VANDERBURGH COUNTY

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

JANUARY 23, 2007

The Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners met in session this 23^rd day of January, 2007 at 3:30 p.m. in room 301 of the Civic Center Complex with President Cheryl Musgrave presiding.

President Musgrave: Good afternoon. I would like to call to order the January 23, 2007 meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Vanderburgh County. We will start with introductions on my right.

Marissa Nichoalds: Marissa Nichoalds, Superintendent of County Buildings.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: Ted Ziemer, County Attorney.

Commissioner Nix: Bill Nix, County Commissioner.

Daniel Kirby: Daniel Kirby, shadow.

President Musgrave: Daniel is at Central High School. Cheryl Musgrave, Commissioner.

Commissioner Tornatta: Troy Tornatta, Commissioner.

Madelyn Grayson: Madelyn Grayson, Recording Secretary.

Bill Fluty: Bill Fluty, County Auditor.

President Musgrave: Will you please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance?

(The Pledge of Allegiance was given.)

President Musgrave: Our first action item is to welcome Treasurer, Z. Tuley, to discuss the Board of Finance annual, required by statute, meeting. Ms. Tuley, do we also need to elect officers? Do we need to do that first?

Z. Tuley: Yes, that’s what I’ve got first.

President Musgrave: Great.

Z. Tuley: Not on the money, though, Bill. Sorry about that. Yes, Indiana Code 5-13-76 and 7, states that we are to meet in January, and we are to elect a president and a secretary. Historically speaking, the president has been the Treasurer, and the secretary has been the Auditor.

President Musgrave: Is there a motion?

Commissioner Tornatta: So moved.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

Z. Tuley: The other part of that law states that I am to submit the financial report. I’m happy to let you know that the investments yielded over $3.9 million last year. The General Fund was $2,976,299.95. Other designated funds was $969,958.96. General Fund earnings are up, from 2005 where we had $575,612, and the earnings have more than doubled since 2004 with a rise in interest rates. I’m also happy to report that bankruptcy filings are down. As you all may or may not recall, the bankruptcy laws had a major change in October of 2005, and we were flooded with bankruptcy filings last year. So, they are down from 797 filings in 2005, to 346 in 2006. Any questions about the earnings? Okay. I am happy also to report that American Financial Credit Service has collected, since March, $920,178.95. This volume, I have given you some flow charts so that you can see, the number of entries is also just as important as the number in the dollars and cents, because with every entry that has to go through two or three hands in my office. The number of entries in that little flow chart is just astronomical. The volume has been way too much for our delinquent tax employee to handle alone. Not only has 100% of her time been devoted to the communications with this company, and the balancing and the updates, but the entire staff has had to assume additional tasks in order to assist Anna, in order to keep up with these collection efforts. I think that I should get a cut of this to put in some kind of tax and billing system future fund, hint. I could laugh, but I’m not laughing. I’m serious. I would, I think that something needs to be geared toward that. I wanted to let you know that the collections for this year, at, in 2006 settlement, is $982,476.22. Compared to last year, $385,000. I expect that AFCS will hit their million dollar mark by their one year anniversary.

Commissioner Nix: Z., how was that arranged. I know we signed a contract with them, I’m trying to think–

Z. Tuley: March.

Commissioner Nix: Was it March?

Z. Tuley: Uh-huh.

Commissioner Nix: Okay. Their cut on that was, they just get a specific cut?

Z. Tuley: An additional 25 percent charged to the delinquent tax offender.

Commissioner Nix: To the offender only?

Z. Tuley: The county gets 100 percent of collection and penalty.

Commissioner Nix: Right.

Z. Tuley: Or, 100 percent of tax and penalty, sorry.

Commissioner Nix: You talked about some money to go back into your department, what, just a round number, what are you thinking to help with this? Were you serious or not?

Z. Tuley: Oh, I’m serious about needing a new tax and billing system.

Commissioner Nix: Okay.

Z. Tuley: That will be multi-million, but I am serious. It would help with accuracy, redundancy, all kind of things. We have an old COBOL system that we’ve maxed out. We’re out of room. We can’t even be creative and add new things to it, because there isn’t any place to put it. We need something Windows based. We need something a little more updated.

President Musgrave: Well, Z., we must be on the same wavelength, because it was just earlier today that I was speaking with Matt Arvay of Computer Services on this very topic. He said that he would like to hold a meeting with you and the Auditor, and go over what the options are. What kind of packages are out there.

Z. Tuley: Uh-huh.

President Musgrave: Whether or not any package would support the city and the county at the same time. So, I know that it’s on his mind to get in touch with both of you.

Z. Tuley: I think there’s a wonderful working system in, Hawaii?

President Musgrave: Hawaii? Well, I think the Commissioners will need to explore that option, and then we’ll let you know if you need to go or not.

Z. Tuley: Okay, just kidding on that, but I am serious. We have really worked hard, and we have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this. I really would like for you to consider opening up a fund to work toward getting us something.

President Musgrave: Well, we’ll have to all work with Council toward that end, but I know that having a system programmed in COBOL does not reflect the technology forward thinking that this county is accustomed to.

Z. Tuley: Correct.

President Musgrave: Alright, so, you’ve got a great report here.

Z. Tuley: Thank you.

President Musgrave: They are still collecting the delinquent personal property taxes, aren’t’ they?

Z. Tuley: Uh-huh.

President Musgrave: Is that an annual contract? Are we going to have to redo that?

Z. Tuley: No, I don’t believe it is. I believe it’s, you can terminate it–

President Musgrave: Right, okay.

Z. Tuley: –upon a 30, 60 day notice, I believe it is.

President Musgrave: Okay.

Z. Tuley: I started to say 30, I think it’s 60.

President Musgrave: Well, you let us know if that ever occurs.

Z. Tuley: Alrighty. We did go ahead and specific...last year we didn’t have time to make the demands. The demands actually said, the notices said that there was going to be a collection fee of 30 percent. We didn’t have time to get them made up to reflect the 25 percent, so it actually was less than what they were being told. Now, everything is accurate and updated.

