County repeals hiring freeze

Say goodbye to the hiring freeze.

Jay County Commissioners repealed the county’s eliminating salary ordinance Monday. The decision requires joint approval from Jay County Council, which meets tonight.

The ordinance enacted in December required department heads to inform the county’s personnel committee — it’s made up of the commissioners president and council president and vice president — as soon as they were 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.)

“With the turnover rate, we really couldn’t have that many personnel committee meetings,” explained commissioners president Chad Aker.

He noted the personnel committee recommended allowing department heads to fill positions if already funded for the year. If departments would like to hire a new position, they still need to make a request to county officials.

Jay County highway superintendent Eric Butcher explained his department is contemplating switching to a four-day, 10-hour work week throughout the year.

(Currently the department operates on a four-day work week for about five months during warm weather.)

County attorney Wes Schemenaur pointed out that such a change would require commissioners’ approval and an update to the county policy handbook. He cautioned commissioners if Butcher’s department switched to a four-day work week, other departments may also come forward with similar requests.

Commissioners agreed to forward the request to Jay County Personnel Committee for consideration.

Butcher also pointed out 104 miles of chip and seal work has been completed this year, along with six road conversions from stone to hard surface. (Aker later noted all roads in Wayne Township have been converted from stone to hard surface.)

Sheriff Ray Newton reminded commissioners that public safety employees need new radios. The cost for a new system alone, without an antenna, is priced at $600,000. The total cost could be $900,000, he added.

Aker pointed out different radio companies have given the county different information for what it needs moving forward, saying it seems as if a purchasing agent is needed to find out the specifications.

Commissioners also forwarded their 2024 budget to Jay County Council. Commissioners approved about 3.3 million, about a $350,000 increase from the current year’s budget. That doesn’t include funds for the drainage board ($12,900), economic development income tax ($635,000), county cumulative capital development ($500,000), lease payments ($732,000) or infrastructure ($140,250), which were also approved by commissioners Monday.

Council starts its budgeting process with a budget review meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 6.

In other business, commissioners:

•Agreed to move forward with drafting an ordinance restricting trucks from a number of county roads. Traffic has increased on some roads because of the closure of Indiana 26 closure on the east side of Portland for a bridge replacement project. Newton suggested including portions of the following roads in the ordinance: county roads 100 East, 300 East, 600 East, 700 East, 100 North, 200 North, 300 North, 100 South, 200 South, 400 South, Division Road and State Line Road.

•OK’d upgrading to a new county email server through Matrix Integration for $31,410.80. County auditor Emily Franks noted the money will come out of the recorder’s budget.

•Heard an inmate attempting to escape law enforcement caused more than $1,500 in damage to a transport van used by Jay County Sheriff’s Office. Newton pointed out the van is not designed for law enforcement and said he has applied for a grant to get a properly outfitted van.

•Learned nine new home permits were issued between January and June, along with 24 commercial use permits. Approximately 177 other permits or applications were issued.

•Agreed to keep its contribution to Upper Wabash River Basin Commission at $500. Commission chair Doug Sundling and Jay County Soil and Water Conservation District representative Rick Imel requested the county increase its annual contribution to $2,000 — the county used to pay $1,000 each year and decreased the amount for 2023 — and shared information about the commission’s work since 2002, which has included receiving grants and working toward improving water quality and encouraging better farm management practices for the watershed, according to Sundling. Journay argued the work does not impact more than a few farmers in Jay County and suggested commissioners keep their contribution at $500.

•OK’d Jay County Health Department to apply for a bioterrorism grant it receives annually.

•OK’d Jay County assessor Robin Alberson to purchase a $4,694.80 copier from Four U Office Supplies of Celina, Ohio.

•OK’d $15,478.13 in state allocated money to be distributed through Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition to different programs and paid several of those claims, which were $1,289.82 for A Better Life Brianna’s Hope, $1,289.82 for Dunkirk Farmer’s Market/Living in Joy, $1,289.82 for Youth Service Bureau and $11,608.37 for Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition.

•Paid a $829 claim from Indiana Bond Bank for administration fees to participate in its fuel budget program.