Security upgrades

Ford estimated the cost of the upgrades to the building at $15,000 to $20,000 and said it will likely take a couple of months to get everything in place. Answering a question from council member Mike Rockwell, he agreed to also get quotes for security cameras.

“Our goal is to get security in the courthouse,” said Ford. “The judges want it done as soon as possible.”

Efforts to improve courthouse security have been underway since the spring, when Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison and Jay Superior Court Judge Max Ludy presented Jay County Commissioners with a survey from the director of security for Indiana Supreme Court that showed the need for improved security measures.

Council members Ted Champ, Cindy Newton, Gary Theurer, Faron Parr, Amy Runyon Barrett and Mike Rockwell also approved the memorandum of understanding with Jay School Corporation for a school resource officer. The school corporation had already signed the agreement, and Jay County Commissioners approved it Monday.

The one-year agreement calls for the school corporation to pay 75 percent of the officer’s salary, with the county responsible for the remaining 25 percent. The officer will work for the county when school is not in session.

Newton questioned what would happen to the officer’s employment status if the agreement is not renewed after one year. Ford said he doesn’t envision that being an issue, but that with two deputies planning to retire before next summer he would be able to absorb the employee full-time if necessary.

The SRO will be on a Jay Schools campus from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily when school is in session. He will be responsible for a variety of duties, including investigating crimes originating on campus, developing plans and strategies to minimize dangerous situations and developing a safety plan for outside threats.

Ford said he hopes to have the SRO in place by the end of the month.

“I know a lot of hours have been put in on that,” said Champ. “To the people that have done it, thank you. We’re not sitting back and saying, ‘It’s not going to happen here.’ We’re trying to prevent it from happening.”

Council also gave county auditor Anna Culy permission to advertise the 2020 levy at $6,237,116. Culy emphasized that the levy is advertised high intentionally and is expected to be reduced over the course of the budget process.

For example, last year’s levy was advertised at $5.7 million and certified at $5.2 million.

Culy also reported that the county’s net assessed value is up to $1.17 billion, marking the first time it has cleared $1 billion. It came in at $982 million last year.

“That won’t actually help us get more money, per say, because our max levy is set,” said Culy. “We can’t change that. But that will hopefully help taxpayers, which is the goal.”

Houchins reported that the county’s personnel committee is suggesting a 2-percent base raise for county employees for 2020, with larger increases possible for some positions. The personnel committee will meet at 3 p.m. Monday to discuss those possible raises.

The first budget review is scheduled for Sept. 4. First reading of the budget will be Sept. 18, with second reading and approval planned for Oct. 9.

In other business, council:

•OK’d the following additional appropriations: $30,000 for medical and hospital expenses for Jay County Jail for the remainder of the year; a total of $24,900 for the health department from its health/bio-terrorism grant; $15,000 from the supplemental public defender fund for pauper council.

•Amended its salary ordinance to resolve a temporary payroll issue. Culy suggested that a new job description be considered to help streamline the process of employee training, which led to the problem that required the amendment.

•Approved the following: per diem rates for county employees, as approved by commissioners Monday; the on-call/call-out policy for the highway department; and updated job descriptions for employees at Jay County Retirement Center.

•Heard a request from Jay/Portland Building and Planning Department director John Hemmelgarn to consider purchasing a new vehicle for the department. Council members said they are open to that possibility and asked Hemmelgarn to take the request to the joint board the oversees his department and get vehicle quotes.

•Approved the following transfers: $2,500 to janitorial supplies from repair buildings and structures for the courthouse; and $257.07 to executive director from deputy director for Community Corrections.

•Reviewed without comment the estimated property tax cap impact on local government units. Estimates show the following projected losses in tax revenue because of tax caps: Jay School Corporation – $323,080; Jay County – $219,654; Portland – $298,755; Dunkirk – $81,141; Redkey – $25,240; Jay County Public Library – $18,405; Dunkirk Public Library – $10,087 Wayne Township – $5,884; Richland Township – $2,254. All others came in at less than $1,000.