President Musgrave: Alright.

Z. Tuley: Thank you.

President Musgrave: Thank you.

Commissioner Nix: Thanks.

President Musgrave: Next on our agenda is to set the road hearing dates. Commissioners, I’ll allow you to each propose your own dates. Go ahead District One.

Commissioner Nix: District One, and I need to verify this with Mr. Duckworth, if you’ve gotten it cleared.

Mike Duckworth: Yes, District One, Plaza School, February 8^th, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Commissioner Nix: Okay.

Mike Duckworth: That’s been verified by the school.

Commissioner Nix: Appreciate that.

President Musgrave: And that is a change from the agenda. The agenda says February 7^th. So, everybody should note that’s it’s moved.

Commissioner Nix: It’s moved to Thursday, February the 8^th.

Mike Duckworth: Thursday, February 8^th, 5:30 to 7:00.

Commissioner Tornatta: Okay, District Two would be February 28^th from 6:30 to 8:30 at Hamilton’s Golf Course Club House.

President Musgrave: Were you able to confirm that that’s handicapped accessible?

Commissioner Tornatta: It is.

President Musgrave: District Three will be held again at a public facility at Helfrich Park Middle School on February 21^st, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. As we announced last week, this is for road complaints. Could you elaborate on what kind of things we do at those hearings?

Mike Duckworth: Right. Just to let the public know, this format was set up a couple of years ago by the Commissioners to give county residents the opportunity to come and show us pictures, to tell us about problems with their roadways. We take that information, we have our supervisors and myself look at those areas, we consult with the County Engineer to assure the priorities of which and how many of those roads we can repair, or repave underneath, or within our budget. So, it’s a priority system, depending upon what shape the roads are in and budgetary restraints. So, in the last two years, in 2005 we paved 29 miles in the county, and last year we did 35 miles. So, and, of course, this year, thanks to the County Council and the Commissioners, we’ll be utilizing the new paver. So, we hope that it will be a good mix. The last one we had was for, we had it for 13 years, and this one was on it’s last leg, so to speak, but we’re extremely happy to have that piece of equipment. We’re updating our equipment. We have safety measures taken for our workers on the roadway, which is very important to us. We don’t want to be a headline like other communities have been because of drivers not watching out for our workers. So, we make that a priority as well. So, these hearings are their opportunity to come to the Commissioners, tell of their situation, we will put together a list from that, and then we will inspect the list, bring that list back to the Commissioners, and then have you to, ask you to confirm a list that we will complete that year. This does not include the patching and the potholes. We will do that, usually starting in March or April, depending upon the weather, and depending upon the availability of the mix, so that we can combat those smaller areas as well. We continue, as the year goes by, to put what they call a cold mix in. It doesn’t adhere as well, but it does temporarily fix the areas until we can get into a season when it can be done in a better way. So, do you want to give your department head report while you’re here? Or do you have anything?

Mike Duckworth: Yes, I just have, basically, one thing on the agenda today, and I appreciate you allowing me to do that. I have to drive to Indianapolis later this afternoon for some business. We have on the agenda today a request for the Commissioners to sign off on professional engineering services by Steven Hahn for a storage facility, it’s a 14 bay storage facility that’s going to be constructed on our facility. I believe you have those in front of you with, also with a resume showing the work that he has done in the past. I would ask for your confirmation on that please.

President Musgrave: Is there a motion?

Commissioner Nix: So moved.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries. Thank you, sir.

Mike Duckworth: Can I be excused, please?

President Musgrave: Yes, you can.

Mike Duckworth: Alright, thank you.

President Musgrave: I want to take a couple of other things out of order. I noticed that we have the ladies and girls from Girls in Bloom here today. Rather than make you sit through all of the agenda items, I thought I would ask you to come forward now and tell us a little bit about Girls in Bloom and when it will be. If all of the young ladies would like to come forward too, I know everybody would like to see them.

Patty Avery: I am Patty Avery, Director of Girls in Bloom. Thank you so much for having us. Thanks for waiting on me to get here from a meeting at the bank. As you may have seen on the news last night, or this morning, we had our kick off press conference announcing our fourth annual Girls in Bloom. I did have to laugh, one of the stations mistakenly said the 24^th annual Girls in Bloom. I thought, I’m not that old yet. But, it is indeed February 24^th, that was the source of the date. As you see, our theme this year is, “Finding the Star in Me”. We chose this theme, because during adolescence, many of our young girls lose their north star. They lose their sense of what they care about, what their goals are, and what’s special and unique about them. Our goal is to bring them back to that. To give them a day where they can try a lot of new things in a safe, social environment. Once again, we want to thank you for your continued involvement. Commission President Musgrave was with us yesterday at our kickoff press conference. You’re all heartily invited on February 24^th, the day starts at 8:30 with registration, the workshops start at 9:00, and our lunch program is at noon. State Representative Crouch will be with us at lunch. She’ll be welcoming the girls. She’s continued as our Honorary Chair. She’ll be able to make it. I actually already had voice mail today from some of the schools that received brochures. So, we are definitely up and rolling. As you may have read, we actually have media sponsors this year. So, we’re anticipating an increased turn out for the year. Today I have with me Amy LoBue, who is the daughter of Dorie LoBue. Amy has been surreptitiously participating in Girls in Bloom since we started. This will be her first year, as a fifth grader, actually joining us in the workshops.

Dorie LoBue: She would like to say something.

Patty Avery: Oh, okay. Well, Amy would like to say something.

Amy LoBue: Thank you, Cheryl Musgrave, for putting this here. All the girls that come really like it, because I’ve been helping my mom some. I helped my karate teacher do demonstrations, and this year I’ll finally be able to participate in it. All the girls, they really enjoy it. It just kind of helps them bring them out. They all just sit in the hall while they’re eating lunch with their friends just laughing a lot. I think they really enjoy it. We couldn’t do it without you. So, thank you.

