No freeze on wages

Numbers and dollar signs were the focus of Jay County Council’s meeting Wednesday evening.
The council conducted a 2015 budget review, where members approved using the county’s rainy day fund to cover Jay Emergency Medical Services expenses and a wage increase for employees.
It also appropriated infrastructure funds for municipality projects, including a downsized pledge to Portland Water Park.
Dissecting the proposed budget department by department, the council heard a recurring testament of fund requests being “basically the same as last year” but with a common thread of increased wages.
Last month, council members voted to put a freeze on both the budget and wages, but after seeing county general’s cash revenue would still be more than $300,000 if a wage increase was approved, the council went beyond the recommendation of a 1 percent raise across the board.
Council approved a 2 percent wage increase, a $25 increase in the county’s share of health insurance per month and removed the cap from longevity funds.
“Last month, I was not ready, and I didn’t have the figures in my head and I wasn’t sure,” said council member Ted Champ. “I think we need to do something for our employees if we can do it.”
While the budget — which shows overall funds at more than $15 million and a county general fund of $6,321,051 — is being kept as similar to last year’s as possible, several departments received additional funding for 2015.
The council approved using $400,000 in rainy day funds to put JEMS in the black through the end of 2015.
Auditor Nancy Culy told members she couldn’t send the department’s budget into the state showing negative amounts. Through the end of next year, the department was projected to be in a deficit of $388,650.
Citing difficulties in projecting collections throughout the years as the department has been catching up on backlogged claims, Culy explained there’s no fault in the department’s work but rather a decrease in ambulance runs and a stabilizing of collection income. The assistance will help the department to build up its funds and stay balanced in the coming years, said Culy.
“We need to make sure that we can get JEMS fixed,” said board member Jeanne Houchins.
JEMS has begun taking more runs to try and increase its revenue, as well as looked at raising its run prices to be in line with what surrounding counties are charging.
Jay County Jail was allocated an increase of funds to its medical and hospital fund to expand the amount of nursing hours available to inmates.
The additional $18,000, increasing the fund to $100,000, will allow a nurse to be at the jail for 28 hours a week instead of the current 20.
“It would be better if we had the extra hours for that,” said Houchins. “Putting it on the staff, they’re not doctors.”
The proposed budget will go to first reading at a special council meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 24.
Transitioning from its budget review to its regular meeting, council members discussed allocating infrastructure funds for municipalities after Jay County Commissioners recently approved an ordinance amendment to allow it.
Council approved a $50,000 pledge for Portland Water Park, after initially receiving a request of $100,000 from the water park’s campaign committee for the proposed $3.3 million facility.
Discussing worries over pulling funds from infrastructure, council members questioned whether giving those funds would entitle other municipalities to do the same for other projects.
Jay County Commissioner Faron Parr suggested a one-time distribution of funds based on the amount of residents in each municipality.
Based on the most recent census, if Portland had received $100,000, Dunkirk would be given $39,405 and Redkey would be allotted $22,392. Pennville, Bryant and Salamonia would be given $11,172, $4,221 and $2,444 respectively.
“If we do for one, we do for all,” said Parr, adding that the money wouldn’t be given freely to the municipalities but would sit in a fund in anticipation of a future request.
Houchins showed hesitancy to allow such a large amount to be taken out with the situation at JEMS still shaky. Taking $400,000 out of the rainy day fund and also recently striking its ambulance replacement fund from its budget, Houchins worried when an ambulance needs to be replaced, money won’t be available for it.
“We could be chasing our tail here,” said Houchins.
Council member Gary Theurer echoed her sentiments, asking if it will truly be a one-time deal or if it could possibly become something more.
The council approved halving all of the proposed allotments to municipalities in a one-time distribution, to coincide with its decision to give $50,000 for Portland Water Park.
In other business, council members Mike Leonhard, Bob Vance, Mike Rockwell, Cindy Newton, Theurer, Champ and Houchins:
•Approved a three-year real property tax abatement for Minnich Poultry, 8563 E. 300 North, Portland. The project will be an investment of $2.24 million in five new laying barns and an egg processing plant.
•Transferred $611.65 from veterans service office’s travel and mileage to its wages account to pay for training and turn over for former veterans service officer Roy Leverich.
•Approved additional appropriations of $10,000 from community corrections’ project income fund to its secretary account to pay for additional help; $3,655.50 from superior court’s fund to its contractual services account to pay substance abuse fees; and $5,179.77 to emergency management performance grants fund, with the money coming from a recently awarded bonus to the department.