The manufacturer moving into the old Anvil & Saw property on Pulaski County Road 200 South has got a second financial incentive from the county this week.
The county council approved real and personal property tax abatements, related to IBC Thermoplastics.
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The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department had a busy year in 2018. Sheriff Jeff Richwine reviewed some of the annual statistics with the county commissioners last week. “As you can see, the 911 Center, we had 3,521 911 calls, 51,810 administrative calls, for a total of 55,331 calls for the year 2018,” he said.
Continue readingAfter months of discussions, the Pulaski County Council has finally agreed to give the chief deputy coroner a pay raise. Council members voted six-to-one Monday to pay the chief deputy coroner 82 percent of what the coroner makes. That will amount to almost $8,100 a year, which is more than four times the current pay level. Mike Tiede cast the lone opposing vote.
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Getting a potential commercial produce operation to choose a Pulaski County site over one in White County is the goal of a tax abatement approved by the county council Monday.
Continue readingFunding arrangements for the recent facilities plan that called for the demolition of the Pulaski County Courthouse were approved by the county council Monday, but not without some debate. Newly-elected council member Kathi Thompson was concerned that the county commissioners didn’t ask for council members’ opinions before hiring an architectural firm.
Continue readingPublic hearings over three potential tax abatements will be held during tonight’s Pulaski County Council meeting. Council members have recently taken steps to make the JSI Steel and IBC Thermoplastics properties eligible for abatements, along with a site near U.S. 421 and County Road 200 South that’s being considered for a potential value-added agriculture business.
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One of the local officials leaving office as 2018 comes to an end is longtime Pulaski Circuit Court Judge Michael Shurn. Over the past month, he’s been updating the county council and commissioners on the transition process.
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The Pulaski County Council took action last week to make up a $20,000 shortfall in the county’s phone bill budget. Council members finalized a total of $16,350 in additional appropriations. $10,000 of that was for the telephone budget.
The Pulaski County Council has begun the process of making two sites eligible for tax abatements. Council members approved preliminary resolutions Monday designating the JSI Steel property and a piece of land near the intersection of U.S. 421 and State Road 14 as economic revitalization areas.
Confusion remains over how much money new Pulaski County Highway Department employees are supposed to make. Highway Superintendent Terry Ruff brought the question to the county council Monday. “We hired two new guys,” he explained. “What’s the deal on their pay? What do I tell them they’re getting paid right now? I don’t know if it’s $13.77. Is it for six months, a year? What are we doing?”
The Pulaski County Courthouse elevator should finally be ready for use tomorrow. “The state inspector will be here on Thursday, inspect the elevator,” Maintenance Director Jeff Johnston told the county council and commissioners Monday. “The elevator will be operational Thursday afternoon, I’m hoping.”
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 Council took a few moments Monday to mark the recent loss two members of the local community. Council Vice-President Mike Tiede began the meeting with a moment of silence for County Clerk Christi Hoffa. She passed away last month, after a battle with leukemia.
More details about proposed renovations to Pulaski County’s government offices are expected to be revealed during tonight’s joint county council and commissioners meeting. Back in October, Maintenance Director Jeff Johnston unveiled a plan to improve the accessibility, security, efficiency, and usability of the county’s buildings, all within a three-year period. He said the plan would include a security checkpoint at the courthouse, full ADA compliance, and a 50-to-75-percent reduction in utility costs.
The manufacturer moving into the old Anvil & Saw property on Pulaski County Road 200 South is on track to get a $200,000 loan from the county. The county commissioners conditionally approved a revolving loan request Monday from IBC Thermoplastics.
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department is looking to finalize a couple of contracts. An agreement with Motorola for new body cameras, portable radios, and other equipment was approved by the county commissioners earlier this month. Auditor Laura Wheeler told the county council last week that she needs to know where exactly the money is coming from, before the paperwork may be finalized.
Higher-than-expected phone bills are causing some challenges for Pulaski County.
Auditor Laura Wheeler told the county council Tuesday that the bill for office phones has come in $20,000 over the county’s phone budget for the year. “They’ve gone over for the last two years,” she said. “I think IT is looking into getting something changed on that, so it drops.”
A list of salary adjustments was approved by the Pulaski County Council Tuesday. It reflects previously-approved changes to the Community Development Commission project coordinator salary, as well as a few personnel changes to fill various vacancies. “It’s the change that you made last meeting on Krysten Hinkle,” Auditor Laura Wheeler explained, “and we have Marie Roth that was promoted to the 911 director and David Kain then went to part-time, and then we have Heather Rogers who is in Soil and Water, and she went from part-time to full-time, taking over from Quentin Blount.”
Housing and transporting federal inmates continues to cause budget challenges for the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Jeff Richwine told the county council Tuesday that while the effort is making money for the county overall, the associated income and expenses are in two different parts of the county’s budget.
The Pulaski County Council still isn’t ready to give the county’s chief deputy coroner a pay raise. Jon Frain has apparently been getting less than $150 per month for the job, even though more than four times that amount has been available in the coroner’s budget.
