Pulaski Council Approves Additional Appropriation for Courthouse Elevator Project

Pulaski County Council: back row: Mike Tiede, Kathi Thompson, Brian Young; front row: Scott Hinkle, Rudy DeSabatine, Jay Sullivan (not pictured: Ken Boswell)

The Pulaski County Council has given its permission to pay the final bills from the courthouse elevator replacement, more than a year after the work was completed. The county council voted five-to-one last week to finalize a series of additional appropriations. That included almost $57,000 for the elevator work.

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Pulaski Council Considers Additional Appropriation for Last Year’s Elevator Replacement

The Pulaski County Courthouse elevator was completed almost a year ago, but the county council is still being asked to consider funding arrangements. An additional appropriation request for almost $57,000 was presented Tuesday for council members’ consideration. Council Member Kathi Thompson voiced concern, noting that the money has already been spent, even though the council is just now being asked for permission to spend it.

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Pulaski Commissioners to Discuss Campaign Sign Regulations, Open Paving, Dump Truck Bids

Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker

The Pulaski County Commissioners will once again consider repealing the county’s campaign sign regulations when they meet this morning. The commissioners and the advisory plan commission have been discussing removing the “special signs” portion of the county’s Unified Development Ordinance since April, since election board members felt there were already enough rules at the state and federal level.

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Pulaski Council to Consider Wage and Salary Revisions, Budget Transfers, Additional Appropriations

A shortfall in the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department’s overtime budget has the sheriff asking to move some money around. Sheriff Jeff Richwine told the county commissioners last week that he plans to transfer a total of $17,600 into his overtime budget. “Some of this is due to people not getting moved in the matrix in time, so we have to go back and do back pay, so that’s some of it,” he explained. “Some of it’s overtime.” Richwine said that money will come out of the Dispatch Salary, Equipment Repair, and Part-Time Cooks line items.

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Pulaski County Courthouse Elevator Tentatively Scheduled to Be Ready for Monday, Despite Delays

Pulaski County officials are hopeful that the courthouse’s new elevator will be ready in time for Monday’s county commissioners meeting, in spite of a last-minute hiccup. Maintenance Director Jeff Johnston says a fire alarm issue means the elevator probably won’t be in service by tomorrow, as previously announced. But the contractor says it should still be ready for Monday, according to Johnston. He adds that crews are working diligently to get it done.

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Pulaski County Council Considers Budget Transfer, Additional Appropriation Requests

Funding for Pulaski County’s fiscal plan, the courthouse elevator replacement project, and reassessment expenses was among the transfer and additional appropriation requests brought to the county council last week. Community Development Commission Executive Director Nathan Origer explained that he has $50,000 budgeted annually for potential land acquisition. But since the CDC won’t be needing it for that purpose, the county council agreed to let him make $36,000 of that available for the fiscal plan. The county commissioners have since decided to hire Peters Municipal Consultants for a cost not to exceed $24,000.

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Pulaski County Courthouse Elevator to be Ready for Use by End of October

The Pulaski County Courthouse elevator will be ready for use by the end of the month.  “The construction will be absolutely complete by the 15th and then two weeks for the inspection,” Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston told the county commissioners Monday. That means that starting in November, the county council and commissioners meetings will be back in the courthouse.

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Pulaski Courthouse Elevator Replacement On-Schedule, but Slower than Originally Agreed

The replacement of the Pulaski County Courthouse elevator is on track to be complete by its October construction deadline. The problem is that the original legal agreement called for it to be installed by the end of September. The project is part of a larger effort to make the courthouse compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit over a lack of accessibility.

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Pulaski County Courthouse Elevator Replacement Still On-Schedule, Despite Delays

The replacement of the Pulaski County Courthouse elevator is on track to be complete by its October deadline. Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston told the county commissioners Monday the work had been running far ahead of schedule but then hit a couple snags. “We had to cut part of the brick away from one of the columns, and we had to wait for the structural engineer to get with us to tell us exactly how that had to be done,” Johnston explained. Continue reading

Pulaski Commissioners to Discuss Proposed Wind Turbine Ban, Coroner’s Fees Tonight

Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker

A potential ban on wind turbines will be considered by the Pulaski County Commissioners tonight. The county’s advisory plan commission recently recommended banning wind energy convergence systems, over concerns about the safety and welfare of the community, flicker issues, and local fire departments’ ability to provide fire protection to the structures.

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Pulaski County Council May Look at Property Taxes to Resolve Budget Shortfalls

The Pulaski County Council is working to make sure the maintenance department has enough money to pay its part-time employees through the end of the year. Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston reminded council members Monday that they’d cut money for part-time pay when they put together this year’s budget. “You guys, at that time, told me to come back halfway through the year and request enough to cover the rest of the year,” he explained. “It’s for $30,016 for Part-Time Help.”

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Pulaski County Courthouse Elevator Project Ahead of Schedule

The Pulaski County Courthouse’s new elevator may be done ahead of schedule. That’s what Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston told the county council Monday. “If you guys remember, it had a deadline of October, to be complete by the beginning of October,” he explained, “but we’re looking at the middle/end of August to the beginning of September, and we’ll be done. So really good progress there.” Johnston said all the block has been delivered to start building the new shaft.

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Pulaski County Commissioners Approve Budget Transfer to Pay Elevator Project Bill

Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker

The Pulaski County Commissioners have approved a budget transfer to try to keep the courthouse elevator replacement project on track. They agreed Monday to use nearly $28,000 out of their budget to cover a construction bill, until the county council can finalize an additional appropriation.

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Pulaski Council to Consider Written Salary Guidelines, Funding for Courthouse Elevator Replacement

A set of written guidelines on Pulaski County’s pay structure are expected to be approved during tonight’s county council meeting. An 11-page draft document was presented to council members last month, and department heads were given a chance to offer input. The guidelines are designed to clarify a number of issues, including the pay rate for part-time employees and the process of amending the pay structure going forward.

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