Pulaski County has a new EMS director. Brandon DeLorenzo was appointed to the position by the county commissioners Monday, after having served in the role on an interim basis since December 7.
Continue reading
The Pulaski County Commissioners are tweaking their meeting schedule slightly in 2019. They’ll continue to meet the first and third Mondays of each month at the courthouse, but the meeting on the third Monday will now start at 8:30 a.m., instead of 8:00.
Pulaski County’s 123-year-old courthouse would be torn down and replaced by a parking lot and memorial park, under the county’s latest facilities proposal. During Monday’s joint county council and commissioners meeting, Maintenance Director Jeff Johnston publicly unveiled a four-phase plan designed to address security, ADA compliance, and a number of other concerns with the county’s government buildings.
The Pulaski County Commissioners are still looking for a Democrat to replace Jim Thompson on the county’s advisory plan commission. No recommendations had been received by Monday’s commissioners meeting.
Pulaski County EMS Director Bryan Corn made his resignation official during Monday’s county commissioners meeting. “I did send you guys a letter,” he explained. “I’ll go ahead, and we’ll make it public. We’ll make it official. I will be resigning my position as the EMS director. That will be effective this coming Friday, December 7.”
Pulaski County officials had to resolve some confusion over the county’s NIPSCO billing. Coroner John Behny told the county commissioners last week that he recently got a call from a NIPSCO representative with an order to disconnect gas service to the former Winamac Masonic Lodge, now called the West Annex.
The Pulaski County Commissioners are moving ahead with a fiscal plan. They voted two-to-one Monday to hire Peters Municipal Consultants to put the plan together, with Jerry Locke voting in opposition. Of the two proposals the county received, Peters’ was apparently cheaper, with a maximum cost of $24,000, compared to Umbaugh and Associates’ cap of $35,000.
The Pulaski County Commissioners have decided not to put more money into an ambulance that’s set to be replaced next year. EMS Director Bryan Corn told the commissioners Monday that the department’s oldest ambulance, a 2008 Ford which has had numerous problems over the years, is once again out of service.
The Pulaski County Highway Department is looking into partnering with WorkOne to get some free labor. As part of a job training program, participants would have the chance to learn skills by working with the Highway Department for a certain period of time, while WorkOne would pay their wages and assume any liability. Similar partnerships have already been put in place with the county’s Maintenance Department, as well as the Starke County Highway Department.
Pulaski County’s ambulances may finally be getting more space in the near future. During last month’s budget discussions, the county council directed EMS Director Bryan Corn to start working on expansion plans for the Winamac ambulance garage.
The Pulaski County Commissioners have decided to check and see if the county is eligible for fuel tax reimbursements. Last week, the commissioners conditionally agreed to hire consulting firm Malcon to help with the process.
Pulaski County will not be charging its residents a wheel tax in the near future. The issue was discussed during last week’s joint county council and commissioners meeting, after the Bureau of Motor Vehicles asked for an update.
Work continues to turn the former Winamac Masonic Lodge into a county morgue and office building. Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston told the Pulaski County Commissioners Monday that his department has completed quite a bit of work, but there’s still a lot more to go.
Pulaski County officials are looking to crack down on pet owners who don’t clean up after their dogs on county property.
Outsourcing lawn care appears to be working well for the Pulaski County government. Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston told the county commissioners Monday it’s still a learning experience for both him and contractor TK Lawn Services, but he thinks it will be a good working relationship. “By the end of this year, I’ll have a solid understanding of how much contracting this out has saved the county,” he said, “but at this point, so far, it looks like about $25,000, when you figure all the different things in, from me not needing to replace one person that I lost, to fuel savings and that sort of thing.”
Pulaski County officials say they won’t be covering the repair bill for an underground cable damaged by the County Highway Department. Highway Superintendent Terry Ruff asked the county commissioners Monday how he should handle a $1,047 repair bill from CenturyLink.
The condition of Pulaski County’s rental housing is creating a crisis for the county’s health and building departments. Director of Environmental Health Terri Hansen told the advisory plan commission Tuesday she had to deal with 530 environmental complaints last year. Nearly 400 of them related specifically to housing. Continue reading
Phantom roadways in a Pulaski County subdivision are preventing one resident from selling some of her land. When the Whipple Crest subdivision was platted several decades ago, it apparently included a number of roads. But the roads were never built, and the place where they would have gone has since become overgrown with brush.
Pulaski County is putting the finishing touches on last year’s blight elimination project. The county got a grant from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority to tear down a dilapidated Medaryville home. As a final step, the county commissioners voted Monday to pay off property taxes and late fees. Continue reading
Pulaski County will soon have written guidelines, when it comes to the county’s pay structure. County Attorney Kevin Tankersley presented an 11-page draft document to the county council Monday. It was based on recommendations from the council’s salary matrix committee.
