Council laments its low numbers

Budget review meetings have gathered few in attendance.

Jay County Council met Wednesday to review questions about the 2021 budget. Except for council members, county attorney Bill Hinkle and county auditor Anna Culy, there was only one department head — assessor Robin Alberson — in attendance. Council president Jeanne Houchins expressed her disappointment in response to the budget review meeting attendance last week.

“I said I really wish all the department heads would show up. I think it’s their time to ask us questions and our time to ask them questions,” Houchins said.

She asked Hinkle if the council could make the meeting mandatory, and he said it can. Council members could also choose to cut budgets if departments don’t attend to explain the proposed changes, noted Culy.

Despite the discussion, council took no action on the matter.

Houchins mentioned that Heath Butz, Jay County Health Department environmentalist and administrator, asked her if it was too late to move around funds in the health department portion of the budget. She said he proposed removing the $4,638.40 county engineer Dan Watson receives each year for being available to do house structure inspections post drug investigations. That amount would be transferred to vaccines funding. Prior to increasing the vaccines budget for 2020, the health department had regularly requested additional appropriations.

Amid discussion, Culy noted the inspector needs to have a civil engineering degree.

Watson is paid the full amount regardless of whether or not he does the inspections. Culy said she thought the money was being used because it always showed up on payroll.

Council members Gary Theurer, Ted Champ and Mike Rockwell questioned why the payment comes out of the health department budget.

“You’ve got a full-time engineer that works 40 hours, full-time, full pay, full benefits, whatever he wants,” Champ said. “And then for doing one or two inspections a year, he’s getting $4,638.40 whether he does it or whether he (doesn’t) do it?”

Council members made a motion to approve the movement of those funds, but Cindy Newton voted against the motion, and Amy Barnett was hesitant. If Watson needed to do inspections, how would the county pay him, Newton wondered aloud.

Council asked Hinkle if Watson’s contract includes work at the health department, and he said he would have to check. He suggested council wait until next week to discuss the matter with Butz. Council members reversed the previous motion to leave the fund as-is for now.

Culy proposed moving the budget reading to the commissioners room in the courthouse instead of the auditorium because she explained the extra space seemed unnecessary with fewer attendees and it was difficult to hear community members speak.

She also verified the part-time COMOT workers (a category which includes positions like bailiffs, secretaries, administration assistants, office managers, court reporters and deputies of elected officials) will be given a 2% raise to make sure their pay doesn’t fall far behind the full-time rate.

She mentioned to the council that she submitted $250,000 in claims for coronavirus-related expenses to the state. She noted the rainy day fund still has about $1.7 million.

Houchins also asked Culy when the new full-time security officer at the courthouse would begin working, and Culy said that position is written in the budget to begin Jan. 1. Houchins noted she didn’t think about how the one full-time security officer, Mitch Sutton, doesn’t have anyone to replace him when need be.

“Mitch doesn’t have a break,” she said. “He can’t take a lunch; he can’t go to the bathroom.”

Having a second officer will be helpful to Sutton, she added.

Council members Faron Parr, Champ, Theurer, Rockwell, Barrett, Newton and Houchins also made three additional appropriations to the surveyor’s office. Council appropriated $15,000 (with $1,000 appropriated toward holiday pay) for labor fees incurred from the COVID-19 pandemic and $10,500 for the new excavator.