Council considers amending rule

County officials may be amending legislation relating to its hiring freeze.

Jay County Council president Jeanne Houchins suggested council amend its ordinance that enacted a hiring freeze in December for all county offices.

The legislation required county department heads to alert the county’s personnel committee — it’s made up of the commissioners president and council president and vice president — as soon as they are notified of a full-time employee’s departure.  The committee would review the position within five business days, meet with the department head and alert council about the position. If council did not OK the department head to fill the position, the money allocated for it would be removed from the budget 60 days after the date of termination.

Houchins explained the process had been a frequent occurrence, specifically with positions at Jay County Jail.

“With the jail being kind of like a revolving door, it’s been quite a bit,” she said. “They kind of have to have the people (immediately).”

Speaking on behalf of the personnel committee, she said they would like to only apply the procedure if department heads create a new position.

Council member Matt Minnich asked if employees were filling out exit interview forms the county started implementing in the last eight months. For the most part, Houchins said, they are completing them. She noted that the forms are saved in personnel records. (Exit forms were implemented to learn about reasons why employees were leaving, such as if it had to do with low pay.)

County attorney Wes Schemenaur will prepare an amendment to the ordinance for council to review and vote on next month.

Also Wednesday, Jay County Health Department environmentalist and administrator Heath Butz shared information about enhanced state funding for county health departments in 2024 and 2025.

If Jay County Commissioners decide to opt in to the enhanced funding, the county will receive at least $222,698 next year and a minimum of $445,396 in 2025. (The funding requires a local match, which in 2024 is calculated by the average of county tax levy related funds distributed in the last three years.)

Butz pointed out the funding will effectively double the health department’s budget by 2025. He suggested hiring a new position, such as a full-time school health liaison or a health educator.

In other business, council members Dave Haines, Cindy Bracy, Matt Minnich, Faron Parr, Randy May, Harold Towell and Houchins:

•Heard from Janet and Richard Emery of rural Portland, who expressed concerns about the need for more Jay County Sheriff’s Office deputies on call at night.

•Made the following additional appropriations: $75,000 for Jay County Jail inmates medical fees; $5,000 for burial of soldiers; $1,000 for postage for Jay Circuit Court; $15,477.83 of drug-free community funding to Jay County organizations; $10,000 for jurors at Jay Circuit Court (attorney Wes Schemenaur noted pay for jurors increased July 1 to $30 plus mileage for those called and $80 a day if selected); $2,000 from donations for resident activities at Jay County Country Living; and $250 for pauper counsel.

•Heard from two Jay County residents about surveyors checking out land near Pike Township for a solar project.

•Transferred $17,850 in the cumulative capital development fund for repairing stained glass panels at Jay County Courthouse; $10,000 from the general fund to the jury fees fund; $2,000 from the gas, lube and oil fund to the miscellaneous expenses fund at Jay County Country Living; $286 for county plat book.