Patty Avery: Thank you, Amy. With me I have Amy’s mom, Dorie LoBue, and Anne Topper, and Laura Hobgood. Laura is with Ivy Tech, she’s been doing a lot to help us on all of our publicity and our marketing. Anne has now taken over the program, and is doing a terrific job. As you may have heard, we’ve got 48 workshops planned. Dorie, as always, is taking on registration.

President Musgrave: Patty, just to confirm, these workshops are free?

Patty Avery: Are absolutely free.

President Musgrave: And, any girl–

Patty Avery: Even lunch is free.

President Musgrave: –any girl in the county, tri-state?

Patty Avery: In the tri-state.

President Musgrave: In the tri-state, how old do you need to be again?

Patty Avery: Fifth grade. Fifth through eighth grade. We’re really encouraging the parents to come with the girls. We actually have a special area set up for parents called Café Mom and Dad, where they can relax, have a cup of coffee and kind of share some of the challenges that parents of adolescents face. We’re very excited that the Women’s Hospital is also doing their Day of Dance for Heart Health that same day. So, we’ll be encouraging the mothers to take part in the free screenings and activities down there too.

President Musgrave: If a girls parents could not come, the girl is still more than welcome to come?

Patty Avery: Yes. They’re welcome to come. Obviously, we encourage them to come, maybe a mom brings a girl and her friends.

President Musgrave: Okay.

Patty Avery: Because, and dad’s come too, they do indeed.

President Musgrave: Okay, well, congratulations on your fourth annual Girls in Bloom. Once again I would like to challenge the guys in the community to come forward with a similar event.

Patty Avery: We have one on either side of you.

President Musgrave: I’m certain that we could find room on the Centre’s schedule.

Commissioner Tornatta: We’ll be working on the name.

Patty Avery: Okay, that’s quite fair. We would be happy to share some of our expertise, but that’s definitely your job to take and run with that.

President Musgrave: Well, we’ll see you then at the event. Thank you everyone for coming.

Patty Avery: Thank you.

President Musgrave: I’m going to go ahead and take another item out of order and welcome Mr. Roger Lehman, Building Commissioner for the city and county, to do the public announcement of a hearing concerning mobile and manufactured home anchoring. Mr. Lehman?

Roger Lehman: Thank you, President Musgrave and Commissioners. Just wanted to give the public a heads up, on February 1^st at 6:00 p.m. at Central Library we’ll be having a public hearing concerning the anchoring grant from the State of Indiana that we’ve been working on now for about six months. Everything takes a bit of time. We also are combining this hearing to include a community safe room. We have a local mobile home park owner who is willing to put up part of the funding for this. Then, also we have a project we’ve had for some time that’s been kind of on the back burner moving up, which is public safe rooms in public parks. All these will be rolled into one on February the 1^st. The general public is more than welcome. We are particularly interested if the residents of the mobile home parks could come. I’ve been out of town today, so, I haven’t verified it, but we are working on a transportation plan to help some folks maybe come that couldn’t come on their own, and we’ll have more information about that. If anybody has any questions, they can call our office, the Building Commission, 436-7867, and we’ll be glad to provide them with whatever information they need.

President Musgrave: Okay, thank you very much.

Roger Lehman: Thank you.

President Musgrave: We are now ready to welcome Mr. Sherman Greer to present us with the earthquake preparedness week proclamation. Mr. Greer, if you could read the proclamation, please?

Sherman Greer: Oh, okay. Thank you for this opportunity.

“Vanderburgh County is located in the Wabash Valley and New Madrid Faults and experienced seismic events on June 18, 2002 and January 2, 2006. Disasters are a fact of life and will continue to threaten us in the future; and Vanderburgh County is vulnerable for many types of natural disasters and man made hazards; and, Whereas–

I forgot the “Whereas’”.

“Whereas, a long commitment of mitigation preparedness efforts by the public and private members of the local community will minimize the loss of life and property, while providing response and recovery efforts; Whereas, land use, new construction, retrofitting of existing structures, community education, information management are key components of the mitigation and preparedness strategies; and, Whereas the effort to reduce the loss of life and minimize the interruption of public safety, resumptions of businesses, management of response and recovery in a timely manner continue as a top priority in the hearts and minds of emergency services personnel. Therefore, I, Cheryl Musgrave, or, you, Cheryl Musgrave, President of the Vanderburgh County Commission of Vanderburgh County, Indiana do hereby proclaim that February the 5^th through the 9^th of 2007 as Earthquake Preparedness Week in Vanderburgh County, Indiana.”

President Musgrave: Is there a motion to adopt the proclamation?

Commissioner Nix: Move approval of the proclamation.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries.

Sherman Greer: We do have a full agenda for that week. We are going to be have a lot of activities going on with the American Red Cross, Christ the King School, the Evansville-Vanderburgh County School Corporation, business and industry, the Disaster Recovery Business Alliance, and media coverage throughout that whole week as far as getting the word out on awareness for disaster resistance and preparedness. Okay?

President Musgrave: We can sign this now, if you would like to take it?

Sherman Greer: I would like to take that with me, if at all possible.

Madelyn Grayson: Sherman, would you mind having the Commission office make a copy of that, so I can have a copy of a signed one?

Sherman Greer: Sure, most definitely.

Madelyn Grayson: Okay, thank you.

Sherman Greer: No use in reading the proclamation without the whereas’.

Commissioner Nix: There’s a lot of whereas’.

Sherman Greer: That’s Ted’s whereas’.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: You did very well.

President Musgrave: Alright, here you go. I hope that you have a successful week, and that success includes no earthquakes, ever.

Sherman Greer: No earthquakes.

President Musgrave: Thank you.

President Musgrave: We now come to the holiday schedules for 2008 and ‘09. We were requested by the courts to plan these out, as they have to set their calendars quite far in advance. The calendars have been distributed. We’ve checked with County Council, and I know you were trying to check with the city, Marissa, what did the city say?

Marissa Nichoalds: I never did get a response from the city yet.

