MIAMI COUNTY COUNCIL
2008 BUDGET HEARINGS
SEPTEMBER 4, 2007

The 2008 budget hearings were called to order by President Click.
The Pledge to the flag was recited and Councilman Duckwall opened the meeting with a prayer.

The following budgets were reviewed on the first reading. It is noted that the Council will address mileage, part time pay and salaries as well as other issues concerning the 01 portion of the budgets on day two of the hearings.

Health Grant #4
It is noted that the amount requested does not match the grant amount.
A motion to approve the budget as amended to match the grant amount was made by Councilman Duckwall. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Health Coordinator #3
A motion to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budgets was made by Councilperson Mull. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Hunt and passed 7-0.

Health Environmentalist #2
Ken Scott explained his job and the 1% increase in his budget over this year’s amount. A motion was made by Councilman Wiles to amend the amount for cell phones to $1,200 and accept the rest of the 02, 03 and 04 sections of the budget as amended. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Duckwall and passed 7-0.

Carol Biddle asked for a mileage increase. She gave a mileage report of other Counties for comparison.

Dr. Savage told the Council that he feels the County Health Officer should get the additional compensation for his duties. Dr. Savage said there has been a much added work load over the past several years.

Councilman Wiles reviewed the funds left in their current budget and made a motion to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of their budget for the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Highway Phase 2 #5
Sam Waltz and Janice Clemons explained some of the streamlining of their budgets and why there are some lines not in the 2008 budget.
Mr. Waltz gave an overview of the history of funding for the highway department for the new Council members. Councilman Duckwall moved to approve the highway phase 2 budget except for salaries for the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.
A motion was made by Councilman McAuliffe to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budgets as amended in the 1st reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Highway Phase 4 #6
The Council discussed the cell phones in the highway budget. A motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to amend the budget for phones to $3,000 and approve the rest of the 02, 03 and 04 portions in the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman McAuliffe and passed 7-0.

Highway LRS #7
Mr. Waltz noted that there is a $56,000 drop in this budget in capital outlays. A motion was made by Councilperson Mull to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions as submitted. The motion was 2nd by Councilman McAuliffe and passed 7-0.

Highway/Major Moves #8
Councilman Click reminded the Council that this is possibly a one shot deal and that he would entertain a motion to approve the entire budget.
A motion was made by Councilperson Mull to accept the budget as submitted on the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman McAuliffe and passed 7-0.

Highway LRS #9
Sam Waltz told the Board this budget is down $20,000. A motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to accept as submitted on first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Hunt and passed 7-0.

Cumulative Bridge #10
The Council was given an explanation of the projects listed in this budget. A motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to accept the 02, 03 and 04 portions of this budget as presented on the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

EMA #11
Mike Peconga gave an explanation of the budget he presented for approval. A motion to approve the 02, 03 and 04 parts of the budget as amended was made by Councilperson Mull. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Wiles and passed 7-0.

LEPC #16
It is noted that this budget is totally for training. A motion to approve the entire budget was made by Councilman McAuliffe and 2nd by Councilman Hunt. The motion passed 7-0.

Extension Office #12
Gary Horner explained some of the educational services and contractual services that are provided through this budget. A motion to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of this budget as amended was made by Councilperson Mull. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Wiles and passed 7-0.

9-1-1 #25
It is noted that this budget is mostly self funded. Jim Comerford introduced himself to the new council members. A motion to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget as submitted in the first reading was made by Councilman Hunt. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Duckwall and passed 7-0.

Museum #19
Mildred Kopis told the Council the Museum is grateful to the County for all their support. A motion to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget as submitted on the first reading was made by Councilman Wiles. The motion was 2nd by Councilman McAuliffe and passed 7-0.

Welfare #20
Faye Russell introduced herself as the director of the Department of Children Services. She invited the Council to attend monthly meetings held in the Jury Room of the Court house on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 8:00 am.

A motion was made by Councilman Wiles to accept both budgets submitted by the Welfare Department because they are set by the State. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Duckwall and passed 7-0.

Soil and Water #13
Troy Hattery explained the raise for the rent rate in their budget to the Council. A motion was made by Councilman McAuliffe to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of their budget on first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Hunt and passed 7-0.

Soil & Water Grant #14
Councilperson Mull moved to accept the entire budget as submitted. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Hunt and passed 7-0.

Superior Court #27
A motion was made by Councilperson Mull to approve the 02, 03 and 04 as submitted by Judge Banina. The motion was 2nd by Councilman McAuliffe and passed 7-0.

