Pulaski County Council Approves Transfer for Sheriff

 
 

Pulaski County Council members reluctantly approved a balance transfer request from Sheriff Mike Gayer to pay overtime for the county’s two new K-9 officers. Both just completed six weeks of training with the dogs . Gayer’s request to move $9,000 from the salary to the overtime line item in his budget prompted a spirited discussion about the military surplus vehicles and other supplies he’s been acquiring for the county for the past few years and the expense involved in going to get them. Under the county’s agreement with federal government, they have to keep the vehicles for at least two years before they can be sold. Gayer says two of the older trucks recently sold for $20,000 at a surplus auction. Half of the proceeds went into the county’s general fund, and the other half were put into an account established by the commissioners to maintain the fleet. Before approving Gayer’s transfer request, the council unanimously voted to require the sheriff to provide a quarterly report of military surplus items owned by the county and a list of what has been sold off. Gayer did note during the discussion that the heavy-duty trucks in particular were a tremendous asset to the county during this winter’s blizzard. He estimates they pulled at least 100 stuck motorists out of snowdrifts when commercial wrecker services couldn’t get there.

Winamac Town Council, Pulaski County Council to Meet Tonight

  
 

Two Pulaski County government agencies will meet tonight.

The Winamac Town Council will meet at 7 p.m. ET in the Municipal Utility Complex. Winamac Fire Chief Bill Weaver will have an update and Chris Smith will have a garbage collection update. Eric Galbreath will have information on the TV Cable and John Julian from Umbaugh and Associates will give the council water and waste water ordinances plus information on the pool.

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Pulaski County Council Approves Loan to Town of Monterey

  
 

The Pulaski County Council approved a loan to the Town of Monterey for its waste water treatment facility upgrade.

Pulaski County Community Development Commission Executive Director Nathan Origer asked the council if they would approve a $10,000 loan with zero percent interest to help the town complete its quest in obtaining money for 20 percent match for the $205,000 project.

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Pulaski County Commissioners to Discuss IT Contract in Emergency Session

 The Pulaski County Commissioners will meet in emergency session today at 3:20 p.m. ET to consider an IT contract to prevent disruption of the 911 system at the Pulaski County Justice Center.

The IT contract was discussed at the Pulaski County Council meeting on Monday night and the members discussed getting some sort of agreement with the current contractor to continue. The council wants to move forward as quickly as possible so coverage doesn’t lapse.

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Pulaski County Council Concerned About Sheriff’s Department Time Cards

Pulaski County Sheriff Michael Gayer
Pulaski County Sheriff Michael Gayer
Officials in Pulaski County are once again concerned with the method used to keep track of time worked for sheriff’s department employees, and the council asked Sheriff Michael Gayer to provide additional time sheet information to the auditor in the future. The council addressed Gayer at their meeting on March 10, explaining that the current method does not comply with the federal law.

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Pulaski Council Approves Recycling Center Equipment Purchases

  
 
The Pulaski County Council approved a motion to proceed with the recommendation of the commissioners to authorize the recycling center to make two purchases to help the department work more efficiently. Recycling Center Director Ed Clark requested that the council allow him to purchase four two-by-nine-foot cement slabs for the center’s retaining wall, saying that it would save department employees from having to bend over as much.

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Lot of Work Ahead for Pulaski County Maintenance Department

  
 
Pulaski County Maintenance Director Jeff Johnston has a full plate when it comes to projects as his department tackles a number of large undertakings, such as repairs to the sheriff’s department’s roof and the courthouse elevator and improvements to the recycling center’s drainage system. Johnston said the big question is whether or not the county can fund the projects from another source because the cost of the work would deplete his budget.

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Pulaski Sheriff’s Department to Upgrade Control Pod

Pulaski County Sheriff's Department
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department will soon be upgrading the control pod in the jail, as the county council this week approved a $19,000 additional appropriation to fund the project at the request of Sheriff Michael Gayer. Gayer said he was asked by the jail commander to give a presentation to the council regarding the proposal for these much-needed upgrades.

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Pulaski Council Commits $10,000 to Monterey Wastewater Project

  
 
The town of Monterey has cleared another hurdle as they look to build a wastewater plant with the assistance of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs. Nathan Origer, executive director of the Pulaski County Community Development Commission, approached the county council at their meeting Monday night and requested on behalf of the town $10,000 to help in the town’s endeavor.

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Pulaski Council to Meet This Evening

  
 
The Pulaski County Council are slated to meet this evening with a relatively light agenda, including only three requests for additional appropriations and three other items of discussion. Jenny Keller, county surveyor, is slated to request an additional appropriation for her department; Mark Fox, highway superintendent, will also request an additional appropriation, and Jeff Johnston, maintenance director, is on the agenda to discuss a number of building issues.

The council will also meet with Nathan Origer, executive director of the Pulaski County Community Development Commission. Sheriff Mike Gayer is slated to present an update on the jail control pod, and request an additional appropriation as well.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. ET in the commissioners meeting room in the county courthouse.

Pulaski Council Approves Purchase of Computers

  
 
The Pulaski County Council this week approved the purchase of five computers to replace some of the older computers in the assessor’s and auditor’s office after it was announced that their software vendor will no longer provide support for Microsoft Windows XP. RB Walters told the council that the support will end in April; after that, any software issues will not be troubleshooted by the vendor.

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Pulaski Council Approves Encumbrance For Highway Department

  
 
The Pulaski County Council this week approved an encumbrance for the highway department to allow them to take the delivery of salt that they were previously unable to store. Highway Superintendent Mark Fox requested the council approve the encumbrance of $9524 for the salt, saying the department had nowhere to put the salt when they planned to purchase it in 2013.

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Pulaski Council Increases Comp Time Hours for Employee

  
 

The Pulaski County Council Monday night approved a motion extending the maximum allowed comp time hours to 179 as a one-time only solution for the 911 dispatch supervisor. Carol Crist approached the council and explained that she had accumulated the hours after three of her dispatchers couldn’t make it to work for medical reasons, prompting her to work those extra shifts to keep the emergency services available.

The council also approved additional appropriations that were required due to a technical error; Auditor Sheila Garling said a document had the wrong fund number listed, causing a line item to run in the red until February.

The council approved a motion to advertise for $10,765 to pay wages for 911 dispatchers.

Pulaski EMS Dept. May Need to Expand Ambulance Garage

 
 
The Pulaski County Council this week heard a report from EMS Director Nikki Lowry, who told the commissioners that they are looking into the purchase of a new ambulance next year but there are a few problems. Lowry said the new ambulance will likely cost around $120,000, but the new rigs are bigger and the facilities available in Pulaski County to house ambulances are not big enough to accommodate them.

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