President Musgrave: Okay, so, we might have to come back if the city has a change, but we don’t expect any. Commissioners, do you want to adopt the schedule as presented? Or, do you have changes?

Commissioner Nix: I just, would like to say, I think it was two years ago that we put out a survey, and this seemed like it fit for most of the department heads. We kind of wanted to get a feel, so, I’m comfortable with it. I didn’t know if maybe next year we would want to look at that again, and maybe put another survey out to department heads? But, I make a motion we approve this schedule.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Musgrave: We have a motion and a second. All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries. We will distribute this, and should anyone raise a concern that we would have wanted to consider, we’ll bring it back to you. But, I don’t expect any.

President Musgrave: We move now to contracts, agreements and leases. The NACo prescription drug program. I know we have Councilman Sutton here today.

Commissioner Tornatta: Before Royce gets up here, I would like to just set Royce up. Royce has been outstanding in bringing together a lot of different entities together to make this opportunity happen. Z. Tuley had brought, actually, to our awareness, while we were on the Council, that we ought to look at this program. It kind of took a couple of meetings and whatever, and after the Commissioners conference they did have a pretty lengthy idea and explained the program in a pretty good meeting. At that point we all kind of got together and decided that we should at least explore this, and had some committee meetings. So, I would like to thank Z. Tuley for bringing this to us, Royce Sutton for helping put it together. Mike Goebel was a big help in the process. Gary Heck from the Health Department, we’ll hear from him, but he was outstanding in giving us some ideas on how this program could be implemented. Ted Ziemer from finding out some of the legal standpoints, and then Dominic Birk who put our Power Point together. So, thanks to Dominic, he did it on the fly, but he did an outstanding job of getting it going. So, Royce, tells us all about it.

Royce Sutton: Thank you, Commissioners. Royce Sutton, Vanderburgh County Council. Thank you for the opportunity to come and present for you today, and members of the audience, and the general public at large. We’re pretty excited about a program that we are bringing to Vanderburgh County here in the coming weeks that will really significantly impact the lives of a number of individuals. I was doing a little research here recently and discovered that approximately 46.6 million Americans are without health insurance, and about 20 million of those are working Americans. So, hopefully, what we’re doing today will be our little piece of a response to some of the issues that involve those who are without adequate health care. So, I’ve got, we’ve got a presentation for you today, and at the end of the presentation you’re more than welcome to ask any questions of myself, Councilman Tornatta, Gary, Z. is here as well. So, we’ll be more than happy to respond to you. So, to just give you some general information about this program. Essentially, what this program is, the purpose of this program, the Vanderburgh County Rx program, is to provide prescription drug discounts to Vanderburgh County participants who are not covered under any private or governmental drug insurance program. Participants and their families will receive the discounts at no cost, and the program will be available to any Vanderburgh County resident. So, if we can go ahead and begin our presentation, we anticipate that the, each of those participants will receive a card that’s similar to what we see there. It might be a little bit different, but if you can go ahead and advance forward, we’ll talk about the program a little bit. The program essentially is a discount drug program. It is not an insurance program. It will help consumers to save money on their prescription drug medications. It can be used at any time the prescriptions are not covered by insurance. The cards will be free, and they will be distributed through several partnering organizations throughout the county. They may be used at any participating retail pharmacy. The discount cards are not insurance. They allow you to cover prescription costs for those medications that are over and above what you would not have covered under your insurance. We’re anticipating the average savings, now this is based upon this usage of this program in other counties throughout the country, the average savings is about 20 percent on discount, on prescription drugs. In fact, the discounts could be more, depending on which pharmacy you may be working with, which particular prescription drug you might be working with, and the quantity that is purchased. Now, there’s a possibility of an even greater than 20 percent discount through this program, if an individual participates in the mail service portion of this, which will enable them to get a three month supply of the medication. One of the exciting features of this as well, for some of our pet owners in the community, this program can be used for pet prescriptions. They can receive a discount from that as well. Now, who is this particular program for? Anyone in Vanderburgh County can qualify and utilize this prescription drug program. There is no age restriction, no income restriction, and even if you’re covered by an existing health plan, you still can participate in this discount card program. There are no restrictions or limits on how often or the frequency of use on this program. So, if you need to go back several times, you’ve got a number of prescriptions, this card does not have a limit on how many times it can be used. Family members, you really only need one per family, but if you need to have more, they can make provisions for that. But, anyone in your family, whatever the makeup of your family is, can utilize that card. Again, it’s the number of times that you may need to use that card. The cost? Unlike many other cards, there is no enrollment cost, and there is no membership fee. The cardholder pays a negotiated discount price or the pharmacy’s retail price, whichever may be lower. There are over 57,000 participating pharmacies in this program, and it’s accepted by many of the nationwide chains and the recognized names that we know out there; CVS, Walgreen’s, Wal-Mart are all participants in this program. It also has some additional benefits, it has some safety alerts in this program. So, if an individual is taking a prescription and they come to get an additional prescription, this program will automatically trigger if there is an adverse reaction between those two prescriptions that may occur, and it will alert that pharmacist that this may not be the right combination to pull together. Also, it has a useful option that Medicare part D plan does not cover. Now, what is this organization Caremark? This is a, this particular program that we’re talking about here would be in a partnership between Vanderburgh County, the National Association of Counties and Caremark. Caremark is a program administered, it’s a leading pharmaceutical services company. They have broad experience in the discount drug business. In fact, our attorney here received a card here recently from another program administered by Caremark. They negotiate with pharmacies to offer a discount off their retail prices. Most pharmacies contract to participate because it draws customers to their stores. Now, one of the concerns that we have often seen with identity theft going on that’s rather pervasive in our community is how will the information that I share with this pharmacy and participating pharmacies, how will it be shared with others? The information that any client that they would share would remain confidential. It would not be shared for selling purposes, or for any other third parties involved with this. Now, how much does the plan cost? Your prescription discount cards are provided to you free of charge by the county. Does everyone in my family need an individual card? No, everyone in the family may use the same card, if they desire to do so. Can I use this card to get discounts on my pet medication? As we said earlier, yes, it can be used for pet medications or prescriptions. Now, I’ve just received my card, can I use it right away? Once the program is implemented, and we’re anticipating within eight to ten weeks, if the Commissioners move forward with action today, that the cards that are received they can use them immediately, as soon as they receive them. If they lose their card, there’s a replacement number, an 800 number, that’s not a county number, but they can call this 877 number. It’s a toll free number that allows them to replace that card. Can they use the cards to get discounts at over-the-counter products and non-prescription medications? That’s not what this card is for. Can they use the prescription discount card with their current insurance benefit to reduce their costs? Your card cannot be used in conjunction with other insurance. However, you are able to use the card to purchase prescriptions that are not covered by these plans. To get a list of the pharmacies that actually accept the card, you’ve got the 800 number, there’s also a website that individuals can go to to get that information. How much will we save? At least 20 percent. It could be more on other prescriptions. Will I always receive the lowest price? Yes, absolutely, you’ll receive the lowest price that’s available by the pharmacy. Can I find the discounted price of my prescription before going to the pharmacy? Because prices may vary from location to location, and because prices often change within the pharmaceutical industry, you may want to check once you get there. But, also there is a number at the web address that can give you an indication of what that will be. Why did the price of my prescription change since the last time I purchased the prescription? Again, drug prices are different from pharmacy to pharmacy. Each chain has different prices in the store, depending on the population that they’re servicing. There will be brochures that give you an idea of what that savings will be. The mail service, if individuals want to participate in that, which I think is a tremendous benefit, this gives them an opportunity to get a greater quantity of their prescriptions at a greater discounted price. They can do that by applying through the site that we’ve got listed in the material here. The number, 877-321-2652, or the website. We’ve also looked at this in terms of trying to figure out what might be the most appropriate way to distribute these cards throughout the community. Because we want all county residents to participate in this program. These are the sites right now that we are looking at for the distribution channels. The Health Department will be the primary location where this program is administered and that the cards are distributed, but we’ve also provided for others, the County Treasurer through Z. Tuley is graciously providing us the support for this, Work Force One, and many others, the township trustees, the pharmacies. Actually, we have the Community Corrections and jail and Albion Fellows are some other distribution channels that we will have available. The Health Department, through Gary Heck, of course, coordinating the distribution, helping with volunteer resources. We anticipate at the early stages of this program there will be a number of people who want to get their card immediately, which that would be a good idea. They’ll be helping to coordinate that volunteer program to get those cards distributed. Then the website, we want to place the information about this program on the county’s website. So, an additional tool, a resource that will be available for our residents to get information about this program. In terms of implementation schedule, before you today to present the contract between the county and Caremark, which upon execution of that would be submitted in approximately eight to ten weeks when we begin to receive our cards. During February and March we’ll be providing or working on the promotional planning and our distribution channels. Then, in April, the cards, roughly April we anticipate the cards arriving. Then, this particular program, because it’s not a new program per se, they are going to provide monthly reports back to the county regarding how many participants are involved with it here in Vanderburgh County, and what the net savings is from those who have used this program. So, you guys will have that in your hands each month. Okay, that is, that concludes the general information about it. Gary, I don’t know, is there anything that I may have missed in this material from the Health Department side that we need to cover? Or, Z., since you were the one that discovered this program? Or, Troy, yourself?

