Two Candidates have Filed for Tonight’s Democratic Caucus

Posted on Author WKVI

Two candidates are seeking the opportunity to fill the Starke County Interim Treasurer’s position in tonight’s Democrat Caucus. The appointed person will fill the term of Linda Belork until a Jasper County Court settles a suit between her and the Starke County Commissioners. If Belork wins the court case, she will reclaim the office and the caucus winner will vacate the position. If Belork loses the suit, the caucus winner will automatically have the Interim designation removed from her title, and the candidate will become the Treasurer.

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Starke County Commissioners Approve Purchase of Second Car for Sheriff’s Department

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Sheriff Oscar Cowen asked the Starke County Commissioners for a second new police car this year. Cowen told the Commissioners that an insurance check for a wrecked vehicle has been received.

“I don’t know the exact number but it was over $8,000,” said Cowen. “I had asked once to buy a used car to replace but then I said just hang on to money and hopefully with that we have enough money to look toward our second new car this year.”

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Linda Belork’s Attorney Files Challenge to Thursday Night’s Caucus

Posted on Author WKVI
Linda Belork

The attorney for Linda Belork has notified Starke County Democrat Chairman, Kenny Wallace, that he, on behalf of his client, is challenging the right of the party to hold a caucus Thursday night, December 1st to name a new Starke County Treasurer.

Belork was removed from office by county officials in August when a State Board of Accounts report noted funding discrepancies totaling thousands of dollars. Those discrepancies eventually were resolved, but Belork was never reinstated to the office.

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Starke County Commissioners Pass Nepotism Ordinance

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners: Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

The Starke County Commissioners have passed an ordinance that would halt nepotism in hiring in county government. The ordinance was created in part to stop complaints from the public about employees working under direct supervision of a family member. In the ordinance, the definition of relatives was spelled out with 17 listed from father and mother to relatives by adoption.

The ordinance applies to all elected or appointed directors.

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Starke County Commissioners to Hear from Skillman Corporation Representative about Jail Construction

Posted on Author WKVI

A representative of Skillman Corporation out of Merrillville will be in attendance at the Starke County Commissioners meeting tonight. After listening to a presentation from Scott Cherry last week, the Starke County Jail Committee voted to invite him to the Commissioners’ meeting to discuss jail construction and remodeling. Cherry oversees all operations from the Merrillville office.

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Insurance for Starke County Employees to go up Next Year

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners: Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

Miguel Salazar, from First Source Insurance, appeared before the Starke County Commissioners this week to bring them up-to-date on health insurance costs for 2012. Even though premiums are going up, Salazar pointed out how employees can reduce their co-pay by accumulating wellness points.

Salazar pointed out the importance for the employees maximizing their total points to reduce their premium.

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Starke County Commissioners to Draft Nepotism Ordinance

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners ( L to R ) Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom, Jennifer Davis

Saying they had heard some complaints from the community, the Starke County Commissioners yesterday voted to have County Attorney, Marty Lucas, create a draft of an employee nepotism ordinance. When passed, the ordinance would spell out that no employee could work directly under a relative in any office.

The ordinance will make it clear that no parents, grandparents, spouse, children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, or adopted relatives could be given employment where they work directly under, or having reporting responsibilities, to the supervisor or department head.

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Starke County Councilwoman Defends Treasurer in Audit

Posted on Author WKVI
Linda Belork

Starke County Councilwoman, Judy Benninghoff, still believes that the errors reported in the Treasurer’s office by the State Board of Accounts are actually errors in the Auditor’s office. In a release to WKVI, Benninghoff said that is backed up by an official in the State Board of Accounts.

“I called the State Board of Accounts and I spoke to Debbie Gibson, and she told me that the paragraph that was inserted in the Treasurer’s audit had nothing to do with the Treasurer,” said Benninghoff. “That pertained only to the Auditor. So, where it says that ‘beginning in March 2010 and continuing through 2011, there was a failure to post the entries pertaining to the remittance of various payroll withholdings’, that was true. That withholding fund is with the Auditor’s office, not in the Treasurer’s office.”

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Starke County Commissioners to Decide on Snow Emergency Policy for County Employees

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners: Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

The Starke County Commissioners are trying to decide on a snow emergency policy involving employee pay if the county is under a no travel order due to snowy conditions. The Courthouse had to close once in December of 2010 and again in January of this year because the county roads were closed due to snow. A funding mechanism was in place through the state and federal governments where the county could get funding to make the roads passable if an emergency is declared in the county.

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Starke County Treasurer’s Books almost Balanced

Posted on Author WKVI
Linda Belork

The discrepancies in the Treasurer’s office have almost been solved. It was reported at this week’s Starke County Commissioners meeting that the Treasurer’s balance, and bank balance were in sync within pennies. The figures came from the monthly 47TR report given to the commissioners.

