District won't reissue two checks

Two organizations that requested Jay County Solid Waste Management District to reissue two lost checks from 2015 are out of luck. 

At its Tuesday meeting, board members decided to forego reissuing the two checks, originally sent out in October and November of 2015.

District coordinator Samantha Rhodehamel said Tuesday there were 12 checks at the board’s last meeting that were three months past due. 

The board had asked Rhodehamel to send out letters to the groups with the outstanding checks, requesting they contact the district office about the status of their check. On Tuesday, Rhodehamel said seven of the 12 checks have since been cashed. Rhodehamel said three organizations never contacted her, with the other two asking for the checks to be reissued.  

The board’s decision not to send new checks led board member Jeanne Houchins to ask whether the district’s checks should be modified to alter the length of time organizations have to cash district checks. Currently, they allow two years. 

However, Rhodehamel showed the board the district still has a sizable amount remaining from its current order of checks. 

With that, Houchins suggested if a note should be included with checks stating that there is a time limit on them.

“I don’t know if we put a note in there that says regardless of what the check says, we have changed our policy and these checks will now only be good for six months, would that work or not?” asked board member Jim Zimmerman. 

Fellow board member Doug Inman said he wasn’t sure if that would be legally binding. 

“Why do we have to hold their hands and remind them to cash a check?” Inman later said. 

“We shouldn’t have to,” added Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman. 

Meanwhile, Rhodehamel brought up an email she received from Waste Management regarding deteriorating conditions at the Marsh parking lot where the Portland recycling trailers are housed. 

“Because of the curbs and getting it so they have enough room to pull in and out,” she said. 

Parr recommended the possibility of having the district fix up the portion of the lot where the trailers are used. 

“I mean, it’s convenient, there’s a lot of space there to get in and out … and that would be a lot easier than trying to find someplace else,” said Zimmerman. 

In other business, board members Houchins, Inman, Parr, Zimmerman, Geesaman and Tom Johnson, absent Bill Gibson: 

•Approved signing Shredit contracts for two free shredding dates in 2017, to be held in the spring and fall. The quotes came in at $945 and $990 for the spring and fall respectively. 

•Heard from Rhodehamel in her financial report that for the month the district brought in $17,575 in tipping fees on 10,144.71 tons dumped at Jay County Landfill. Claims totaled $14,793.31 and the district’s total checking and savings account equaled $483,705.41

•Ok’d the district’s personnel policy.

•Approved $10,346.33 in transfers, including $4,424 from financial manager contract line-item to the coordinator line, $64.17 from financial manager contract to medicare company portion. $274.31 from financial manager contract to social security company portion, $88.64 from postage to office supplies, $4,798.86 to household hazardous waste from the recycling contract line, and $696.35 to advertising overage from utilities.