Commissioner Tornatta: I think, the one thing, a couple of points we want to talk about, card distribution, we are negotiating with those outlets, and Gary is going to play the contact role to negotiate with those outlets to get those cards out. He will also be providing those volunteer resources, as far as if we’re going to hand them out during tax time for those who are standing in line. Gary is going to try and work it out so there is somebody standing in the line asking people if they want to participate with the card. Gary said he would graciously do the program and update and any maintenance that had to be done he would take care of that on his side, and then he’ll put a link on his website so that it will go to the Commissioners website, so that we can funnel people over to that if they have any other questions. We’ll try and have, if we can have the power point up that would be great, but, if we can’t, we’ll try and have that 800 number, the NACo Rx number. Local pharmacies are also involved and we didn’t get that on there. The county pays for this membership through their NACo membership, the County Council, the County Commissioners signed a contract to pay for it, and then the county pays for that. So, it’s already paid for, so, it won’t cost the county another dime on top of what we pay for already.

Royce Sutton: Putting on my County Council hat, that sounds very refreshing that the county will have no additional costs incurred by starting this program, even though a number of people will benefit from it.

President Musgrave: Mr. Heck, if you would please come forward and give the telephone number and the web address for folks who are interested in getting part of the program. While he’s coming forward, for those of you who are watching in other Indiana or Kentucky counties, it’s my understanding that NACo, which stands for the National Association of Counties, allows any county to participate in this program, but you do have to pay annual dues to NACo. So, if you’re in Warrick or Perry, or Posey, or Gibson, your county commissioners or council could make the decision to join NACo, and then this program would also be at your disposal. Mr. Heck?

Gary Heck: The Health Department’s phone number for this program will be 812-435-2468. The website isn’t up and running yet, since we had to make sure that it actually was a program that was approved by the Commissioners. But, it will be up and running within the next few weeks, if you take positive action on it today.

Commissioner Nix: What would that address be at the website? Have you got that established yet?

Gary Heck: Well, the Health Department’s address on the website is www.vanderburghgov.org/health. Then there’s navigational links on the left hand side of the page, and it will say NACo/Rx card program, or something to that effect.

Commissioner Nix: I guess, all the county, they could also link up with the Commissioners link and it would take them to the Health Department too?

Gary Heck: You could have links anywhere on any of the sites that you would like.

