Paul Warnke and Ken Jones came before the Starke County Commissioners this week to report on the progress of the Koontz Lake Sewer Project.
Jones told the Commissioners that the project is ahead of schedule and street and road restoration began this week which is making the public very happy.
The restoration could not begin until NIPSCO pressure tested the power to the grinder pumps. After that was done, the cuts in the road could be restored. Continue reading
A committee set up to select a new EMS Director made their recommendation last night at the Starke County Commissioner’s meeting. Paul Mathewson was selected to take over the duties most recently held by Lisa Burger. The Commissioners unanimously approved the recommendation.
One qualification that Mathewson had was that he is a professionally trained Paramedic. He has most recently been employed by Porter Hospital in Valparaiso.
A 1998 graduate of Knox Community High School is the new Starke County I.T. Director. Joe Short was recommended to the Commissioners by a committee assembled to select a successor to Bob Smith.
The Starke County Commissioners are expected to name a new IT Director tonight to replace Bob Smith who recently announced that he is leaving the position.
Also on tonight’s agenda is the possible naming of an EMS Director. That position might be a little more difficult to fill because the selection committee has been inundated by applications. Enticed by a $50,000 salary and car, the position has seen applications from far and wide. The committee advertised for a paramedic to take the EMS job, as it’s hoped that the new Director helps in a move from a basic service to Advanced Life Support. One of the goals is to have a paramedic chase vehicle in operation by the first of the year. Several codes have to be approved by the state before the move to ALS service. It’s expected that IU Health Starke Hospital will be the sponsoring hospital.
The Starke County Commissioners toured another jail this week. They had recently visited the Marshall and Miami County jails. On Monday, they went to Rensselaer to tour the Jasper County Jail.
The tour of the 128 bed facility was conducted by Sheriff Terry Risner. The Jasper County jail is two years old and was moved from its former downtown Rensselaer location to property north of the city on State Road 231. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem described the jail tour made by the Commissioners last week as worthwhile. The Commissioners and Sheriff Oscar Cowen toured the Marshall and Miami County jails and although both used the same “footprint”, Marshall County rolled more equipment into their bond issue.
Norem wanted it known that the trip was not made because of the Jack Haut class action suit against the County, claiming deplorable conditions in the Starke County Jail.
The Starke County jail has been identified as the second oldest jail in the state and it is getting some attention by the County Commissioners. Commissioners Dan Bridegroom, Jennifer Davis and Kathy Norem toured two jails in surrounding counties to gain information on how they might configure a new jail in Starke County. The Commissioners visited the Marshall and Fulton County jails yesterday.
The Starke County Commissioners accepted the Property and Casualty and Workers Compensation Insurance policies as presented by First Source Insurance Agent, Bridget Markin yesterday. Markin said the loss ratio of 48% for the Property and Casualty was very good, but there would be an overall increase to the County of $12,017 in premiums because the company paid out $27,000 more in Workers Compensation claims than the cost of the insurance. The policies begin in July.
Starke County Commissioner Kathy Norem brought the Starke County Council up to speed on the work of the Advanced Life Support Committee at the Council’s recent meeting. Norem said that the ALS Committee hopes to have a paramedic chase vehicle in operation by the first of the year. She reviewed the time line of codes that have to be approved by the State before they can start. One is that I.U. Health Starke Hospital will agree to be the sponsoring hospital.
Starke County Commission President, Dan Bridegroom, said that the County might be back to square one this week after a dog kennel ordinance failed to gain approval for the third time.
Over 60 dog owners crowded into the County Annex building Monday night to disagree with many aspects of the proposed ordinance that was being presented by Administrator/Building Inspector, Bruce Williams.
After an hour of discussion and comments from the audience, the Commissioners, on a motion by Kathy Norem and seconded by Jennifer Davis, voted to deny the ordinance as presented, and sent it back to the Plan Commission.
The Starke County Council last night approved the Starke County Commissioners’ request to transfer $100,000 into the Legal Fund from the Health Fund to defend the County in the Jack Haut Class Action Lawsuit. Haut, as previously reported, is suing the County claiming the jail does not meet humane conditions because of overcrowding.
Talk of a new Starke County Jail has surfaced again. The three Starke County Commissioners talked about visiting other county jails in Marshall, Fulton and Brown Counties to look at the configuration of the buildings.
The announcement of the fact that they would be touring these buildings was made during the June 16th meeting to discuss the Class Action Law Suit brought against the County by Jack Haut, a Starke County Inmate.
The Starke County Commissioners met yesterday to discuss the Class Action Suit brought against the County by inmate Jack Haut. Because the suit is not covered by insurance, the County must come up with the money for legal expenses. County Attorney, Marty Lucas, advised the Commissioners that it will cost a minimum of $100,000 in attorney fees. And he said don’t expect a quick resolution.
Haut, in his suit, is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief because of the conditions at the Starke County Jail. One part of the suit is the claim that the jail is consistently overcrowded.
Since December 2007, IT Director Bob Smith has been overseeing all computer-related projects, repairs, installations, and countless other activities in Starke County, and with about 120 county PCs to maintain, he has certainly had his hands full. And so, when Smith announced his resignation to the county commissioners, they were compelled to accept his resignation with a heavy heart. Smith’s last day as IT Director of Starke County will be July 29. Because of the vast number of responsibilities that comes with being a one-man department, Smith announced his resignation over a month in advance to not only finish out some of the current projects, but also to give the county time to find a replacement.
The Starke County Board of Commissioners will be meeting Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. to discuss funding for the class action lawsuit being brought against the County by Jack Haut, a prisoner in the Starke County Jail.
Haut has brought suit against the county alleging unconstitutional and unlawful conditions of confinement at the Starke County Jail. In his suit, Haut alleges that the conditions at the jail are consistently and dangerously overcrowded. Continue reading
The Starke County Commissioners discussed a claim submitted by Treasurer Linda Belork for stamps that she says are required to send out delinquent bill notices. The claim, which was for $6,000, was denied because the Commissioners felt they were unable to justify spending such a large amount of money on stamps with the necessary data to back up the claim. Belork was informed that she will need to pull her records and find a more specific number of stamps required for mailing.
An ordinance regulating dog kennels was discussed at Monday’s Starke County Commissioners meeting. The Planning Commission has been working on this ordinance for several years, and it has been sent back to the Planning Commission with several comments from the commissioners to consider for correction. The maximum number of dogs that would be allowed outside at any time is six, but the Commissioners had a concern with that and requested it to be changed.
Sheriff Oscar Cowen approached the Starke County Commissioners on Monday to look into the possibility of increasing fees for some of the services they provide. Currently, Starke County charges significantly less for services compared to other counties in the area, and Cowen feels that implementing new fees and raising current prices could help with budget problems they’ve been experiencing.
The Starke County Commissioners received a promising update regarding Bridge 156 over the Robbins Ditch on Range Road on Monday. Surveys are expected to be done soon, Debco has provided the loads on the trusses, and everything is expected to be back in operating order in time for our local farmers to use the road during their busy harvest season.
The pension fund for the Starke County Sheriff’s Department has received its necessary fund transfer, thanks to Sheriff Oscar Cowen and the County Council. At their joint meeting with the Commissioners, Cowen asked for $108,514.32 to be transferred to the Sheriff’s Pension Fund. This transfer has been requested annually for several years.
“We call it the riverboat money. It comes in, it goes into an account. The only way it can come out of that account is the sheriff has to ask for it. And if the sheriff doesn’t ask for it, it can’t be taken out,” said Commissioner Dan Bridegroom.
