Skronski told the commissioners that the special election to be held this year is going to be stretching the employees to their limits, and with the regularly-increasing workload for the office, Skronski said extra help is practically a necessity.
Starke Commissioners Discuss Transient Merchant License, Door-to-Door Salespeople
County Auditor Kay Chaffins explained that a transient merchant license is required for any person, firm, limited liability company or corporation that conducts business in the state in one location or by traveling place to place offering for sale goods, wares, or merchandise. She explained the license is valid for six months at a cost of $100, and after the license expires, the merchant must file with the county auditor a list of items sold to county residents and their cost. That information would then be forwarded to the state department of revenue. Those who hold registered retail merchant’s certificates are exempt from requiring this license.
Starke Commissioners Approve Relocation of Koontz Lake Radio Antenna
To that end, Bombagetti explained to them the process to declare a local communication emergency, which would give the county the authority to do what needs to be done to restore full radio communications while getting the FCC licensing caught up at a later time. County Attorney Martin Lucas reviewed the information and gave it his approval.
Starke Commissioners Deny Additional Reimbursement for Dotliches
While the debate over an erroneously-permitted commercial structure has officially come to a close, some loose ends are still being wrapped up by Betty and George Dotlich. The pair had valiantly fought tooth-and-nail over a commercial structure that had been permitted as a single-family residence, ultimately winning the appeal in the Starke Circuit Court under Special Judge Patrick Blankenship ruled that the Board of Zoning Appeals failed to follow proper procedure and made a permitting decision unsupported by substantial evidence.
Starke Commissioners Review Jail Site Appraisals, Approve Offer
Starke Commissioners Name New Highway Superintendent
A new highway superintendent will be taking the reins in Starke County, having been appointed by the Starke County Commissioners this week. Stephen “Rik” Ritzler boasts an extensive history of experience and success with projects throughout Indiana, and said he will focus on bringing funds to the county and improving the highway department by providing the employees with the resources they need to do their jobs to the best of their ability.
Starke Commissioners Table Holiday Pay Discussion
The Starke County Commissioners this week tabled a discussion regarding holiday pay for a former sheriff’s department employee. Ron Lawson had been an employee of the sheriff’s department for many years as a detective, and he was also a patrolman for some time, and he told the commissioners that he has not received holiday pay that he feels he is entitled to.
Starke County Landfill Methane Levels Rising; Solution to Be Determined
The Starke County Commissioners this week approved a motion to authorize a representative of Weaver Boos Consultants to contact the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in the hopes of revising their remediation plan regarding the county landfill.
Brian Horvath presented the commissioners with a report detailing the results of the company’s groundwater monitoring at the landfill, and said nothing stood out too much. While he has no major concerns, he did note that the gas monitoring did show some upward trends in methane levels; anything more than five percent methane is potentially explosive, and some areas in the landfill were as high as 10 percent.
Starke Commissioners Approve Mower, Tractor Purchase
The Starke County Commissioners this week approved a bid to purchase a new mower for the highway department, which is in new of two new mowers because the current equipment has become worn out. However, there are only enough funds in the highway department’s budget to afford one of the mowers, and not the second, so the commissioners would be responsible for the cost of the second.
Starke EMS Department Reports Higher Revenue for 2012 Than Expected
The Starke County EMS Department is reporting record revenue, as EMS Director Paul Mathewson and Mary Lynn Ritchie of the department approached the commissioners for their annual revenue report for 2012 with some very good figures. Ritchie explained that the department received more than their projected revenue, and said the new Advanced Life Support service is definitely a factor.
Starke Commissioners Approve Imminent Domain Acquisition for Project
After a lengthy discussion and with some hesitation, the Starke County Commissioners yesterday gave their unanimous approval to allow Lawson Fisher Associates, a civil engineering company from South Bend, to pursue land acquisition through imminent domain for a county project.