Sheriff #21
Sheriff Roland and the Council discussed the raise in ammunition costs and the maintenance on cars. The Sheriff explained the tax warrants and some of the fees the department collects. Councilman Hunt commented that he has had people complain about officers driving and talking on their cell phones. It is noted that there are some areas of the County that cells phones work better than their radios for communications and it is not illegal for anyone to talk on their cell phones while driving in Indiana. After some discussion a motion was made by Councilperson Mull to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budgets as amended. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Duckwall and passed 7-0.

Jail #22
Sheriff Roland told the Council that he has hired a female deputy from Cass County. He asked the Council to consider the matrix system for the jail. He said it is a morale boost for the officers. Councilman Click said he feels the Council should not have passed the Matrix for the Road Deputies. The Sheriff told of the cut in medical and meal costs due to new contracts. A motion to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budgets as submitted on the 1st reading was made by Councilman Duckwall. The motion was 2nd by Councilman McAuliffe and passed 7-0.

Transport Officer #23
Councilman Wiles moves to accept on the first reading as submitted. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Sheriff Continuing Education #24
A motion was made by Councilperson Mull to accept the budget as submitted on the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Duckwall and passed 7-0.

Circuit Court #26
Judge Burke told the Council she feels the Public Defender Attorney should be under the Public Defender’s budget and not the Courts. It is noted that Brian Michaud will look at taking those positions under his budget. The Public Defender Board will be meeting to discuss this issue. Councilman Hunt moved to accept the budget as amended on the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Duckwall and passed 7-0.

Adjourned for Lunch

Reconvened

Plan Commission #34
Darrell Wooten introduced himself to the Board and explained the added mileage and seasonal help in his budget. Councilman McAuliffe brought up farm buildings and the lack of inspection. Mr. Wooten said the Assessor and his office are discussing that issue. A motion to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget was made by Councilman Hunt and 2nd by Councilman Duckwall. The motion passed 7-0.

Clerk of the Circuit Court #28
The Council discussed the amount of the supplies budget and a motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to cut the line to $5,000. The motion was amended to accept the rest of the 02, 03 and 04 portion of the budget as amended. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Wiles and passed 7-0.

Clerk Superior Court #29
Councilman Duckwall stated this is the same situation. He moved to reduced the supplies to $5,000 in this budget and accept the rest of budget as submitted except for salaries. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Clerk Election #30
The Council questioned the programming cost for the voting machines. The Council and Clerk discussed the using of John Evans and John Powell to program these machines. Councilman Duckwall said he does not feel the County should pay employees extra for this job.
A motion to approve as submitted was made by Councilman Duckwall. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Wiles. The motion passed 6-0. Councilperson Mull was out of the room for this vote.

Clerk Registration #31
This budget is all salary so no action was taken at this time.

Public Defender #32
Brian Michaud, Chief Public Defender, introduced himself to the new Council and explained the history of the Public Defender’s office and the funding of it. Mr. Michaud also explained the Public Defender Supplemental Fund #33. A motion was made to approve the budgets as submitted on the first reading by Councilman Hunt. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Prosecutor #36
A motion to approve as amended the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget was made by Councilman Duckwall. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Title IV D #37
It is noted that this budget is reduced by $6,000. Councilperson Mull moved to accept the 02, 03 and 04 portion of the budget on the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Duckwall and passed 7-0.

Deferral #38
The Council and the Prosecutor discussed the amount of Perf and Health Insurance needed for this budget. It was noted that an adjustment needs to be made in this account to cover the positions paid. A motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to amend the Perf and health lines and approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget as amended on first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Wiles and passed 7-0.

Victims Advocate #39
This is a Grant and a motion to accept the first half of the budget on the first reading was made by Councilman McAuliffe and 2nd by Councilperson Mull. It was brought to the attention of the Council that the VOCA grant was not awarded for 2008. The motion passed 7-0.

VSO #35
Susan Anderson thanked the Council for the DAV Van on behalf of Jay Kendall the VSO. A motion was made by Councilman McAuliffe to approve as submitted on the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Wiles and passed 5-0. Councilman Duckwall and Councilperson Mull were out of the room for this vote.

Community Corrections #43
It is noted that a Board over sees this. The Council asked that Angie Bever include additional amounts for Health Insurance and other fringe benefits such as Perf. No action was taken by the Council at this time.

