Published: October 27, 2008 08:08 pm      

Fountain council takes on a new task

COVINGTON, Ind. — The Fountain County Council has a new task, and its members are not sure it should be their responsibility.

Council members must sign off on all budgets within the county, except those of school districts. These include cities and town, townships and library districts.

Council members agreed Monday to sign off on the budgets at its Nov. 24 meeting after learning that Council President Ron Howard had spent countless hours going over the budgets.

¡§This takes a lot of time,¡¨ said councilman Jim Robinson. ¡§Who is going to do this in the future?¡¨

Howard is not seeking re-election this year.

¡§What happens if we challenge the state?¡¨ said councilman Tom Freas. ¡§I don¡¦t think you or anyone else should sign off on this. You got to have more time.¡¨

Robinson agreed.

¡§If the state is going to mandate it, then it is their responsibility,¡¨ he said.

Howard didn¡¦t think challenging the state is the answer.

¡§It is the law,¡¨ he said. ¡§We have to comply to it. You are going to have to sit own with the cities and towns.¡¨

Councilman Jim Hershberger questioned the need.

¡§It is making us call them on things,¡¨ he said.

Howard said he plans to meet with officials in Attica, Covington and Veedersburg and send letters to all other public bodies offering to meet with them if needed.

In other business, councilmen:

Voted to continue the wheel tax with two additions. Added will be the permanent category in one-year semi-trailers and changing two-year semi-trailer licenses to five years.

¡§We need to keep it in effect,¡¨ Freas said.

The wheel tax has been in effect since 1988.

Will send invoices from county attorney Richard Holmes for more than $5,300 on the NJK Farms litigation expenses to the commissioners.

¡§The council feels it is a decision for the commissioners,¡¨ Howard said.

Will have highway superintendent Walt Wilson contact Wirtz and Yates of Kentland to see if they would wait for payment on the Foster Road bridge north of Veedersburg until February.

Approved again the $16,000 additional request in automobiles for the sheriff budget since it was improperly advertised in July, when it was first approved.

Approved additional requests of $14,000 in the utilities for the jail, $7,000 in equipment repair for the ambulance budget and $10,550.85 the circuit court budget.

Approved the additional request of $21,000 for care of wards institutions and $36,000 for preservation services in the family and children budget.

Transferred $600 from building repairs to office supplies in the motor vehicle highway fund and $2,000 from maintenance to office supplies in the county extension budget.

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WHAT¡¦S NEXT

The Fountain County Council will meet at 9 a.m. Nov. 24 at the courthouse.