“The 47TR form is basically the form that compares our Treasurer’s balance to the bank balance to the Auditor’s balance,” explained Commission President, Dan Bridegroom. “The Auditor’s balance will be somewhat different than the Treasurer’s because of how the funds are received. In the bottom line, that form out of the Treasurer’s Office should balance with our bank. That is where we had the huge discrepancy of almost $900,000 and that’s what led us to where we are today. As of Tuesday of last week, the Auditor, Kay Chaffins, and Casey in the Treasurer’s Office have got that down to somewhere around $.33 and they will find that portion of that also.”

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Starke County EMA Recognized for Improvement

Posted on Author WKVI
Ted Bombagetti

Starke County has been recognized as showing the greatest improvement in the EMA Office in the state. EMA Director, Ted Bombagetti, received the award in Indianapolis recently.

“All of the Directors of the EMAs throughout the state work off the state’s rating system where we do specific projects for our county, classroom participation and a host of other items,” said Bombagetti. “We get a report card on it at the end of the year and fortunately, my department was able to score enough points and we received an award from the state for the most improved county.”

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Starke County Officials: Jailers or Road Officers?

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County officials are being faced with a philosophical dilemma. They are being asked to either reduce the sheriff’s road officers or keep the jail understaffed.

“I’m here to let you know that I’ll do whatever the Commissioners and Council ask me to do, but I do want them to understand is that in order for me to eliminate two road officers, I would have to lay them off,” said Sheriff Cowen. “I can’t just place them down in the jail and subtract their pay to jailer’s pay. I can put them in the jail, but I would have to pay them officer’s pay.”

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Starke County Commissioners Approve Dog Kennel Ordinance

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners: Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

After several months of discussion, and a rejection of at least one draft ordinance, the Starke County Commissioners passed the Dog Kennel Ordinance with a unanimous vote.

A simplified explanation of the ordinance is that it will regulate dog kennels in the county and provides the language for creating and operating a kennel.

The ordinance was written after much work by Plan Commission President Butch Richie, Director Bruce Williams and a committee of dog enthusiasts. Commissioner Kathy Norem, who with her background of breeding show dogs, was also helpful in comments made from her position as a Commissioner.

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Starke County Commissioners Review County’s Assets

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners: Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

How much would you think Starke County has in assets? If you guessed $41 million, you would be close.

That figure was revealed at this week’s Starke County Commissioner’s meeting. The county is required to do a capital assets report each year to update records. Bill Nielson of Government Fixed Asset Services, Inc. said that the assets are unbelievable.

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Starke County Officials Endorse Jail Review, Selects Community Committee

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Jail

Starke County government officials endorsed a comprehensive jail review last night that will end with a decision on what to do about the 33-year-old facility.

Commissioner Kathy Norem presented to the county officials in attendance findings from a recent jail conference attended by a five person committee from Starke County. Norem said this is a thorough review of all of the options available.

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Starke County EMS Director Moving Forward with Service Upgrade

Posted on Author WKVI
Paul Mathewson

Starke County EMS Director Paul Mathewson informed the Commissioners this week that he is getting everything ready to switch the county from Basic Life Support Service to Advanced Life Support Service as soon as possible.

Today he will be meeting with state regulators to get the ambulances licensed for Advanced Life Support service. Mathewson was asked why the change in licensing for the vehicles is necessary.

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Starke County Commissioners Receive 47TR Report from Treasurer’s Office

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Commissioners received the “47TR” figures from one of the interim employees in the Treasurer’s office this week. That report is sent to the state each month showing that the figures balance with the bank receipts.

In an answer to a question from Commission President Dan Bridegroom, Casey Clark stated they still are not balancing, but “they are working on it.” By working with the Auditor’s office, the monthly figures are now balancing, but they are still off $46,000, according to Clark. That figure is a combination of money that is unaccounted for in 2010, and what she has found back to May of 2011

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Senator Arnold Visits Starke County Commissioners and Council

Posted on Author WKVI
Senator Jim Arnold

Sixth District State Senator, Jim Arnold, paid a visit to the Starke County Council and Commissioners this week. Arnold, who was assigned parts of Starke County in a new district, paid a courtesy call on both governing bodies, saying that the members can call him if they need help in any way. If elected in the 2012 election, Arnold’s new district will take in Davis, Oregon, Washington, Center, and Jackson Townships. Senator Ed Charbonneau will be left with only Railroad, Wayne, California, and North Bend townships.

Members of the council mentioned two topics they will be interested in during the 2012 legislative session. Those topics are the 9-1-1 and Police Pension Fund financing.

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Starke County Commissioners to Meet in Executive Session to Discuss Treasurer’s Audit

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Commissioners: Kathy Norem, Dan Bridegroom and Jennifer Davis

The Starke County Commissioners are getting together in Executive Session this afternoon to analyze the 2010 Treasurer’s audit released this week by the State Board of Accounts.

Although the report pointed out that there were hundreds of thousands of book-keeping discrepancies, all but $21,906 has been found. When granted access to the county’s bank account statements and depository records, County Auditor, Kay Chaffins, was able to investigate the material.

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