VANDERBURGH COUNTY COUNCIL

BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING

SEPTEMBER 8, 2004

The Vanderburgh County Council met in session this 8th day of September, 2004 in room 301 of the Civic Center Complex. The meeting was called to order at 9:07 a.m. by County Council President Ed Bassemier.

President Bassemier: I’d like to welcome everybody to the final 2005 budget hearing, September 8, 2004. Roll call please.

President Bassemier: Would everybody please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance?

(Pledge of Allegiance was given.)

President Bassemier: Just so I get this straight, I’ll read this into the minutes. This is a final budget hearing and the purpose is to complete this adoption of our budget and establish the salaries and all employees’ benefits, and also to recommend to the state what would be the proposed tax rate. Today the chair will only recognize Councilmembers until after the finance chairman has completed his duties. At this time I will ask Councilman Raben, the finance chairman, to begin with the corrections, amendments and additions. Mr. Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Okay, just one moment.

Councilmember Tornatta: Mr. President, I’ve just got something to add, if I may.

President Bassemier: Okay, sir.

Councilmember Tornatta: Its been a long process and a tough process, and I think that’s something that we expected. I appreciate the fact, as I said once before, that this Council has worked very well together to try and make the cuts necessary, and I appreciate the officeholders coming out and supporting this as well. Its going to be a tough time for the county in the next couple of years, I think, but everybody has made their concessions and I guarantee this Council appreciates everything. It was thrown out that we were going to try and do a certain amount across the board, but this Council, in the spring, decided that they were going to give a three percent raise and I would make the motion that we stand by that three percent raise. This year, more than any year, I think we need to put our employees as our top commodity and hope that they can help us save money down the road. I talked with Mr. Hoy, Mr. Raben, in fact, everybody on the Council, Mr. Sutton, we’ve had concessions upon concessions with the Sheriff’s office. The Commissioners have come out and have essentially went back to our insurance company and said hey, you’ve got to do better. And we’ve come back with some great rates from our insurance company to help us make some cuts which I think will get us the three percent for all our employees.

President Bassemier: Okay, Mr. Raben, I’m sorry.

Councilmember Raben: Okay, Mr. President, let me first address this and then we’ll move on. Troy, you’re exactly right, this has been a tough road. I guess from the first week of August, looking at what we had before us, you know, I’ve got to be honest, I was doubtful for the biggest part of that time as to whether or not we were ever going to find anywhere near five million dollars in cuts. And, you know, we’re there, but its not been an easy road. I mean, we’ve gone into budgets and into areas that this Council and probably every Council before us have not gone into. I mean, if you look at what got us there, you know, we’ve skinned the cat. We’ve taken any bit of fluff – in fact, you know, we’ve gone deeper than fluff. We’ve asked a lot of budgets to – or we’ve told budgets, we’ve cut Extra Help out, we’ve cut Training out, we’ve gone to the Sheriff’s budgets, his three budgets, we’ve taken areas, again, that this Council and no other Council has ever taken. You know, we’ve asked them to use Commissary monies, user fee monies, anything possible to make up those cuts and, in fact, this is probably – well, it’s the first year that I’ve been on the Council that we’re not even buying new cars. So, I mean, in good conscience, I can’t, at least today, support a three percent pay raise when we’ve done what we’ve done to other budgets. If there are any funds, additional funds, and we don’t even know that today, I guess what I’m asking is that we delay taking any action and we approve a special meeting September 15th, this room is available at 9:00 a.m., we can advertise it today. We don’t even have a Salary Ordinance prepared for three percent pay raises. I don’t know legally that we can even vote to approve a three percent today without a Salary Ordinance in place. And it just makes good sense to have the Salary Ordinance in place where you know exactly what you’re voting on to the penny. As far as the insurance information, I think or at least I caught wind that the numbers were finally available yesterday around 3:30, about 17 hours before today’s meeting. We didn’t actually get it in print until quarter to eight this morning. So we need time to see what these new figures really represent. I think if we can, Mr. President, I’m asking that we delay any vote related or associated with pay until September 15th. I’ll make that in the form of a motion.

Councilmember Wortman: I’ll second it.

President Bassemier: We have a motion and a second. Troy, I appreciate your comments and Mr. Raben, I think that will be the smart thing to do. I think (inaudible – microphone not turned on) salary ordinance, so I think it would be the smart thing for us to wait until when was it, Jim, the 15th?

Councilmember Raben: The room is available at 9:00 a.m., this room 301, September the 15th, which again, Mr. President, regardless, if we’re not, if that’s the direction that the majority of the members on the Council wish to take, we have to have that meeting anyway, because we have to adopt a Salary Ordinance before September 20th.

