by Mr. Raver and

carried to confirm the Fire Alarm Maintenance Agreement Renewal with Simplex Grinnell for the Criminal Justice Center, signed by President Raver on December 31st, 2003. The annual cost is $25,084.50.

3. The Cerulean Support/Maintenance Agreement was presented for Board action. This agreement supports the mobile data software. The support period is from April 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004, and the cost is $36,754. Since this agreement involves both City and County software, it was the consensus of the Board to hold off for now and check to see what portion the County is responsible to pay.

IN THE MATTER OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER ISSUES:

Mr. Terry Tribby, Information Systems Manager, presented the following issues for Commissioner information:

1. Courthouse Renovation Project:

a. All of the dumb terminals in the Courthouse have been replaced. The serial connections have been removed. The JTS server is scheduled to be moved from the first floor to the second floor starting at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 7, 2002.

b. The data and phone wiring, along with the switches, need to be left in the former communications room until the wiring is converted over to accommodate them.

c. The courtrooms are set up for data communications for the judges’ benches and court reporters only. Per requests by the judges, connections are desired for both prosecutors’ and defenders’ tables. Mr. Tribby suggested looking into wireless connection to provide internet access to attorneys’ laptop computers. The Commissioners were concerned with the security aspects of wireless connection. Mr. Tribby assured that security would be as tight as possible.

2. Administration Center: Property Systems is wrapping up their work and will be moving from the fourth floor office in the Administration Center. Mr. Tribby requested approval to move the Communications Room into that area when it becomes available. The office is already set up for computer connections. The area is more secure than the current area and will provide a suitable environment for communications equipment.

IN THE MATTER OF SHERIFF DEPARTMENT ISSUES:

Sheriff Marshall Talbert and Major Steve Rogers presented the following issues for Commissioner information and approval:

1. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management Underground Storage Tank Affidavit of Compliance: Since no one working at the jail felt they could accurately answer the questions on the compliance affidavit for the tanks located at the Criminal Justice Center, the inspection was conducted and forms were completed by Ralph Farmer, of Hoosier Equipment Service, Inc., the gentleman who was involved in putting the tanks in place several years ago. Mr. Raver made a motion to approve the Underground Storage Tank Affidavit of Compliance from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and authorize the President to sign on behalf of the Board. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion and it carried.

2. Sheriff Department Vehicles:

a. Sheriff Talbert is researching whether to discontinue the two-tone paint on the department vehicles and make a change to a single color. State law requires the Sheriff Department vehicles to be brown and tan, but there is no penalty for using just one color. This would save the County about $800.00 on each new vehicle and would accommodate a better trade in value.

b. The Sheriff is also researching whether to take bids for patrol cars from car dealers inside of the County or purchase through the state bidding process. The County will more likely be able to save money if cars are purchased through the state process . The Sheriff said he would talk to local car dealers to get their reactions.

IN THE MATTER OF COURTHOUSE RENOVATIONS:

Mr. William Bassett of William Bassett and Associates presented the following issues for Commissioner information and approval:

1. The new contact person for remodeling issues in the Prosecutor’s Drug Task Force Office is Ron

Byal.

2. A leak was discovered on the east side, south end wall in the basement, around the Christmas holidays. Mr. Bassett will study this matter and return to the Commissioners with a recommendation to repair the leak.

3. Elected Officials and Department Heads are advised to see Commissioner Raver, Project Manager, for furniture requests and/or revisions.

4. The main passenger elevator will be shut down today to begin renovations. There was mention whether the prisoner elevator could be used on a part time basis. Deputy Craig Trott is familiar with the schedule when offenders are transported in the prisoner elevator. The Clerk’s office may need to find an alternate route to move files from one floor to another while the main elevator is out of commission.

5. Other miscellaneous renovation issues were discussed. A furniture information meeting between Mr. Bassett and Mr. Raver will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 8, 2003.

IN THE MATTER OF CUMULATIVE CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT (CCD) FUND:

Those appropriation requests referred by the Council during the 2003 Budget Hearings to the Cumulative Capital Development Fund will be brought before the Commissioners at the Tuesday, January 21, 2003 meeting and then presented to the County Council on Tuesday, January 28, 2003.

IN THE MATTER OF POOR RELIEF APPEALS FOR CENTER TOWNSHIP:

A Poor Relief Hearing was conducted on January 3, 2003 for Center Township on behalf of Eddie Vandergriff. Commissioner Bagwell, Poor Relief Hearing Officer, made a recommendation to uphold the written denial for housing assistance made by the Center Township Trustee on December 30, 2002. Mr. Raver made a motion to uphold the denial of the Center Township Trustee based upon the finding that the Township Trustee followed the Eligibility Standards and Guidelines for Poor Relief applicable to the case. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion and it carried.

IN THE MATTER OF CLAIMS AND REPORTS:

Howard County Auditor Martha Lake presented the following reports for Commissioner information and approval:

1. Operating claims payable on January 6, 2003 in the amount of $89,015.10 were approved on a motion made by Mr. Harbaugh, seconded by Mr. Raver, and carried.

2. Commissioners’ Salary Claims for hourly, salary, and overtime payable for January 10th and January 17th, 2003, were approved on a motion made by Mr. Raver. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion, which carried.

3. The following payments to Butler Fairman & Seufert were approved on a motion made by Mr. Harbaugh, seconded by Mr. Raver and carried:

400 North Right-of-Way Project $ 4,350.32

MS4 Coordination $1,686.93

IN THE MATTER OF ATTORNEY ISSUES:

1. County Attorney Larry Murrell thanked the Commissioners for his reappointment for the year-2003.

2. County Attorney Larry Murrell presented a claim for his monthly office allowance for January 2003 including an out of pocket expense for $560.00 and for litigation services in the amount of $412.50. Mr. Raver made a motion to approve payment on these claims. Seconded by Mr. Harbaugh, the motion carried.

IN THE MATTER OF COMMISSIONER ISSUES:

1. An IDEM notification involving moving wetlands to an area adjacent to the Tudor Drain was received. It was the Board’s consensus to have the County Surveyor look at ditch and determine the impact on the Tudor Drain. The information will be forwarded to the County Drainage Board.

2. Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP): The Commissioners received a letter from the LTAP regarding new software that allows a more accurate prediction of Local Option Highway User Tax (LOHUT) revenue. It was stated that Howard County’s Surtax and Wheel Tax collections are below the maximum allowed. The Commissioners decided to have Highway Superintendent Ted Cain review the information prior to any further discussion.

3. A Homeland Security Workshop will be held in Cass County on Friday, February 28, 2003 at 8:30 a.m. The Commissioners will pass the information about the workshop on to Emergency Management Director Larry Smith.

4. Councilman Dwight Singer commended Paul Raver’s efforts as Commissioner President and on his working with the office holders on the county projects during the year-2002.

There being no further business before the Board at this time, Mr. Raver made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Harbaugh seconded the motion and it carried. The meeting closed at 10:25 a.m.

THE HOWARD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

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BRADLEY J. BAGWELL, PRESIDENT

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JOHN B. HARBAUGH, VICE PRESIDENT

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PAUL J. RAVER, MEMBER

ATTEST:

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MARTHA J. LAKE, AUDITOR

Commissioner Minutes, January 6, 2003