A representative from the Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) will be meeting with the Marshall County Council and the Marshall County Commissioners this week to discuss funding options for the highway department.
Commission President Kevin Overmyer said in a previous meeting that the state will soon cut funding for local roads and highways, and it will be left to local governments to provide funding for projects.
The video conferencing equipment in the Marshall County Superior Court 1 and Superior Court 2 courtrooms and the Marshall County Jail will soon be upgraded to include high definition quality.
Judge Dean Colvin told the county council members this week that the county can conduct court hearings via video conferencing to reduce the cost of transporting inmates from the jail to the courthouse for hearings.
The video conference systems are currently inoperable at this time, so the staff is looking to replace the equipment.
E-poll books are being considered for Marshall County.
Steve Shamo from KnowInk demonstrated how the digital process would work to the Marshall County Council members Monday morning. A driver’s license or a legal state I.D. card is scanned, and the voter’s information comes up on the screen. The voter then provides a signature on the screen. Once the signatures are compared, a receipt is printed, and the voter takes that receipt to a poll worker who then sets up a ballot for voting purposes.
The council members asked questions about connectivity issues. Shamo explained that WiFi or an internet hot spot would need to be on site in order for the software to function. Clerk Deb Vandemark said seven of the 14 precinct voting locations do offer WiFi service. A password would need to be obtained for the poll workers to use the service. A plan would need to be formulated to find internet connectivity for the other locations.
It is the hope of the Marshall County Council and the Marshall County Commissioners to come together soon to address funding for county roads.
Commission President Kevin Overmyer told the county council Monday morning that the state appropriated money for INDOT but nothing for local roads for the next two years. He said representatives from the Build Indiana Council, Association of County Commissioners, and Indiana Association of Cities asked for those funds, but the request was not approved.
Overmyer said he’s been in contact with an Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) representative who has gathered numbers for a Local Option Highway User Income Tax.
“The fee is set by state statute of $25 for cars and vehicles and then on top of that there’s a wheel tax that is for trailers, semis, and other vehicles,” said Overmyer. “Pat Conner from LTAP has some information. They use information from the BMV to calculate what the revenue would entail. Hopefully, I will know soon when he can come up and make a joint presentation between the council and the commissioners.”
Overmyer believes that additional funding for local roads and streets will not come from the state government. He believes that counties will need to raise the funds themselves.
“I think we’re going to have to address it here locally whether we like it or not. We have about $800,000 to spend on roads this year, and we all know the condition of the roads. It’s just been two bad winters.”
The county highway department has a plan to repair what they can with the resources they have.
“We are out grinding roads right now. We’re going to start berming these roads to get the water off the roads. We’re starting to put a plan together. Some of these roads may not be going back to chip and seal for a year. Some of the roads that go out to the new U.S. 31 or cul de sac will get ground up, and we’ll maintain the gravel roads there. We’re going to have to do something.”
A few of the council members have ridden the county roads with the crews and know of the damage to the roads.
Commissioner Deb Griewank says the county remains under an Advisory Level travel advisory due to the condition of some of the roads.
“We had lowered it, but with this coming on we decided to move it back up to the advisory level just for the safety factor. Our roads are bad,” commented Griewank.
The crews will be working on the newly purchased pug mill this summer and the crews will do what they can to repair what they can.
The Marshall County Council members will continue a discussion into the purchase of e-poll books when they meet this morning.
During the council’s last meeting in March, Clerk Deb Vandemark explained that 15 iPads would be purchased for placement at all of the voting sites for the purpose of signing in voters at the polls. There are 14 poll sites for the county’s 29 precincts. One extra iPad would be on hand as a backup. The purchase price is $32,225 which is not included in the clerk’s budget for this year.
The Marshall County Council discussed several additional appropriation requests at their meeting Monday morning.
The highway department had a request for a $310,000 additional appropriation for a new pug mill. Highway Superintendent Jason Peters discussed looking into a used pug mill in Missouri but decided against the purchase. Peters previously said the pug mill had been used for a different need. It was decided to go with a new pug mill for the requested amount that the council approved.
The Marshall County Council members held a lengthy discussion about the purchase of e-poll books for the November election.
Clerk Deb Vandemark explained that 15 iPads would be purchased to be placed at all of the voting sites for the purpose of signing in voters at the polls. There are 14 poll sites for the county’s 29 precincts. One extra iPad would be on hand as a backup.
The Marshall County Council members will be discussing an additional appropriation for the highway department for equipment.
Jerry Ambrose and Highway Superintendent Jason Peters explained to the Marshall County Commissioners last week that they would like to purchase a more expensive loader that will guarantee better service and reliability. The loader is a Caterpillar brand and is higher than two other bids sent in for consideration.
The Marshall County Council approved a recommendation from the personnel committee to include a job description for the chief deputy coroner in the handbook, a task that has been pending for a long time.
