Council moves money

Jay County Council spent its final meeting of 2013 shifting money in order to cover costs for the rest of the year.
Council members unanimously approved 14 transfers, including moves to pay for highway department equipment, as well as an additional appropriation to pay for comp time at Jay County Jail.
The largest of the transfers moved $65,762 from the infrastructure fund to the county highway department’s chip-and-seal fund. The money is being used to buy a new truck for use in performing chip-and-seal work.
Also approved were transfers of $20,000 from the highway fund to truck/tractor repair and $11,000 from the highway fund to the vehicle fund.
The only other appropriation of more than $10,000 shifted $32,654.88 from the county general fund to the health insurance fund. The money will be used to pay new insurance provider Physicians Health Plan (PHP) while waiting for reimbursement from previous provider Medical Mutual.
The county changed health insurance companies after Medical Mutual announced this summer plans to pull all of its Indiana contracts. Medical Mutual had been the county’s insurance provider since 2011, when it switched from Apex Benefits.
Council members Mike Leonhard, Gary Theurer, Ted Champ, Bob Vance, Mike Rockwell, Jeannie Houchins and Leslie Newton also OK’d an additional appropriation of $4,448.93 to pay for comp time at the jail for the remainder of the year.
Among the other transfers, the council moved: $6,400 from the clerk’s office to the auditor’s office to pay Meridian Services for services provided to Jay Superior Court; $500 from projected income – social security to projected income – field officer to cover a shortage; $739.90 from county general – auditor second deputy to county general – auditor equipment and repair to pay for a new computer tower; and $552.62 from cemetery commission – clerical to cemetery commission stone maintenance.
In other business, the council:
•Approved the appointments of Richard Whitesell to the alcoholic beverage board and Mike McKee to the Jay County Public Library board.
•Met Dean Sanders, incoming executive director of Jay County Chamber of Commerce. Sanders started work at the chamber Monday and will be introduced to the community at a reception from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday at Community Resource Center that will also honor retiring executive director Vicki Tague.

[[In-content Ad]]