Councilmember Hoy: That’s a bad, a really bad day for me. I’m supposed to be at a property tax replacement commission meeting in Indianapolis.

President Bassemier: Jim, can you change that or...

Councilmember Raben: If possible, I would like to make it available for all seven of us, so we’ll need to look at that.

President Bassemier: When do you want to make it, Jim?

Councilmember Raben: I guess it depends on the availability of the room, that was a time that was available. Can Sarah find out? What day? Is that the only day that’s really an issue for you? Does anyone else know of any other days other than –

Councilmember Sutton: How does that next day look, Phil?

Councilmember Hoy: Good, its good. The rest of the week is good.

Councilmember Raben: Eight o’clock would be great.

Councilmember Sutton: While she’s checking on that, Mr. President, if I could, you know, I agree there’s definitely been a lot of work put in on this budget and there’s a lot of things that we’ve had to do that maybe we would rather not have had to do but in light of where our revenues are placing us right now and the increasing demands, we’ve had to make some really hard choices and I think we all are supportive of the hard choices because that’s what we have to do, that’s what we are on this body to do, to try to do what’s best for Vanderburgh County as a whole. I think I came into this whole process and I made this known, I guess, a few weeks back is, my number one priority was securing and ensuring that the insurance was protected and it appears that we’re going to be okay in that regard and the increase is not going to be to such an extent as what we were anticipating it would be. We’ve been eating double digit increases each of the last several years. And it looks like we’re in the single digits this year which is a really encouraging sign, so like I said, the insurance line is really important and making sure any contractual obligations that we have out there, that we protect those as well. So whatever we come up with, obviously, there’s still a little bit more work to get to that Salary Ordinance next week whenever we figure out when that meeting is going to be, just looking forward to seeing what we have there.

Councilmember Raben: Okay, and Mr. President, our legal counsel has advised me to make it clear that we will be recessing today’s meeting and continuing September 15th?

Councilmember Sutton: 15th?

Councilmember Raben: Oh, excuse me, yeah, we’ll come back to the date on that. Let’s move on to other items and we’ll come back to this issue.

President Bassemier: Do you want to wait for Sandie?

Councilmember Raben: Yeah, that’s fine.

President Bassemier: She wants to sit in on the meeting. I mean, she’s got to take some notes.

Councilmember Raben: That’s fine, we can allow a minute.

President Bassemier: I’m going to have to agree with the three percent raise, too. I’m going to do my best to see that our hard working county employees get a three percent raise. I’ve been for it all along. Jim has had a very tough job, all of the officeholders that he’s worked with say that they’ve sacrificed and I’m going to do my best to see that the county employees get a three percent raise. But I’m going to say if we can’t, there’s been talk that we give $500 across the board. If we give the five across the board raise, I won’t take a raise because that’s about a three percent raise to me, if I get $500 and I’m not going to accept it. If I can’t give it to the county employees, a three percent raise, I’m not going to take one myself. That’s all I have to say.

Councilmember Raben: 8:00 a.m., September 16th, 2004.

President Bassemier: Okay, I have a motion and a second for 8:00 a.m. September the what, Jim?

Councilmember Raben: September the 16th.

President Bassemier: Any discussion on that date? Everybody okay with that? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: That’s a yes, and thanks for getting it changed.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes, you’re welcome, Mr. Hoy.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay, next, Mr. President, all Councilmembers have been given a list of additional cuts and/or additions, okay, that is List B. I’m going to move that List B be made part of the record.

Councilmember Hoy: Second.

President Bassemier: Okay, I have a motion and I have a second on that. Everybody want to look at it before we... Okay, no discussion on it? Okay, I have a motion and a second. Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay, next, Mr. President, all Councilmembers have been given a list of additional cuts and/or additions for the Health department, those are given to everyone as List C. Along with that, Mr. President, I have some adjustments to make to the Levee Authority budget, which Levee Authority is on page 175. It looks like there’s a total of about 10 changes. The overall total comes out about the same, but starting with account 1100-4250, the correct figure is $499,392, 1200-4250 is $22,600, 1900 FICA the correct figure is $38,307, 1910 PERF is $42,249, 1920 Insurance the correct figure is $128,765, –

Councilmember Wortman: 765?

Councilmember Raben: Yes. 1940 $20,835, 1930 is $715 –

Councilmember Sutton: 1950?

Councilmember Raben: 1930 is $715, that’s a new line, excuse me. That’s Unemployment, 1930.

Councilmember Sutton: And the amount is?