Commissioner Nix: Councilman Sutton, and Commissioner Tornatta, I applaud you and the people that worked with you, Z. Tuley, I think this is a great thing. You know, it’s, I guess, it’s been in effect for a while. I’m just tickled to death. I know that Commissioner Tornatta, I guess, about a month ago, back in December, when you were still on the Council, we discussed it then. So, appreciate your help in getting this thing together. This is a definite asset. I have, I guess, two questions, will this cover co-pays? I’m sure that’s going to be asked. I didn’t–

Royce Sutton: No.

Commissioner Nix: Okay, it’s, not co-pays?

Commissioner Tornatta: It will not work in conjunction with any other insurance.

Commissioner Nix: Okay. Then, the other, you brought up a minute ago, the mom and pop pharmacies here in town. As they come on board they’ll be listed on the website? Because there’s a lot of people that use the corner drug store. I know those are getting fewer and far between all the time, but there still are some of them around.

Commissioner Tornatta: We’re going to make calls to some of those. Some of them have already been notified. We’ll make calls. The rest of them, there are approximately 57 pharmacies in our area. So, of those pharmacies, we figured eight to ten of them are mom and pop locations. So, we’re going to personally make calls to those outlets. The rest of them will be handled by Caremark.

Royce Sutton: We’ll make sure we keep that list updated on the website and in our material, so that people will know where they can use their cards.

President Musgrave: Well, I’m particularly enthusiastic about the pet prescription part of this.

Royce Sutton: I thought you might like that.

President Musgrave: I’m very excited. I hope to sign up as soon as you have a way to do that. I hope that you’ll put the power point on line, and let me know when it’s ready, because I’ll sign up.

Gary Heck: They’re really easy to convert to an Adobe PDF file that would be available. So, it won’t be an issue.

President Musgrave: Before we change the tape, is there a motion to approve the contract?

Commissioner Tornatta: So moved.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries. Thank you for your work on this.

Royce Sutton: Thank you.

President Musgrave: Thank you for spearheading the distribution in the Health Department, and we’ll change the tape now.

(Tape Change)

Madelyn Grayson: Thank you.

President Musgrave: Next item on our agenda is the farm land lease agreement for the balance of the farm land around the Sheriff’s training center. That is farmed by the adjacent land owner. Is there a motion to approve the agreement?

Commissioner Tornatta: Motion to approve the agreement?

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries.

President Musgrave: We move now to Burdette Park. Mr. Steve Craig will come forward to discuss the application for funding for the bike path at Burdette Park that we are getting ready to send in.

Steve Craig: Steve Craig, manager of Burdette Park. What I have here is the 2007 Indiana Department of Transportation enhancement application. We’ve got it finished, and I’m in the process of turning it over to the Metropolitan Planning Organization and have them review it before we send it in. This application is for the USI-Burdette Park pedestrian bike and nature trail. At the present time we’re getting our support letters in line from community leaders, state officials, local officials. If there’s anybody from bicycle clubs, walking clubs, nature centers and that that want to support it, we are accepting letters at this time. We’ve had fantastic support. We’ve got some great letters. It seems like everybody’s jumping on board on this. It’s really a great project. Like I said, I’m in the process, I’m going to turn it in to Brad at the end of the day. That’s where I’m at with that.

President Musgrave: Commissioners, it would be convenient for the application process if you would just make a motion to approve the application to the state and federal sources that are available to us. Then, that way we don’t have to worry about the deadlines conflicting with our meeting times.

Commissioner Tornatta: So moved.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries.

Steve Craig: Okay, and did we want to do the commercial?

President Musgrave: Yes, please.

Steve Craig: Well, Marissa, is it going to be up there? This is going to be a commercial we’ve been working on for, we’re going to do television, and then we’re going to base some of it for magazines and newspaper articles.

President Musgrave: While the technician is getting it to play, we took a new approach this year with the...are you ready? Just one second. Traditionally, Burdette Park has done billboards and print advertisement in the newspaper, and Mr. Craig and I began to creatively think of new ways, and this commercial is the first of those new ways of getting out the word about how great it is to rent facilities at Burdette Park for your wedding, your company picnic, or just an evening in a chalet. So, if you’ll go ahead and press play now.

(The Burdette Park t.v. commercial was shown.)

Commissioner Tornatta: Fantastic!

Steve Craig: Thank you.

President Musgrave: Alright, and we look forward to seeing the print ads that will go in some of the publications around the area.

Steve Craig: We’re working with them right now on which ones to get them in. We’re going to have them in there too. They will be based off of this. Use some of the same photography that we’ve used on that.

President Musgrave: Viewers of this particular government meeting, and perhaps other government meetings, might see this commercial quite often aired before and after, unless there’s a sentiment for going to commercial breaks among the Commissioners, I don’t think that you’ll see it during.

Commissioner Nix: Maybe we could get a sponsor.

President Musgrave: We could get a sponsor. Well, thank you for the work that you’ve put in on this.

Steve Craig: Thank you very much.

President Musgrave: Do you have any other things to report for Burdette before I let you go?

Steve Craig: No, I don’t.

President Musgrave: Okay, thank you.

President Musgrave: Then I’ll call for County Engineer, John Stoll. Mr. Stoll has the VC07-01-01, repair and repaving of roads in Bohannon Estates to award.

John Stoll: I would like to request that that contract be awarded to J.H. Rudolph in the amount of $224,940. This is the Barrett Law project, and this bid price does fall within the estimates that were submitted in the resolutions.

Commissioner Tornatta: So moved.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries.

John Stoll: I’ve got a couple of other things. First, I have the IDEM notice of intent for construction letter for the Burdette Park-USI bike path project. I need your signatures on that. So, I would request that you approve that so we can send that off to IDEM.

Commissioner Nix: So moved.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries.

John Stoll: The last thing is in regard to the St. George Road bridge. Beam Longest and Neff was hired to evaluate what needed to be done on the rehab of that bridge. They came back with a report that I’d e-mailed to you that identified that it needed a new deck, it needed approach repairs and replacement, and it needed new guardrail and some erosion repairs. I would like you to authorize them to proceed with the final plans based on that inspection report that I’d e-mailed to you.

Commissioner Nix: Move approval.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries.

