Fees hike gets OK’d

Fees are going up.

Jay County Commissioners approved an ordinance Monday to raise fees at Jay County Health Department.

Health department administrator and environmentalist Heath Butz explained fees have not changed for at least a decade. Jay County’s fees are also the lowest in the state, he added.

Fees will be increasing as follows:

•Wallet and regular birth certificates from $8 to $15

•Death certificates from $8 to $15

•Genealogy records from $4 to $5

•Tuberculosis tests from $10 to $20

The ordinance will also add the option of purchasing a non-certified death certificate for $5.

Commissioners approved the fee change, which will take effect July 1.

Also Monday, commissioners learned local public health funding will be increasing in 2024 and ’25.

Butz explained between $222,698 and $296,900 in funds will be available for counties to opt into, depending how many counties participate. (If the county doesn’t opt in the funding, it will receive $49,416.22.)

If Jay County opts into the enhanced funding, at least 60% must be spent on specific services, which include but are not limited to communicable disease prevention and control, student health, chronic disease prevention and reduction, trauma and injury prevention and education, child and adult immunizations and maternal and child health. No more than 40% of the funds must be spent on other services, which include food protection, sanitary inspections, pest control, pool inspections and testing, residential sewage system permits and inspections and orders for decontamination of property used to illegally manufacture controlled substances.

Butz explained he received the information last week and is looking into options for how to spend the funding in coming years.

Commissioners also tabled a decision on a joint resolution authorizing the Jay County Council and commissioners presidents to execute any and all documents necessary to direct First Merchants Bank to release $1,291,955 to IU Health Jay from its escrow fund for completed capital improvement projects.

County attorney Wes Schemenaur explained Jay County and IU Health Jay entered into a capital improvement escrow agreement in 2018 when the organization took ownership of Jay County Hospital. At that time, IU Health agreed to make $5 million in capital improvements to the hospital by 2021, and the funds were deposited at First Merchants Bank to be reimbursed to the hospital upon completion of its projects. Commissioners and council amended its escrow agreement with IU Health Jay in 2020 because of delays from the coronavirus pandemic, dictating that $3.75 million would remain in the bank account to be used for projects and the remaining $1.25 million would be transferred to The Portland Foundation. In January, IU Health Jay notified the county that $1,291,955 had been spent on renovations last year. First Merchants Bank will not release the funds without a resolution from both commissioners and council approving the release. (The agreement from 2018 also dictates former Jay County Hospital Board president Dave Littler as the authorized person to direct the release of funds for the county.)

Commissioner Brian McGalliard asked if the resolution dictates a timeline for the hospital to have renovations finished, and Schemenaur said it does not. He noted the money does not belong to the county.

Commissioners requested a timeline be added to the agreement and also asked for copies of the 2018 capital improvement plan while tabling the resolution.

Commissioners also approved a $2,000 annual request from East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center. Regional director Karen Lloyd explained the organization helps with various business-related activities in Jay County, including business workshops for the Launch Jay! pitch competition and LIFT Jay, a new program for women to build community spurred by Jay County Chamber of Commerce.

In other business, commissioners Rex Journay, Chad Aker and McGalliard:

•Discussed investing in ArcaSearch, a digital archiving service that would preserve commissioners and council records online. County auditor Emily Franks suggested the service, which she said would take the company about a month to digitize all of the records dating back to the first council and commissioners meetings. The service would also allow for a keyword search of typed documents. Aker discussed using American Rescue Plan Act dollars for the service and proposed another joint meeting with council.

•Reviewed proposals for a universal time clock system across county departments from Harris Local Government, Advanced Time and NEOGOV.

•Appointed Adolfo Solis to the John Jay Center for Learning board.