Commissioners re-split precincts (11/29/05)

Voting precincts in Dunkirk and Redkey won’t be combined as Jay County Commissioners decided a couple of weeks ago.

Commissioner Gary Theurer Monday afternoon rescinded a vote he had earlier cast that would combine Dunkirk 1 and Dunkirk 3 precincts and the precincts of South Redkey and North Redkey.

“I withdraw the order to combine Redkey and Dunkirk (precincts),” Theurer said.

Commissioners Milo Miller and Faron Parr concurred with Theurer’s request to rescind the previous vote.

The decision to combine the precincts as well as polling sites throughout the county has been in the works for the past several months as commissioners work to meet federal Americans With Disabilities Acts requirements at each polling site.

Theurer said he was “not comfortable with just one person in charge” at the voting sites that would result from combining the two precincts in each community.

Gerald Kirby, a member of the Jay County Council, and a resident of Redkey, also told commissioners he objected to combining the precincts.

“We can still have them together (to vote) and have one building,” Theurer said about the combined voting site.

Commissioners will now be looking at another possible voting site in Redkey to accommodate the number of voters, or try to determine if the current site there for combined voting will be adequate.

All voters in Redkey would be casting their votes at the town hall while in Dunkirk, voters will continue to go to the West Jay Community Center, where the two precincts have already been voting for the past few years.

In other business Monday afternoon, commissioners gave Jay County Highway Department Superintendent, Ken Wellman, approval to serve as purchasing agent for a new pick-up truck for the highway department.

Wellman will be seeking quotes not to exceed $25,000 for the purchase. His decision will be brought back to commissioners for their approval.

Additionally Monday, commissioners took part in a survey by @Work Solutions of Greenfield.

Former Portland resident Dixie Gray, a partner in the consulting firm, interviewed commissioners about the assets and weaknesses of Jay County.

The county is part of the Regional Workforce Investment, an economic development program created by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to promote economic growth and strengthen the workforce in Indiana. Jay County will be part of District 6, a nine-county region.

Results of the survey throughout the nine counties will be combined and those results will be presented to commissioners in each county, Gray said.

Commissioner Milo Miller Jr. also met with the county’s personnel committee Monday afternoon to clarify some of the wording in the county personnel policy manual.

The main concern was wording that specified that “the employee is to personally notify the supervisor up to 30 minutes after normal work hours begin” about an absenteeism or tardiness.

After discussing the possible problems with the clause, the committee agreed to combine tardiness and absence clauses that will require the employee to notify the supervisor in a timely manner, and discipline for continued absenteeism will be left to the discretion of the supervisor.

Additionally, the committee recommended raising the amount for meal reimbursement to $20 from $15 per day for expenses incurred during an overnight stay on county business, and increasing mileage pay for county employees to the state rate of 41 cents per mile from the current 28 cents.

The changes would have to be approved by the commissioners.[[In-content Ad]]