The position description submitted includes duties, job requirements, responsibilities, and physical effort. The chief deputy coroner is a part-time position and is appointed by the coroner. The appointee is responsible for assisting in investigating and certifying cause and manner of death in any suspicious, unusual or unnatural human death.
Marshall County Sheriff Tom Chamberlin presented a resolution regarding commissary fund expenditures to the county council this week.
Sheriff Chamberlin explained that the funds are spent by guidelines set forth in the state statute. He felt that a resolution be enacted to have a better understanding of how the money can be spent out of certain line items. Detailed information would be provided on active expenditures.
Councilman Steve Harper asked about the cap on expenditures in a single purchase of $1,000. Sheriff Chamberlin said purchases would need to come before the county council for approval.
The Marshall County Council discussed an additional appropriation request by the county commissioners for the Metronet project in the amount of $119,750.19.
Commission President Kevin Overmyer explained that the money was leftover in their line item in 2014 and was reverted to the Rainy Day Fund. Overmyer asked that the money be appropriated to finish paying bills for the Metronet project. He said the entire amount will not be spent and whatever is left can be put back into the Rainy Day Fund.
The Marshall County Council discussed the purchase of a pug mill when the members met Monday morning.
Supervisor of County Highways Jason Peters gave the council paperwork on a used pug mill he found in Missouri. He said the machine was purchased by an individual who wanted to try something different with the machine, but it didn’t work out. The machine is now for sale.
Peters said the machine would cost $375,000 brand new, but this machine is selling for $285,000. It would only have a one-year warranty. The purchase of the pug mill would save the county money, according to Peters. When asked by Councilman Rex Gilliland about the savings, Peters said it could be realized almost immediately. Up to $250,000 could be saved in having the machine on-site and making road materials for paving and patching.
When the Marshall County Council meets today, the members will discuss requests from the clerk’s office and the highway department for the waiver of probationary pay for employees in those departments.
A member of the personnel committee will present a job description recommendation for the coroner and deputy coroner while Sheriff Tom Chamberlin will have a resolution for commissary fund expenditures. The council members will also entertain additional appropriation requests from the Soil and Water District and for capital overlays for the Metronet project.
The Marshall County Council approved an additional appropriation of $39,000 in order to spend the funds for equipment for the Emergency Management Agency.
EMA Director Clyde Avery was recently approved for a grant worth $39,000 to purchase transportable computer system equipment for the Emergency Operations Center and recording equipment. The items have to be purchased first and then the state will reimburse the county after an invoice is submitted.
The council members unanimously approved the appropriation.
The Director of the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation gave the county council an update on the shell building in Plymouth.
Jerry Chavez explained that construction on the building began last year, but activity ceased as winter settled in.
“There are some items that still need to be completed but for the most part, it’s at a status where we won’t see any more work this coming winter. We’re doing what we can in terms of marketing it to prospective clients that may have an interest in expanding to Marshall County and setting up shop in Plymouth’s backyard,” said Chavez.
The Marshall County Council members approved some money movement within the sheriff’s budget Monday morning.
Sheriff Tom Chamberlin requested an additional appropriation for $30,000 for prisoner care. Council President Matt Hassel commented that the money was “inadvertently overlooked” from the 2015 budget. The request was approved by a vote of 6-1 with Judy Stone opposed. She said the certified shares line item would be healthy enough to afford to pay that expense by the third or fourth quarter.
An additional appropriation request for funds to be placed into the sheriff’s pension line item in the budget was approved in the amount of $216,859.
The Marshall County Council discussed an additional appropriation for Superior Court where Judge Dean Colvin asked for money to add to the court services director’s salary and to the substance abuse counselor’s salary.
Judge Colvin explained that the salaries were reduced in 2011 to accommodate cuts that needed to be done due to a lack of revenue and income the programs were receiving. According to Judge Colvin, the programs were turned around, thanks to the addition of Ward Byers to the office in 2013 and personnel in the office.
The Marshall County Council will meet in regular session today where several additional appropriations are already set on the agenda. Some of the appropriations are necessary to put into the 2015 budget that were held over from last year’s budget. Other line items were omitted from budget discussions.
The council members will reorganize and entertain employee replacement requests for the Soil and Water District, clerk’s office and the sheriff’s department. The council members will also review a salary amendment for the court services director and substance abuse counselor along with lake patrol.
The Marshall County Council yesterday approved the 2015 Convention and Visitors Bureau budget. CVB Executive Director Corey Hume says the $340,450 budget is similar to this year’s. Of that amount, $187,000 will be used solely for tourism advertising. Continue reading
The Marshall County Council will review the annual Convention and Visitors Bureau budget when they meet this morning. Other agenda items include various requests for transfers and appropriations in order to close the year out in the black. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. EST on the second floor of the Marshall County building.
