The Pulaski County Commissioners met some serious hostility last night during their regular meeting when several dozen people packed into the commissioners’ meeting room in support of Highway Superintendent Kenny Becker, who had been suspended with pay following an investigation by the commissioners into the highway department. The crowd was so boisterous that the commissioners were forced to adjourn their meeting early, having covered only one item on the agenda.
The Pulaski County Commissioners will meet tonight at 6 p.m. ET for their regularly scheduled meeting, but there has been a change of venue because officials expect a large crowd due to a controversial agenda item. Both the commissioners meeting and the meeting of the county council at 5 p.m. ET have been moved to the circuit courtroom, located on the second floor of the Pulaski County Courthouse.
The Pulaski County Commissioners met in an executive session Wednesday afternoon to discuss a personnel matter, and County Attorney Kevin Tankersley said the meeting was called to discuss information in regards to two county employees who had been suspended with pay. Officials have not released any information as to why Highway Superintendent Kenny Becker and secretary Lin Morrison were suspended, but said a decision as to the employees’ fate will be made at the next regular meeting on Feb. 4.
Two Pulaski County officials have been suspended with pay, but neither the county commissioners nor their attorney have released any clue as to why. The county commissioners recently suspended Highway Superintendent Kenny Becker and secretary Lin Morrison with pay following an investigation, and have appointed Rex Cudworth as the interim superintendent.
The commissioners also ordered that the locks be changed at the county highway garage, but will not elaborate on what prompted the action. The investigation continues, however, as the pair is still suspended with pay. Personnel matters must be discussed in an executive session, but any vote to terminate an employee or suspend an employee without pay must be taken at a public meeting.
The Pulaski County Commissioners this week signed a revised contract for the inspection of the Monterey Bridge. Jeff Larrison of United Consulting told the commissioners this week that the original construction cost estimate came in at around $1.55 million, but the bids came in lower than expected, prompting a new revision to the inspection contract with a lower price.
The Pulaski County Commissioners this week approved a request from Treasurer Lynn Wilder to advertise for bids to purchase new computers for her office. Wilder explained her office is in heavy need of some new computers, as their current equipment is more than six years old.
The days of outdated electrical wiring in the Pulaski County Courthouse will soon come to an end, as the commissioners this week approved a motion to accept a bid for the second stage of electrical upgrades to the courthouse. Maintenance Director Morry DeMarco presented to the commissioners last night four bids for the electrical work to be reviewed, and after a discussion, the commissioners accepted a bid from Roger’s Electric Company of Medaryville.
The tablet trend continues as more and more government, education, and private entities switch to tablets such as the iPad to allow employees to access information more conveniently. This time, it’s the Pulaski County Commissioners who are seeking to employ iPads to assist them with their duties.
Commission President Tracey Shorter approached the county council at their meeting this week requesting the purchase of iPads from Venture Wireless to help them work more efficiently. Shorter said it is hard to keep up with the information that is provided in their information packets, and that inconvenience translated to a loss for the county when the commissioners approved the purchase of a new truck for the sheriff’s department before reviewing the bids. Consequently, the commissioners spent more money on a Chevrolet model from Braun Chevrolet than they would have if they had gone with a different bid for a Ford model from Jim Dobson Ford.
The Pulaski County Commissioners last week approved a number of requests pending council approval, including a lease for rental of a copier for the surveyor’s office.
Kris Smith of Copiers Plus addressed the commissioners to explain what the company does and go over the equipment currently located in the surveyor’s office. Smith explained he was called a few years ago to provide copiers, printers and other equipment, as well as maintenance of those items. Smith presented a proposal for the rental of a machine capable of printing 11-by-17-inch pages, a necessity for the office.
The Pulaski County Commissioners last week tabled a discussion regarding the possible hiring of two notaries, after Surveyor Jenny Keller pointed out that she was the only notary in the courthouse, and is now unable to perform those duties because of her new responsibilities as an officer holder.
