The Pulaski County Council’s two newest members will take their seats for the first time tonight. Adam Loehmer and Tim Overmyer were elected last year, replacing Jay Sullivan and Scott Hinkle, who did not seek reelection.
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The end of 2020 means the end of the terms of several long-serving elected officials who did not seek reelection. Jay Sullivan leaves the Pulaski County Council after 20 years in office, several of those as council president. He took time during his final meeting to thank the county’s citizens for giving him the honor of serving them.
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The Pulaski County Council has finalized the 2020 salary matrix for county employees. Many of the changes approved Monday were designed to bring the matrix in line with the 2020 budget.
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A proposed tax adjustment was narrowly voted down by the Pulaski County Council Monday. The change would have resulted in a slight decrease in the county’s local income tax rate, while allowing property taxes to increase on non-homestead property.
Continue readingA motion to “reboot” Pulaski County’s IT Department failed during this week’s county council meeting. The county commissioners disbanded the IT Department back in July and later agreed to once again contract IT services out to DeGroot Technology. But that arrangement has drawn concern from some council members and IT professionals, specifically when it comes to cybersecurity and larger oversight of the county’s technology systems.
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The Pulaski County Council narrowly approved a list of tax abatement renewals Monday, despite concerns about one business’s compliance. FRATCO’s paperwork drew the attention of Council Member Kathi Thompson. She pointed out that while the business was meeting its requirement for the number of employees, the total salaries that were listed fell short of projections.
Continue readingAn ordinance paving the way for a potential property tax increase was adopted by the Pulaski County Council Monday, but not without some opposition. The county council voted four-to-two to “thaw” the county’s property tax levy freeze. That means the tax levy may increase within the limits set by the state’s growth quotient.
Continue readingThe Pulaski County Council has reversed course on a salary change for a staff member in the Prosecutor’s Office. Last month, the council voted to tie the victim’s assistance coordinator’s pay rate to the level specified by the grant that funds the position, with Ken Boswell and Scott Hinkle opposing. But when it came time to update the salary matrix to reflect the change last week, council members Rudy DeSabatine and Jay Sullivan joined Boswell and Hinkle in opposition, denying the measure by a vote of four-to-three.
Continue readingThe Pulaski County Council has referred a series of salary-related requests to its salary matrix committee. Prosecutor Dan Murphy has been asking for a pay raise for the victim’s assistance coordinator, to bring the position in line with the conditions of the grant that funds it. He initially suggested removing the position from the county’s salary matrix entirely, but last week, he told council members that it might be better to create a new position in the salary matrix to reflect the new responsibilities.
Continue readingThe addition of a new secretary for the Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office appears to depend on a recommendation from the county commissioners, after the county council was once again unable to reach a clear consensus Monday.
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The Pulaski County Council is streamlining the county’s salary matrix. Last week, council members approved a revision that does away with a probationary pay level for new employees.
Continue readingConfusion 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?”
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.
Making sure the Pulaski County Highway Department will be able to update its asset management plan and continue to qualify for Community Crossings grants was the goal of a lengthy conversation during Monday’s county council meeting. The highway department’s $2,500 budget for asset management services was apparently cut out of this year’s budget. To resolve the issue, Highway Superintendent Terry Ruff asked council members to transfer $10,000 into the line item from his department’s salt budget.
Pulaski County officials hope to put an end to the confusion surrounding the county’s salary matrix, during a joint work session next week. The idea was raised during Monday’s county council and commissioners meetings. Highway Superintendent Terry Ruff and Sheriff Jeff Richwine again asked for guidance on a couple ongoing salary issues, but the council’s matrix committee still hadn’t met yet to discuss them. Council member Scott Hinkle suggested that the discussion take place with the full council and board of commissioners, instead.
Pulaski County may be looking to state lawmakers to help make up a shortfall in local income tax revenues. The issue was brought to the attention of the county council last month, after Winamac officials noticed a sudden drop in the town’s share of Local Levy Freeze Income Tax funds. Pulaski County communities are now facing big holes in their 2018 budgets.
