March 18, 2008

Wells EMA Office seeking new director

Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Board member Blake Poindexter advised Wells County Commissioners Paul Bonham, Kevin Woodward and C. Scott Mossburg that the board is currently looking to appoint a new EMA director, to replace Jerri Lehman.

The position has become available due to a number of “irreconcilable differences” between Lehman and the board, relating to the management of the office. Lehman was offered the opportunity to resign, but declined, and the board has subsequently relieved her of her duties.

Jeremy Daugherty has been appointed interim director until a new appointment can be made. Poindexter advised that the board will be accepting applications through next Friday, and these should be addressed to Sheriff Bob Frantz, EMA Board President, Carnegie Government Annex, Room 101, 223 W. Washington St., Bluffton.

The position will continue to be a part-time one. Poindexter is hoping that a suitable candidate will have been chosen before the next commissioner’s meeting.

Several additional issues relating to the EMA office were discussed at the meeting.

As a temporary measure Poindexter requested the approval of the commissioners to increase the hours of both the director and office secretary to 30 hours per week, to help deal with a backlog of paperwork that currently exists.

Poindexter hopes to have Quickbooks installed on the EMA computer to assist with accounting. It was noted that due to miscommunication of requirements, funds intended for the SARA Title 3/Right To Know account had been used in other areas, and a transfer between accounts of funds totaling $18,000 was required to correct the issue.

It was emphasized that the incorrect use of these funds was not in any way a deliberate or malicious act. The funds have simply been taken from an incorrect account, and the reallocation of money is to correct this error.

The new computer software will match that used by the county auditor’s office, and there will be a monthly reconciliation of accounts between the EMA office and the Auditor’s office, to ensure similar accounting problems don’t reoccur in the future.

It is hoped that this software will be in place within the next two weeks.

The vehicle used by the EMA Director will be returned to the sheriff’s department for disposal, in accordance with current procedures. The new director will be required to maintain proper mileage records, with appropriate reimbursement.

Daugherty noted that the EMA office will soon be subject to an annual “Management Capability Assessment” by state officials, and that he was eager to ensure that four areas that Wells County did not receive good marks for in 2007 have been addressed.

Since the 2007 assessment, Lehman has successfully implemented the Hazard Mitigation Plan, and this should not be an issue this year.

No progress however has been made on implementing an annual training needs assessment for office staff, and there is no documentation of board minutes, possibly because it appears that regular board meetings have not been held in the past.

Board meetings will be held, and documented, in the future.

Poindexter also pointed out that the 2007 assessment also noted that Wells County’s EMA director is not a full-time appointee.

It will not be possible to correct this in time for this year’s assessment, as funds simply aren’t available at this stage, and with several upcoming legislative changes expected to impact the EMA office, there is currently some “movement of the goalposts,” making precise requirements difficult to gauge.

It was therefore considered appropriate to maintain the director’s position as a part-time position in the meantime, but to look at the possibility of increasing the position to full-time as circumstances permit.

There will also be several new categories of assessment included in this year’s review by the state officials. Daugherty is endeavoring to assess the situation in these areas.

Mossburg proposes larger setback for CAFOs

An unexpected discussion relating to the Area Planning Commission’s proposed rezoning ordinance took place, with Mossburg suggesting that a further modification was required to the section dealing with CAFOs.

Mossburg proposed that the minimum allowed distance between a CAFO and a residence should be 800 feet, instead of the 600 feet currently stipulated. Farm Bureau members who were present for the discussion didn’t see any advantage in doing this, and thought perhaps that if it had any effect, it would be to discourage a new CAFO business from coming to the county.

Mossburg advised that many grain farmers want their homes to be as far away as possible from the smell produced by CAFOs, and while the extra 200 feet won’t make a huge difference, it would make the air “a little more breathable”.

APC Director Mike Lautzenheiser Jr advised that while 600 feet is the minimum distance stipulated in the ordinance, a CAFO owner is also require to acquire 240 points on a “good neighbor assessment” points system. By moving the minimum distance to 800 feet, he would lose the ability to score 20 points by voluntarily ensuring an 800 feet distance - almost 10% of the total available points.

After some discussion it was agreed to move the minimum required distance to 800 feet, but reduce the minimum points required to 220.

Members of the Farm Bureau who were present in the audience opposed this proposal, noting that CAFOs are currently only developed out in the rural areas anyway,

Courthouse security

plan progresses

Progress has begun to be made in tightening up security at the courthouse.

Sheriff Frantz advised that he will initially be making use of the services of off-duty Bluffton Police Department staff to provide security on the third floor. Five officers have signed on so far, and he will be using two officers initially, as he evaluates the system. They will be paid $15 per hour, and will be doing the work on the understanding that it is only a temporary arrangement, until a more permanent system has been devised.

Proposed security equipment will soon be ordered, with Sheriff Frantz, Woodward and Judge Goshorn scheduled to meet and finalize these details. It is proposed that it will only be possible to enter the courthouse by one main first floor entrance, passing through the security checkpoint at this location.

Special arrangements will be available to allow the sheriff’s department to bring prisoners from the jail who are scheduled to appear in court through the back entrance, and there will also be an entrance for community corrections to use after regular hours for its activities.

Task force update

Wells County Council member Travis Holdman updated the commissioners on efforts by the Wells County Improvement Task Force, comprising himself, Karolyna Farling, Jim Oswalt and Kevin Woodward.