Probation #40
Judge Burke told the Council that Susan Rice is requesting an additional Probation Officer in this budget request. She said that Welfare has added 7 case managers since she has been here and we have not added any additional Probation Officers. A motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to accept the 02, 03 and 04 parts of the budget for the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Adult Probation User Fees #41
The Council notes the lack of insurance in this budget. A motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to accept the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget as presented. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Hunt and passed 7-0.

Drug and Alcohol Program #42
After review of the budget a motion was made by Councilperson Mull to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget as read. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Wiles and passed 7-0.

CASA #46
Council reviewed the budget and after some discussion Councilman McAuliffe moved to accept the 02 and the 03 as amended and the 04 as presented on the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Juvenile Probation user fee
It is noted that this budget was not presented to the Auditor and not advertised. Probation will need to go before the Council in January to ask for this entire budget.

Treasurer #48
A motion was made by Councilman Wiles to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budgets as presented for the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman McAuliffe and passed 7-0.

Recorder #49
A motion was made by Councilman McAuliffe to approve the 02, 03, and 04 portions of the budget as submitted and read. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Surveyor #50
A motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to accept the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budgets as read. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Assessor #51
A motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to approve the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget as presented on the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Hunt and passed 7-0.

Reassessment #52
After discussing the funding of this budget a motion was made by Councilperson Mull to accept for the first reading the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Wiles and passed 7-0.

Peru Township Assessor #53
A motion was made by Councilman McAuliffe to accept for the first reading the 02, 03 and 04 portion of the budget. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Mull and passed 7-0.

Commissioner Hawley said he has seen the added work load in that office and feels the need for another full time position is warranted.

Board of Commissioners #57
The Council and the Commissioners discussed the removing of the PTBOA Board from the Commissioners budget and placing it into the Reassessment budget. The Commissioners said to strike the line for 2-1-1 and the $12,000 for the Veterans van. A motion was made by Councilperson Mull to accept the Commissioners budget as amended on the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Wiles and passed 7-0.

Court House #58
A motion was made by Councilman Wiles to accept the Court House budget 02, 03 and 04 for the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Cumulative Court House #59
The Commissioners and the Council discussed the lowering of the Cum Court House tax rate. Commissioner Hawley said they could use this fund for converting the old jail for something useable when the new jail is complete. Commissioner Boyer said he would hope to have available funds so we would not have to borrow to do that project.
Councilman Duckwall wants to cut 1 cent from the rate and move it to County General. After some discussion a motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to cut the amount of Cumulative Court House to $300,000 and adjust the budget. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 6-2. Councilman Hunt and Councilman Kendall voted against.

CEDIT #60
The Council was given the historical use for the CEDIT fund. The Commissioners requested the Council strike the Small Business Development line from the budget. A motion was made by Councilman Hunt to approve the budget on the first reading as amended. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Drainage #61
A motion was made by Councilman Wiles to accept the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget as presented for the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

LCC #15
A motion to approve this budget as presented was made by Councilperson Mull. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Hunt and passed 7-0.

Weights & Measures #17
A motion was made by Councilman Duckwall to accept the 02, 03 and 04 parts of the budget for the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilperson Mull and passed 7-0.

Coroner #18
A motion was made by Councilperson Mull to accept the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget as presented. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Duckwall and passed 7-0.

Pipe Creek Assessor #54
A motion was made by Councilman Hunt to accept the 02, 03 and 04 portions of this budget as presented for the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman McAuliffe and passed 7-0.

Township Assessors #55
A motion to accept the 02, 03, 04 portions of this budget as presented was made by Councilperson Mull. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Hunt and passed 7-0.

Auditor #47
A motion was made by Councilperson Mull to accept the 02, 03 and 04 portion of this budget as presented for the first reading. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Hunt and passed 7-0.

Council #56
A motion was made by Councilman Wiles to accept the 02, 03 and 04 portions of the budget with the amendment of the 03 portion. The Board of Commissioners said the recording system should be in the Court House budget and not the Council’s. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Duckwall and passed 7-0.

A motion was made by Councilman Wiles to accept all complete budgets on the first reading as amended. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Duckwall and passed 7-0.

A motion was made to adjourn by Councilperson Mull. The motion was 2nd by Councilman Wiles. The motion passed 7-0.

Adjourned the first day of budget hearings

Will re-convene at 8:00 a.m. on September 5, 2007.

Respectfully Submitted,

Brenda Weaver, Auditor