Charles Weaver, the executive director of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, approached the commissioners with an update on the County Road 300 East and State Road 8 project. Weaver explained the project, which is essentially a reconstruction project, began several years ago with a request to INDOT to help fund the work, which he said aims to accommodate a larger amount of trucks in that area. He said it became a safety issue because of the increased amount of traffic, and in order to allow for greater economic growth, that bottleneck needs to be rectified.
Starke Commissioners to Discuss Interview Process for Highway Superintendent
Earlier this month, the Starke County Commissioners removed former Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall from his position and appointed Scott Dedloff as interim superintendent. Dedloff has been a foreman for the county for some time, and is filling in Siddall’s stead while Bill Crase holds the responsibilities of interim foreman.
Starke County Forester Seeks Reimbursement for Forest Maintenance
The Starke County Commissioners cleared up some confusion regarding expenses and claims for the Starke County Forest. Forester Bruce Wakeland approached the commissioners and asked how he should handle reimbursements when paying out-of-pocket for small maintenance expenses at the forest.
Wakeland previously donated a 129-acre parcel of land to the county that he manages as part of Wakeland Forestry Consultants. The land, located on State Road 8, was designated as the Starke County Forest, funded by selling timber as opposed to gate fees and county funds.
Starke Commissioners Approve Engineering Work for Bridge 43
Another Starke County bridge is soon to be repaired, as the commissioners this week gave their approval to sign paperwork for the engineering aspect of the repairs on Bridge 43, located near Koontz Lake. Mark Wilson with engineering firm Jones, Petrie, and Rafinski approached the commissioners with paperwork to be signed for the go-ahead on the engineering study.
Starke Commissioners Approve Sale of Timber from County Forest
The Starke County Commissioners Monday night discussed the Starke County Forest and a request from Forester Bruce Wakeland to sell timber from the forest in an area he had previously set aside for white pine.
Wakeland had donated a piece of property, 129 acres, to the county that he currently manages to be used as a county forest. The forest, on State Road 8, pays its bills by selling timber instead of using county funds and gate fees. Wakeland said the forest has trails and other attractions that the public is welcome to check out, and he said the forest has been seeing its fair share of visitors.
Starke County Commissioners Receive Narrowbanding Update
Starke County is still suffering from the storms that wreaked havoc in June and July, as the Sheriff’s Department’s radio tower is still not quite up-to-snuff because of damage caused during the storms. IT Director Joe Short gave the commissioners an update last night on the progress of not only the repairs on the tower, but also the county’s progress on complying with new narrowband requirements from the FCC.
Starke Commissioners Table Discussion Regarding Inflating Contract
The Starke County Commissioners last week tabled a discussion regarding a contract that has regularly been increasing in cost to determine whether or not the contract could be nullified. Maintenance Director Carl Goodrich said at the last meeting that the main issue is whether or not the county could get out of the contract with the current company, because they recently raised their contract cost up five percent – not the first time the company done this, Goodrich said.
Starke Commissioners Accept Property Assessment Bid
The Starke County Commissioners last week accepted a bid for a company to perform the property assessments for the county. Assessor Rhonda Milner approached the commissioners with two four bids for the work and her recommendation, but she said two of the bids needed thrown out because they did not follow the requirements and specs of the bid. Also, one company is under litigation for unsatisfactory work.
Starke Commissioners Table Narrowband Radio Purchases
The Starke County Commissioners heard an update from IT Director Joe Short regarding the narrowbanding compliance efforts being undertaken by the county. Short told the commissioners that the compliance update is finished, and all compatible equipment has been programmed to the new standard. However, a few pieces of equipment cannot be upgraded to narrowband, and Short said those will need to be replaced.
Starke Commissioners Approve Community Corrections Contract App
The Starke County Commissioners this week approved the signing of a contract application for Community Corrections. Robert Hinojosa, director of Starke County Community Corrections, told the commissioners that he wasn’t asking them to sign the contract just yet; he was merely asking them to approve the application for the contract.