Councilmember Raben: $715. Then we skip down to account 3000 Bond & Insurance, the correct figure is $40,356, 3130 is $1,000, 3200 $70,525, 4250 is $46,000, and 4251 is $22,500. So the new grand total is $1,144,834. Just roughly about a $6,000 overall change to the budget. Mr. President, I’ll move that these changes be approved.

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

President Bassemier: Motion and a second by Mr. Wortman. Any discussion? Any changes? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Just one moment, Mr. President.

Councilmember Raben: Okay, Mr. President, next I’m going to move that all 2000, 3000 and 4000 accounts for the 2005 budget be adopted as previously approved for the following, and I’ll run through this list which is quite lengthy: Airport Authority, Area Plan, Armstrong Assessor, Assessor, Auditor, Bond Issue, Burdette Park, Center Assessor, Circuit Court, Circuit Court Supplemental Adult Probation, County Clerk, County Clerk IV-D, Community Corrections, Convention Centre Operating Fund, Convention & Visitors Bureau, Co-op Extension, County Coroner, County Commission, County Commission/CCD, Cum Bridge, Drainage Board, Drug & Alcohol Deferral, Election Office, Family & Children, Children’s Psychiatric Residential Treatment Services, German Assessor, Health department, County Highway, Jail, Knight Assessor, Legal Aid, Legal Aid/United Way, Levee Distribution Tax, Local Drug Free Community, Local Emergency Planning Commission, Local Roads & Streets, Perry Assessor, Pigeon Assessor, Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals, Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals/Reassessment for 2006, Prosecutor, Prosecutor IV-D, Prosecutor Check Recovery, Prosecutor Drug Law Enforcement, Prosecutor Victim/Witness Assistance Program, Prosecutor Stop Domestic Violence, Prosecutor Adult Protection Services, Prosecutor Pre-Trial Diversion, Prosecutor Community Gun Violence, Public Defender Commission, Recorder, Riverboat, Sales Disclosure, Scott Assessor, Sheriff, Sheriff Misdemeanor Housing, Sheriff VCC Misdemeanor Offender, Superior Court, Superior Court Supplemental Adult Probation, Superior Drug Court, Superintendent of County Buildings, Surveyor, Surveyor Maps, Surveyor Corner Perpetuation, The Centre, Tourism Capital Improvement, Treasurer, Union Assessor, Veterans Administration, Voters Registration, Weights & Measures, and Emergency 911. I make that in the form of a motion.

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

President Bassemier: Have a motion and a second. Discussion?

Councilmember Tornatta: Mr. Raben, one question, on the Commissioners/CCD fund, did we take those items that she had placed out and redo those out of the CCD or are we commenting –

Councilmember Raben: You’re talking in regards to Local Roads & Streets?

Councilmember Tornatta: Uh-huh.

Councilmember Raben: I’m coming to that.

Councilmember Tornatta: Okay.

President Bassemier: Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay next, Mr. President, I move that the County Council set a tax rate as deemed appropriate by the Indiana State Tax Commissioners following review of our budget. I make that in the form of a motion.

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

President Bassemier: We’ve got a motion and a second. Any discussion? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay next, Mr. President, I’m going to move to set the Cum Bridge tax rate in at three cents per hundred assessed valuation.

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

President Bassemier: I have a motion and a second. Any discussion? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay next, Mr. President, under Local Roads and Streets, which is in your budget book page 152. And what Councilman Tornatta was referring to, on September the 2nd, we received a letter from the County Commissioners office from Commissioner Fanello with suggestions as to what cuts should or shouldn’t be made from this budget. In fact, I’ve said suggestions, I don’t really know that it was suggesting necessarily anything but maybe allowing us to make that decision which, I guess, we’ve never really made before on that budget. But, Mr. President, one of the suggestions, I guess, would have been to move or shift several of the projects into CCD. I’m not real comfortable at this time making this proposal. For one, its really not this body’s call to select what projects do or don’t get done in regards to roads and road improvements. So what I would like to do, Mr. President, is go through this budget, for the sake of today’s budget, zero out those projects and then ask the Commissioners to come back to us before the end of December and prioritize these projects and we’ll set these in CCD January 1 or at our first meeting in January, if that sounds reasonable. And that gives them time to revisit all this because, you know, they were kind of put under the gun on this, too.

President Bassemier: Make that in the form of a motion?

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

President Bassemier: Motion and a second –

Councilmember Raben: Well, no, Mr. President, I haven’t actually gave you those lines that, for the sake of the budget, we need to take out. So if you start on page 152...the first one would be 4329, I would move that we set that in at zero, page 153, 4741 set that in at zero, 4823 set that in at zero, 4824 set that in at zero. And again, I’m not advocating that any of these projects be axed, just simply it will allow them more time to consider what they want to do, too. That’s my motion.

