Starke County EMS is losing ambulance transfers to another ambulance service which has caused a reduction in revenue for the county.
EMS Director Travis Clary mentioned the issue to the commissioners earlier this month in his report to the board and the Starke County Council discussed it this week.
Last week’s Starke County Job Fair was deemed a success. Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver gave the county council a full report Monday night. He said several companies attended the event.
“We had about 88 people there,” said Weaver. “I’ve got to tell you that both the quantity and the quality of the persons who walked in looking for jobs this year compared to last year was just phenomenally different. Most of them had attended sales training bootcamp, and were highly qualified.” Continue reading
The Starke County Council members opened public hearings for the 2018 county budgets 7and the Solid Waste District with no public comment Monday night. The budget presented by the council totals $11,647,011. The General Fund is listed on Indiana Gateway as $7,022,851.
The Starke County Council will meet tonight where public hearings are scheduled for the 2018 county budget as well as the 2018 budget for the Starke County Solid Waste District. The council is also expected to adopt the 2018 budget for the Starke County Airport.
The council held public hearings on these items in a prior meeting, but the hearings could not be counted as legal as a proper quorum was not in place. Three council members were physically in attendance while another was present via teleconference which didn’t count as a legal meeting.
As Starke County prepares to put together its wish list for the proposed upgrade of U.S. 30, one of the things it’ll be pushing for is an interchange at Hamlet. That’s what Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver told the Hamlet Town Council Wednesday.
The Starke County Council members did hold a public hearing Monday evening to gather public comment on the 2018 budget, but the lack of a quorum has forced a second public hearing.
The council needs to have at least four members present to recognize a quorum. Members Brad Hazelton, Nancy Dembowski and Bryan Cavendar were physically present Monday night for the public hearing. It was thought that if a fourth member could be part of the meeting via teleconference, it could be a legally called meeting. It was found that the meeting cannot be counted as legal so a second public hearing is scheduled.
The Starke County Council members last week approved a $5,000 additional appropriation to pay on the contract with the Starke County Convention and Visitors Commission and the Starke County Chamber of Commerce for providing services to promote tourism.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler requested a transfer of funds from the fuel line item to help pay for other projects.
Ritzler explained that there is a surplus of funds in the fuel line item that can be spread to other accounts to pay for needed projects in the county. He said some of the funds will be spent on upgrading signs.
The Starke County Council Monday night approved a three percent increase for county employees. The council members discussed what sort of impact that will have on the budget and found it would be about a $78,000 increase. They felt that was feasible, but they hope that the state won’t cut too much out of the budget.
The public hearing for the 2018 budget for Starke County will be held on Oct. 2. The budget adoption is scheduled for Oct. 18. Budgets must be approved by Nov. 1.
The Starke County Council will meet tonight with a full agenda.
The council members plan to adopt the North Judson-San Pierre 2018 budget and discuss a Rainy Day resolution request. A building corporation bond issue will be before the council along with discussions concerning transfer requests and additional appropriation requests by the IT Department, county highway, and Drug and Tobacco Free Starke County.
The coroner’s pay will be discussed at the Sept. 18 meeting of the Starke County Commissioners as Coroner Dannie Hoffer is also asking for an increase for his deputies.
The commissioners were prepared to present an increase in pay for the coroner in 2018, but when Hoffer asked about an increase for his deputies next year the commissioners decided to take a step back and research the request before making any formal offer.
Gourmet snack food producer Gary Poppins could be moving into the former Stelrema building north of Knox by the end of this year, but there are still a few issues that need to be resolved first. The sale is in the “final stages of due diligence,” according to Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver.
Manufacturing Day is just over a month away, and economic development officials are getting ready. Seventh graders from around Starke County will once again have the chance to meet with representatives from local industries, during an event hosted by the Starke County Economic Development Foundation.
Precision Waterjet Concepts (PWC) was founded in 2002. The company founders saw a need for quality abrasive Waterjet Cutting in many industries and started the company to meet that demand.
Starke County Coroner Dannie Hoffer says he’s taking steps to save the county money, but other county officials are worried that could lead to some legal troubles. Hoffer addressed several concerns during last week’s county council and county commissioners meetings.
You can now make a donation to the Starke County Park Board. While the park board oversees a few different facilities, including the Bass Lake Beach and Campground and the Starke County Forest, it does not have a dedicated funding source from the county government. However, the county council last week created a “special non-reverting park and recreation fund,” designed to let the park board accept “gifts, donations, and subsidies.”
The Starke County Council has set a pay rate for the county’s next Emergency Management Agency director. Former director Jacob Lippner was fired by the county commissioners back in May. They’ve since decided to make the position a part-time job going forward.
Upgrades to the Starke County Courthouse elevator are a step closer to moving ahead. The county commissioners voted Monday to submit a grant application to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, after they sent in a letter of intent last month.
Starke County’s coroner says out-of-county autopsies are causing a big strain on his budget. Now, county officials may be looking to state lawmakers to help ease that burden.
The North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation’s efforts to cut spending are having a positive impact on the corporation’s budget. That’s what Business Manager Guy Richie told the Starke County Council Monday during a hearing on the corporation’s 2018 budget proposal. Continue reading