Keller noted that another courthouse employee has been registered as a notary in another county, but notaries are statewide, so Keller feels she should be able to perform those duties in Pulaski County. However, even if that is not the case, the registration process for becoming a notary only involves a $60 fee and is done electronically.
In Pulaski County, the discussion continued regarding moving the assessor’s office, currently located in the courthouse, to a building across the street. Assessor Holly VanDerAa approached the commissioners again this week for an update, having sent each commissioner a letter proposing that the building, owned by Geneva McKinley, be used as the new assessor’s office.
It’s all about accountability, said Pulaski County Commissioner Larry Brady, who expressed his desire to ensure county employees only have keys to the courthouse doors and their own offices. He told his fellow commissioners and the department heads in attendance that he would like all county building keys to which the commissioners have access to be stored at the county 911 center.
Pulaski County Sheriff Michael Gayer approached the county commissioners at their meeting this week with a request to follow through with the second of two vehicle purchases approved by the county council. Gayer said he had purchased one of the vehicles last year with the commissioners’ approval, but now, he has returned once again seeking permission to purchase the second.
The Pulaski County Commissioners this week tabled a discussion regarding an old, run-down county building shrouded in confusion. Maintenance Director Morry DeMarco told the commissioners that the Fletchers building owned by the county has been out of sight and out of mind for many, many years, but it was recently brought to his attention and he noticed the building has gotten to be in horrible condition.
The Pulaski County Commissioners met last night, their first meeting with two new commissioners Larry Brady and Terry Young, before a packed audience. Many of the attendees were county employees who had a number of issues with the new county handbook, and the commissioners heard their arguments last night.
The Pulaski County Commissioners this week approved a new purchase for the Sheriff’s Department: a new Dodge Charger squad car from Braun Chrysler. Sheriff Michael Gayer told the council that he will obtain several more quotes from local dealerships for both quarter- and half-ton trucks to add to his fleet.
Gayer said that so far, Goble has been the only local county dealership to provide a price on the new vehicle, and Steve Dobson at Jim Dobson Ford has yet to give him a response. On top of that, Gayer’s contact at Braun Chevrolet has been on vacation and Gayer has not been able to reach him.
Ed Clark of the Pulaski County Recycling Center told the county commissioners this week that the recycling center is coming in a bit lower than last year in revenue. Clark explained that while last year the center turned around $300,000, this year’s lower commodity prices have put a damper on their revenue. He anticipates coming in at $275,000 revenue for the year, despite actually having a greater number of sales.
The Pulaski County Commissioners this week approved the purchase of a new emergency 911 system after they learned their current system, which is about 10 years old, has been discontinued for about three years.
The new system, which will cost $144,000, will satisfy the order by the state fire marshal who told the county that they must relocate their 911 system to a new location for fire protection. A representative from a company who handles 911 systems told the commissioners that he developed a number of bullet points for a new system, because his company would be unable to renew the maintenance contract on their current system due to it being effectively obsolete.
The former president and secretary of a Winamac business are in some hot water, as the Pulaski County Commissioners filed a lawsuit against them after they defaulted on a loan from 2004.
The lawsuit, filed on Nov. 29, names Jerry R. Howe, Jr. and Scott Roudebush as defendants and seeks to have $151,425.50 reimbursed to the county, along with the appropriate interest, attorney fees, and court costs. The county has hired the Merrillville-based law firm Genetos, Retson, Yoon and Molina, LLP, after it was learned that County Attorney Kevin Tankerslee had represented one of the defendants in a previous matter.
Pulaski County Highway Superintendent Kenny Becker told the county commissioners this week that he is looking into the purchase of a part washer, which he said he can pay for using money left over in the miscellaneous fund. Becker explained that the equipment would cost just over $10,000, and though that may seem like a steep price tag, he said they are currently paying $1200 per year for their current system.