Councilmember Winnecke: Second.

President Bassemier: Any discussion?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yeah, I thought we’d already done that. I thought they’d already prioritized those to be set in to CCD. I mean, that’s what my understanding was. I think there was just one issue that they were worried about. And unfortunately, I, along with my partner here, left that at the office, the memo, but I think there was just one question on that.

Councilmember Raben: Well, I guess, the way I understood it, one of the questions was Green River Road-Millersburg Road project as to whether or not that could be paid out of the TIF. Its my understanding that that may be their priority, so these other ones may not - if their priority is that one, and it can’t be funded out of TIF, they may want to use that, CCD for that. So, you know, again, these funds will accumulate. I mean, this fund isn’t going to go anywhere between now and December or the first of January. So it really doesn’t matter, Councilman, if we act on this today or not but it simply gives them the opportunity to figure out what direction they really need to take. That was my understanding.

Councilmember Tornatta: And that’s not going to make a difference if they move that to CCD?

Councilmember Raben: No, the CCD fund will be there, the same amount of money will be there whether we do anything today or not.

Councilmember Tornatta: Okay.

President Bassemier: Motion and a second. Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: And, Mr. President, I apologize, I could have included this in that same motion, I move that we set in one million dollars in COIT in Local Roads and Streets budget.

Councilmember Winnecke: Second.

President Bassemier: Any discussion? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay, and last, Mr. President, just to clarify where we’re going September the 15th, we – September the 16th, excuse me, we will be approving a Salary Ordinance of some sort and along with that we’ll finalize or our motion will set forth FICA, PERF and all Insurance figures, too. So as for today, I’d like to thank everyone for, again, for all their hard work and efforts and, like has been said, its been a challenging year for all seven of us and when you have that much help it certainly makes it easy to be finance chairman.

President Bassemier: Jim, before (inaudible – microphone not turned on). I need a motion for approval of the budget minutes for August 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, of 2004.

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

Councilmember Hoy: So moved.

President Bassemier: Okay, lets take a roll call vote just to make it – get it on the record.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

President Bassemier: Now I need a motion to recess until September 16th, 2004 at 8:00 a.m.

Councilmember Wortman: So moved.

Councilmember Hoy: Second.

President Bassemier: Motion and a second –

Brad Ellsworth: Public comment? I thought you said you’d have public comment after the – after he got done. You said we wouldn’t take any comments until the finance chairman was done, that kind of inferred you’d take comments after.

President Bassemier: Sheriff, do you want to deal with it next meeting?

Brad Ellsworth: I’d like to deal with it right now.

Councilmember Raben: Mr. President, it’s a public meeting. I think we have to open it up.

President Bassemier: I’m just asking. Okay. Sheriff, you want to come forward please?

Brad Ellsworth: Good morning. My name is Brad Ellsworth, Vanderburgh County Sheriff. And I also appreciate what the Council has done in their budget hearings, however, I do have a concern as an officeholder and I’ll remind you I speak only for my office and I, too, appreciate all the county employees and the 268 that work for me. As you know, we had Council hearings in early August and meetings where a couple of the Councilmembers came and visited my office and explained it was going to be a tough budget year and that we would have to make cuts and, like I said, we met with Councilmembers and did that. As late as last Friday, I was again visited by Councilman Raben and had what I would call a productive meeting, not for my office, but for the Council, explaining that we needed to cut $500,000 more out of my budget. As you can see, this is one of our documents, and you can see by the red on there that we went through and zeroed out just about everything in my budget that was not salaries and benefits for employees, to the tune of about $268,000, maybe a little more than that. As late as yesterday afternoon I again got a call from Councilman Wortman at about 3:30 yesterday afternoon explaining that we still needed $250,000 more out of my budget and I told Mr. Wortman that I didn’t think that was possible, that I didn’t know if I could bear the load anymore, what we’d already done. And when Councilman Raben left, I think he understood and thought that we’d done about all we could do in that area. When Mr. Wortman and I got off the phone, it got to the point where we even talked about the possibility of laying off employees, that if we couldn’t move them over into the user fee account, that we may have to lose them. I got to the point where, and I don’t think – tell me if I’m misquoting, that I said if we have to lay off employees, at least let me pick the ones that we get to lay off. Less than 24 hours later, I get this phone call this morning that we’re not going to approve the – that things were better than we thought and that we’re now going to approve a three percent raise for the county employees, and I’m not saying – I’d love to see that, but at a time when officeholders – I’m now thinking who I’m going to lay off in my office, and now we’re – less than 24 hours later we’re talking about, things are better than we thought and we can give these raises. And yet, nobody came back and said we can restore some of these budgets. I mean, you all know what we just did, what I’ve got zeroed. Like Councilman Raben said, there are no replacement cars. When people call 911, they expect a deputy sheriff to arrive. If I can’t get there, if my cars are broke down, and I’m not saying that’s going to happen, but every item I have in here is zeroed out and I’ll try to make it work. But I don’t know if we can bear the load and its just a little disconcerting for an officeholder who has the biggest budget and has the most employees, when I’m thinking about laying off employees at 9:00 last night and at 7:00 this morning I get the call that we’re going to give the normal raise to employees. And I’d like the Council to consider that or if you can do that, replace my budget first and then decide what we can do with what we – you know, you said you made severe cuts, and we have, and I think the Council needs to take that into consideration, while trying to give raises to the employees along with letting us do our job to provide the services to the citizens of Vanderburgh County. And if anybody has a question, I’d answer that, but –