Holdman found that Bonham and Mossburg have yet to be fully convinced of the benefits of this project, noting that various previous studies have been done but with little achieved.

Holdman advised that the county council is eager to make sure that any realistic recommendations that are made are followed through. It was noted that any proposed changes must meet Indiana Code in order to be able to be implemented.

The task force has drawn up a list of 22 Wells County residents who it feels are qualified to play a leading role in identifying potential changes. This group will form a board that will help get the process moving.

The task force also proposed that Ed Vessels of Huntington be appointed as the consultant who will be responsible for bringing this group together, and getting the ideas together.

Vessels has a background in business with Bendix. He teaches strategic planning at Huntington College, among other places.

Vessels’ initial task will be to compare the procedures used by Wells County government departments with those of their counterparts in other counties.

He will then gather information and ideas from the general public, and finally make a series of recommendations and suggestions.

The commissioners noted that Vessels has a huge task in front of him if he is going to be reviewing the whole of county government.

Dust control rates same

Highway Department Supervisor Ed Herman advised that the price for dust control will remain at $85 per 100 feet for the third consecutive year. Herman also advised that his department will be grading the dust controls this spring due to their condition.

And the highway department has also had a second accident with a snow plow. On March 5, 2008 Glen Anstett was plowing snow on County Road 800N between 300W and 400W when the plow hit a soft spot and went down in the road. The snow was approximately six inches deep at the time.

The plow and plow hitch sustained only minor damage and have already been fixed. The 1992 truck however was severely damaged, and given its age (1992) will be replaced if the insurance will cover the costs.

Nottingham Township homeowner Lynette Mason advised of problems with the gravel road on 800S. The crown on the road has gone and a large hole has now appeared. She advised that some time ago, she and other homeowners in the area were asked to sign a petition which they were told would help the process to happen, but nothing has been done, and she wanted to know how the priority system on county roads works.

Mossburg advised that he usually selects roads with the most houses when he gets the opportunity to nominate roads in his area for work. He advised that the petition is one step of the process to ensure the highway department has right-of-way permission from local residents, but it does not necessarily mean that the job is about to happen.

Depending on funding and other issues, the work might still take some time. He advised that one mile of stone on 800S has been laid, and although this is only a start, it is hoped that the job can continue.

It was also noted that recent weather conditions haven’t been helpful to road work, especially given that any freshly laid stone that has been put down is quickly ripped off by the snow plows as they try to clear the roads of snow.

The issues raised by Mason were noted by the commissioners.

Shaun Crispen of the Boys and Girls Club requested permission to use the courthouse plaza for balloon launch on April 4 at 6 p.m., as part of the club’s National Boys and Girls Week activities, and the commissioners granted the request.

Crispen also advised that 35 children are currently being tutored at the club, and this includes youngsters from Norwell and Southern Wells, as well as Bluffton.

On behalf of the Wells County Website Committee, Roger Sherer advised that a decision had been made to upgrade the current site, and not completely redesign it from scratch, as had originally been proposed.

Chris Claghorn of AdamsWells Internet will be providing backup service for the website, which will include teaching some courthouse employees how to do basic updating of the site. Major work will be undertaken by Claghorn, who will manage the site.

He will do this work for a fee of $30 per hour. The cost of installing the software required for managing the site will depend on the number of courthouse employees authorized to work on the site. The software sells for $169 per copy, or $700 for a group of five packages.

There are 11 employees at the courthouse who have signaled a desire to participate in this work, but the commissioners felt that it might be better from a security standpoint for just one, or maybe two people to have the access.

This is to be looked at by Sherer’s board as they discuss plans with the various heads of department.

Complex updating will be done by Claghorn, and under the current working proposals, any departments with work for him to do should give it to the auditor’s office by the first day of the month.

The commissioners approved a budget of $3,000 for implementation of the website, and required training for appropriate staff.

County Attorney Trent Patterson advised that he thought the proposed stray animal ordinance would need more public consultation before being submitted for passing into law.

In its current form, any animal running loose on a road within Wells County can be in violation of this ordinance. This poses an obvious problem for dogs of farmers in rural areas, as these are seldom tied up.

The commissioners approved a change in real property endorsement fees, charged by the auditor’s office whenever there is a deed transaction.

The current fee is $5 per deed, however this is not realistic when it comes to large subdivisions, which comprise multiple properties requiring work to be done. The fee was therefore changed to $5 per legal description for each property within a deed.

This fee is used to update the county’s plat books.

In other business, the commissioners:

— Noted a payroll amount of $185,556.87, with claims totaling $200,524.42 requiring payment.

— Were advised that there are currently 95 inmates in the Wells County jail. Of these, 33 are Department of Corrections inmates.

— Accepted the quote from Sands Construction for a concrete pad for a 6,000 gallon tank, at a cost of $1,965. Four companies made bids and Sands was the lowest price.

— Accepted the quote from Arnold’s Softwater in Bluffton for a new water softener at Maplewood Home, costing $4,964.90. Two other bids were also considered.

— Received a letter requesting the courthouse space formerly used by Community Corrections be taken over jointly by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Probation Department. Both offices have reached a “space share” agreement, so there is no competition for the area between the two.

— Were advised of progress as the various offices within the courthouse move to their new accommodations. Woodward thanked Courthouse Custodian Bobbie Studebaker for her efforts in working to resolve this issue.

— Appointed Dick Witte to the Ossian Common Construction Wage Committee.

The commissioners will meet next at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 7, 2008.

frank@news-banner.com

Email Frank Shanly

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