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 business moving into the old Anvil & Saw property on Pulaski County Road 200 South still isn’t ready to officially request a tax abatement. The county council began the process back in August by adopting a preliminary resolution designating the site an economic revitalization area.
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputies will have a new retirement plan, starting January 1. The county council voted Monday to change the system to a 32-year plan. Currently, the number of years of service that count toward deputies’ retirement benefits is limited to 20.
Pulaski County Building Department Assistant Karla Kreamer will apparently remain at part-time status for now. After multiple lengthy discussions Monday, the county council decided not to take any action to change her employment to full-time, despite a favorable recommendation from the county commissioners.
Pulaski County officials continue to consider hiring an outside consultant to help put together a fiscal plan for the county. The county council and commissioners heard presentations from two firms Monday, but no final action was taken by the commissioners. County officials have been looking at adjusting the county’s tax structure for over a year. It currently relies heavily on income taxes, which is expected to become an increasing problem as the county’s population continues to decline.
Improvements will soon be coming to Pulaski County’s government offices. During Monday’s county council meeting, Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston announced a plan to improve accessibility, security, efficiency, and usability. “The plan itself is only in the infant stages of development, and there’s a lot of work to do before the completed plan can be presented in its entirety,” he said. Continue reading
The Pulaski County Council almost forgot to adopt the 2019 budget Monday. The approval finally came after more than four hours of occasionally contentious discussions but relatively little action on several budget-related items.
The Pulaski County Council is scheduled to adopt the county’s 2019 budget tonight, but a number of issues still have to be addressed. Assessor Holly VanDerAa has been calling for a tax increase to make up a shortfall in the county’s Reassessment budget. She says the change would reduce the need for various costs to be paid out of the county’s General Fund.
The replacement of the fire alarm system in the Pulaski County Justice Center will cost a bit less than originally thought. The county council had agreed to budget $39,000 for the project, based on the initial quote that Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston received.
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.
The Pulaski County Council got a closer look earlier this month at proposed changes to the sheriff’s deputies’ retirement plan. Actuary Stan Brown with OneAmerica explained that the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department is one of about a dozen in the state that still use a 20-year maximum service plan. “So what that means is only 20 years count for any deputy’s benefit,” he explained. “If you have someone work beyond 20 years, those years don’t count in determining the monthly retirement benefit.”
Pulaski County officials continue working on implementing a rental property inspection program, but exactly how to do that was a topic of discussion during Monday’s plan commission meeting. Director of Environmental Health Terri Hansen told members that she and Building Inspector Doug Hoover are repeatedly called to the same rental units, due to complaints about their condition. “It’s really sad when you see the kids, you guys,” she said. “They don’t want to live like that. It’s terrible. Makes you sick.”
Pulaski County Building Inspector Doug Hoover is urging the county council to upgrade his assistant to full-time status. “We’ve got a person that deals with money, does everything with the computer, has got real estate license, got many different things, and you know what? The janitor that pushes a broom makes one dollar more than she does,” Hoover told council members during last week’s public hearing on the 2019 budget. “I’m not very pleased with that.”
Pulaski County’s salary matrix will soon get an overhaul. That was the promise council member Scott Hinkle gave after department heads voiced concerns during last week’s public hearing on the 2019 budget.
The Pulaski County Highway Department apparently won’t be applying for Community Crossings funds this month.
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.
A tax increase would still be needed to balance Pulaski County’s Reassessment budget, but it may not have to be as large as originally thought. Assessor Holly VanDerAa discussed several budget concerns during the county council’s public hearing on the 2019 budget Wednesday.
How to balance the Pulaski County Assessor’s budget is expected to be a topic of discussion when the county council holds its public budget hearing tonight. Assessor Holly VanDerAa has been asking council members to think about raising the reassessment tax, to help keep up with rising costs. But they had decided to wait for an analysis of the county’s finances that’s currently under consideration.
The Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office is getting a new investigator vehicle. Prosecutor Dan Murphy plans to get a 2019 Dodge Charger from Braun. “We’ll have about a $12,000 discount buying it through that program that the State Police use for vehicles,” Murphy told the county council Monday. Once the discount, trade-in, and the addition of a police package are taken into account, the final cost is around $26,400.
Plans are moving ahead for a light manufacturing business to move into the old Anvil & Saw property on Pulaski County Road 200 South. But Community Development Commission Executive Director Nathan Origer told the county council Monday that the business isn’t ready to formally request a tax abatement just yet.
