Commissioners OK $ for vehicles

The sheriff’s office may be getting three new vehicles soon.

Jay County Commissioners preliminarily agreed Monday to make a $90,000 additional appropriation this year for three new cars for Jay County Sheriff’s Office. The decision also requires approval from Jay County Council.

Also Monday, commissioners reviewed 2022 budget information and tabled discussion on a new contract with Valparaiso-based Core Facilities Inc. for maintenance planning at certain county buildings.

Jay County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Patrick Wells and Sheriff Dwane Ford approached commissioners Monday requesting additional funds for a third patrol car.

“Our fleet is in dire need of some new vehicles,” Wells said.

The county budgets enough dollars each year for exchanging two old vehicles for new ones, Wells said, but that rotation hasn’t been changed in recent years to reflect the amount of new deputies joining the force. (This year’s two vehicles have already been purchased.) And with about 35,000 miles driven in each car annually, he said, it doesn’t take long to rack up miles on the odometer of a county law enforcement vehicle.

Wells and Ford requested commissioners contribute additional funding to help cover another two cars and part of the cost of a third car, which they estimated around $37,000 after adding the police lights, radios and other equipment. (This year, vehicles alone are estimated around $31,000 before the additional police gear.) Ford said the sheriff’s office would contribute about half the cost of the third vehicle, and he offered the office could also cover the radios and other equipment for it.

County auditor Anna Culy suggested contributing $75,000, which is what has been budgeted in previous years. Commissioner Chad Aker suggested contributing $90,000.

Commissioners Brian McGalliard, Rex Journay and Aker then agreed to allot $90,000 for the new vehicles.

Also Monday, commissioners reviewed their 2022 budget of just under $2.7 million, as well as other funds they control that total more than $1.9 million. They are part of the overall county budget, which was preliminarily estimated at approximately $20.2 million earlier this month. Aker, McGalliard and Journay OK’d the 2022 amounts for the upcoming budget review at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 1.

Core Facilities Inc. president Matthew Stechly approached commissioners Monday requesting a new contract for his services in putting together a maintenance plan.

If approved, Stechly will visit Jay County Jail, Jay County Country Living (formerly Jay County Retirement Center), Jay County Health Department and Jay Emergency Medical Service on either a quarterly or bi-monthly basis for routine checkups, as well as handle bidding out equipment needs and supervising installations.

Stechly has been working for the county since March, gathering bids for various equipment and checking to make sure each item runs smoothly after installation. He is already under a separate general services agreement with the county –– it lists an hourly rate for time and materials at $150 with a cap at $27,550 –– but said it would be more efficient to charge a flat rate for maintenance planning.

“It’s its own undertaking,” Stechly said of the service.

He initially suggested his services at Jay County Courthouse and Jay County Jail. Culy said the courthouse superintendent Bruce Sutton could handle the courthouse, although she noted in the future if Sutton were to leave his position, Stechly’s services may be needed.

Commissioners listed Jay County Country Living, Jay County Health Department and JEMS as older buildings with potential maintenance upkeep and requested those be factored into the contract.

When asked how much he would request for his services, Stechly said he would need to think about it. Later in the meeting, he returned and proposed a contract of $19,500.

McGalliard said he would like time to think about the proposal. Commissioners tabled the issue.

In other business, commissioners:

•Heard JEMS director John McFarland was designated as a nationally recognized educator.

•Heard from McGalliard the Dunkirk City Pool is in need of about $85,000 in repairs. He inquired if the funding may be available through the county’s American Rescue Plan Act monies, and Culy said she would look into it.

•Selected a $12,310 bid for a new air conditioning unit for the courthouse from Building Temperature Solutions of Fort Wayne.

•OK’d Jay County Country Living and JEMS facilities (if needed) to purchase new time clocks from Progressive Office Products in Portland.

•Awarded a $7,158 bid and paid the claim from Indiana Trailer Sales of Decatur for a new highway department trailer.

•Signed claims, including the $27,200 allotted to the Town of Redkey in 2018 from Bluff Point Energy Center economic payments (it will be used for paving projects), the approximately $25,000 new dishwasher at Jay County Jail and the $3,595 new commercial refrigerator at Jay County Country Living.