John Stoll: In conjunction with that, their cost estimate exceeds what we had originally budgeted for on that project. So, I would like to request that you approve me to go to County Council to transfer $150,000 from the Green River Road bridge number 711 account, to the St. George Road bridge account. The Green River Road bridge will not go out for bids until next year. So, those funds won’t be needed. That’s why I chose that account to make the transfer from.

Commissioner Nix: Move approval.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries.

John Stoll: That’s all I have unless you have any questions.

President Musgrave: Thank you, Mr. Stoll.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: I like your new voice.

John Stoll: Good Colts game. I had to do my part of the 57,000 making the noise.

President Musgrave: We have the semi-annual report, is there anyone here, Ms. Nichoalds, to actually read that report?

Marissa Nichoalds: No.

President Musgrave: Or should we just adopt it?

Marissa Nichoalds: Ted has reviewed it, but other than that, no one is here.

President Musgrave: Mr. Ziemer, does she say anything in her report that needs to be aired?

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: I don’t think so. It’s just a report of where they are in terms of spending the funds, how much remains unspent, and that everything is on schedule.

President Musgrave: Is there a motion to accept the report?

Commissioner Tornatta: Motion to accept the report.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries.

President Musgrave: Department head reports, Mr. Ziemer?

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: I don’t have anything.

President Musgrave: (Inaudible).

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: No, Nextel? No, not today.

President Musgrave: Ms. Nichoalds, do you have a report?

Marissa Nichoalds: I just have one item. We received a letter this week stating that there was a check for the Commissioners office for $520.12 for restitution. It looks like it was for some guardrail damage requested by the County Highway. So, I just wanted to add that and submit it to the County Auditor to be quietused.

President Musgrave: Is there a motion?

Commissioner Nix: Motion to accept.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries. Any other department head?

President Musgrave: Mr. Arvay?

Matt Arvay: Good afternoon. Matt Arvay, Chief Information Officer for Vanderburgh County. It came to my attention today that there’s going to be a hearing on Monday, February 12^th with the Senate Economic Development and Technology Committee on Senate Bill 461. To give you a little background, in 2005 the State of Indiana was able to fly a statewide project for aerial photography. It was funded through federal Homeland Security Grant monies. Various communities were able to buy up, which we were one of them, for a significantly reduced cost. That was split between the city and the county. That information was delivered in the beginning of 2006. That aerial photography now is incorporated into all of our county and city websites, used by our departments daily. The only down side, if there was any downside, it was a one time project. What this Senate Bill 461 is, is basically to support the principles of almost like a revolving fund that the State of Indiana is able to acquire funds and routinely do new flights, maybe even work with creating a framework data, like elevation, water, maybe even parcels down the road. So, basically, I wanted to come and ask for your support, maybe contact any of your contacts in Indiana. It’s been, GIS in general has been a very positive, made a positive impact in Vanderburgh County. I think that if there’s anyway we could offset some costs to the State of Indiana, it would be very beneficial.

Commissioner Nix: I’m just wondering, with a letter to, I guess, the appropriate people up state, is that basically what you’re asking for today?

Matt Arvay: Yeah, I have some information. I’ll forward an e-mail to each one of you, and anything that you could do to help this bill would be greatly appreciated, I think.

President Musgrave: We can get a letter drafted between Ms. Nichoalds and Mr. Arvay, and if you want to go ahead and approve signing it, of course, you’ll get the opportunity to read it and make comments on it, then we can get that up to there and have our lobbyist take that to the committee and read it.

Matt Arvay: That would be great.

Commissioner Nix: I make a motion that we approve.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries. Mr. Arvay, if you could get a draft of a support letter to Ms. Nichoalds as soon as possible, that will speed things along the way.

Matt Arvay: Okay, thank you.

President Musgrave: Alright, thank you. Any other department heads? I see no one.

President Musgrave: We move now to board appointments. We have one appointment to make today. Mr. Greg Meyer to the Pigeon Creek Greenway.

Commissioner Tornatta: So moved.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries.

President Musgrave: Next, on new business, I will confess to confusing the February 6^th meeting with the March 6^th meeting. I thought that the road school was on February 6^th. So, when Mr. Nix said that he was not going to be able to make it that day, I assumed that we would have to cancel that meeting. Now, the expectation among all of our department heads is that we’re having no meeting on February 6^th. So, I offer that still as an option. We could still cancel that meeting. But, we definitely are going to need to cancel the March 6^th meeting, which is the actual date of Purdue’s road school. Commissioners, what would you like to do?

Commissioner Tornatta: I’ll only say that I will be happy to be here, but I think that we have department heads that were expecting that that meeting was not going to be on the 6^th of February. So, in any event that we would have nobody here to give us reports, maybe we should just go ahead and cancel that meeting.

President Musgrave: Okay.

Commissioner Nix: Is that a motion?

Commissioner Tornatta: In the form of a motion.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Musgrave: Does your motion include the March 6^th meeting as well?

Commissioner Tornatta: The March 6^th will be cancelled because of road school, which I think I will be attending as well.

Commissioner Nix: I’ll second that too.

President Musgrave: Alright, all those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries. I’m sorry for mentally messing up on when the road school was. Next, Ms. Nichoalds would like to announce the next county surplus auction. She’s been working rather hard on this.

Marissa Nichoalds: Yes, the next county surplus auction will be February 7^th, that’s a Wednesday. It will be at the Vanderburgh County 4-H center this year. The program will start at 10:00 a.m. We have a lot of items covering a wide range of types and sizes to be auctioned off. So, it should be a pretty good sale.

President Musgrave: I know that Sheriff Williams is here, and this auction time frame got set in motion when the Sheriff determined that after many years of not auctioning off unclaimed personal property that has been seized or otherwise coming into the hands of the Sheriff, it was time to clear out the store rooms of that. So, there’s all kinds of things coming from the Sheriff’s Department, and, I believe that we’ll be posting that list on the Commission website, and you might want to post it on your website as well. Plus, we have the normal, standard county surplus items, filing cabinets, desks, computers and other items that are no longer used here in the Civic Center. So, we’ll look for you February 7^th at 10:00 a.m. at the Vanderburgh County 4-H center. We’ve covered all the new business, unless there is any other new business?

President Musgrave: Is there any old business?

President Musgrave: Is there any public comment? Anyone here to address the Commissioners? I see no one.

President Musgrave: Is there a motion to adopt the consent agenda?

Madelyn Grayson: I did have one addition, the January 16^th rezoning minutes are also available for approval, if we want to add those to the consent items.

President Musgrave: Please make your motion include the rezoning minutes from last week.

Commissioner Nix: So moved.

Commissioner Tornatta: Second, and I just would like to thank Matt Arvay for coming by the office and bringing all the important documentation on the new telephone system. Although we will see a rise in what we’re paying for the first few months, as we went over, as long as things are like we anticipate and we get moving with this project, we should see a drastic savings in this bill. So, I appreciate you waiting with me one week to get me caught up on what had been established so that I can understand and put my Council mind at ease. So, anyway, thank you for that, and I second the motion on the consent.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: The motion carries.

President Musgrave: We will not adjourn at this point, we have to do final action on rezoning ordinance VC-1-2007. Happily, the folks from Area Plan are here and can now come forward to take us through that.

Bev Behme: (Inaudible).

President Musgrave: We do have the first item on the agenda is to approve the minutes, but I believe we just approved those as part of the consent agenda, right? Okay. Oh, that’s the wrong agenda.

Bev Behme: Good afternoon, Commissioners. VC-1, excuse me, 2007, 5103 Spring Valley Road. Spurling Development is requesting to rezone two parcels located at 5103 Spring Valley Drive to C-2. The 1.16 acre site located north of Spring Valley Road is requested to be rezoned from agricultural to C-2. The 3.22 acre site along the south side of Spring Valley Road is proposed to be down zoned from C-4 to C-2 to allow expansion of the apartment development. Both sites are adjacent to existing retirement housing. As part of a settlement agreement between Mr. Spurling, Broadway Summit LLC and Vanderburgh County, perpetual and non-revokable access easements must be dedicated between Heritage Park Subdivision and the Schnucks development. The perpetual access easement is required to eliminate the need for the construction of Cullen Avenue between Davis Lant Drive and Spring Valley Road. This is a petition to rezone C-4 and agricultural to C-2, a commercial classification which will allow construction of apartments, a residential use otherwise prohibited in the existing zoning district classifications. The site is within an area designated as commercial within the comprehensive plan. The surrounding area is completely commercial, with mixed commercial and high density residential uses. This down zoning from existing heavy commercial designation, to the lighter commercial, C-2 designation, and the rezoning to C-2 of a small, undeveloped parcel surrounded by commercial zoning is consistent with the overall development plans for the area, and is consistent with adjacent commercial and residential development. On January 11, 2007, the Area Plan Commission voted seven yes and zero no, and zero abstentions to recommend approval. This petition was continued from last week to allow an amendment of the access easement agreement required by the County Engineer and the County Commissioners.

President Musgrave: Does the petitioner have any remarks to make? Please come forward and state your name for the record.

Andy Spurling: Hi, Andy Spurling of Lakeside Development and Spurling Properties. I have been working with our attorney, Les Shively, and Mr. Ziemer to get the executed document. Can I bring this up? That’s the photo copy. I’ve got the original.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: Madam President, what I’ve been presented with is a copy of the amendment to cross easement agreement, which is satisfactory to make the cross easement perpetual. It is a copy of the executed copy. Mr. Spurling has the executed copy, which you will now proceed to have recorded?

Andy Spurling: Yes.

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: That will take care of this matter.

Andy Spurling: Would you like me to forward you a recorded document number?

Ted C. Ziemer, Jr.: Please.

Andy Spurling: Okay, I’ll do that.

President Musgrave: Alright, since this is a continuation of a rezoning. I’ll call again for remonstrators. Are there any remonstrators on this? I see none. Are there any questions from the Commissioners? Do you have any final remarks to make?

Andy Spurling: I think that will do it.

President Musgrave: Okay, is there a motion to approve?

Commissioner Tornatta: Motion to approve.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

President Musgrave: Commissioner Nix?

Andy Spurling: Thank you.

Commissioner Nix: Yes.

President Musgrave: Commissioner Tornatta?

Commissioner Tornatta: Yes.

President Musgrave: And, I vote yes. Show the rezoning as approved.

Andy Spurling: Thank you.

President Musgrave: Thank you. Unless there’s any further business to come before the Board of Commissioners, I’ll ask for a motion to adjourn.

Commissioner Tornatta: So moved.

Commissioner Nix: Second.

President Musgrave: All those in favor?

All Commissioners: Aye.

(The meeting was adjourned at 4:32 p.m.)

CONSENT ITEMS:

Employment Changes:

Auditor (1)                                 Circuit Court (1)                        Co-Op Ext. (1)

County Clerk (1)                       Center Assessor (1)

Travel Requests:

County Commissioners (3)       County Engineer (1) 

Weights & Measures (1)

Commissioners:

Approval of January 16, 2007 Commission & Rezoning Meeting Minutes.

Substance Abuse Council Minutes.

Legal Aid Society: December 2006 Statistics

GIS Pay Requests #1 & #2 for Berbee & Keller Schroeder (Phone System)

Evansville ARC Monthly Report: December 2006.

University Parkway Phases II & III Project Update: Bernardin Lochmueller

Department Head Meeting Notes: January 16, 2007

Auditor:

Permission to Advertise 2007 Statement of Receipts and Expenditures.

Surplus Letter: Filing cabinets.

Purchasing: Monthly Report: December 2006.

Treasurer:

Year-to-Date Report: December 31, 2006.

Monthly Report: December 2006.

Sheriff:

Federal Annual Certification Report.

Surplus Vehicle Requests.       

County Engineer: Pay Request #16