President Bassemier: Sheriff, on the new cars, though, you’re getting all your new cars this month, aren’t you? From last year? They were –

Brad Ellsworth: Right, cars is not – by a fluke, the manufacturer didn’t get our order, so we will get cars this year. We’ll get the 2004 cars this year. But that’s one example. That’s one minor thing in this whole budget cut thing. So I think the Council needs to think about these things, you know, and not that I don’t want the employees to get a raise, but I just think they need to replace some of this stuff also. Thank you.

President Bassemier: Anybody else like to address us?

Councilmember Raben: Just as a matter of clarification, on the insurance figures, we actually got a hard copy today at quarter to eight this morning, so had we been provided that information a week ago, we wouldn’t be going through the motions we’re going through today. So that’s all.

President Bassemier: I need a motion to recess until September 16th.

Councilmember Wortman: I make that motion.

Councilmember Hoy: Second.

(Meeting recessed at 9:41 a.m.)

VANDERBURGH COUNTY COUNCIL

BUDGET ADOPTION MEETING

SEPTEMBER 16, 2004

The Vanderburgh County Council met in session this 16th day of September, 2004 in room 301 of the Civic Center Complex. The meeting was called to order at 8:03 a.m. by County Council President Ed Bassemier.

President Bassemier: I’d like to welcome everybody to the final 2005 budget hearings. Would you please take attendance roll call, please?

President Bassemier: Would everyone please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance?

(Pledge of Allegiance was given.)

President Bassemier: I’m going to read this into the minutes so I get it correct. This is the final budget hearing and the purpose is to complete this adoption of our budget and establish the salaries and all employees’ benefits, and also to recommend to the state what would be the proposed tax rate. Today the chair will only recognize Councilmembers until after the finance chairman has completed his duties. At this time I’m going to ask Councilman Raben, the finance chairman, to begin with the 2005 County Salary Ordinance followed by the corrections, amendments and additions. Mr. Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Okay, thank you, Mr. President. First, I move that all county employees receive a $500 raise for year 2005 as listed in the 2005 Salary Ordinance, for all salaries in accordance with the county Salary Ordinance. This would exclude – I’d like to honor the Airport union employees new contract and then all other employees in regards to the Airport and Convention & Visitors Bureau receive a $500 raise for year 2005. All salary rates are listed in your 2005 Salary Ordinance that is being passed around right now, and I’d like to make that in the form of a motion.

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

President Bassemier: I have a motion and a second. Any discussion?

Councilmember Raben: And I’d also ask that this be made part of the record, the Salary Ordinance.

President Bassemier: Okay, no discussion? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: I still want to vote for the three percent, so I vote no.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Are we going to have discussion after this – can you hear me?

President Bassemier: Yes, sir. Go ahead.

Councilmember Sutton: Okay, I vote yes in favor of the –

President Bassemier: To the $500.

Councilmember Sutton: I did want to add something after we get done.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: No.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: No. It passes 4-3.

(Motion carried 4-3/Councilmembers Tornatta, Hoy & Bassemier opposed)

President Bassemier: Mr. Sutton, I’m kind of disappointed. Go ahead. I was also for a three percent raise and I’m kind of disappointed. Go ahead, Mr. Sutton.

Councilmember Sutton: I was going to ask our finance chairman and then also, Mr. President, I know that when we talk about an across the board increase, that especially in some cases where we’ve got percentages or ranks involved and there could cause some, it could mess up the, kind of the, what we put in place with the Salary Ordinance and, not the Salary Ordinance, but some of the things that we’ve done with the Job Study, and if we could look at that very carefully in making sure that we try to still respect those different ranks or the difference between say, a chief deputy and the officeholder, and the percentages there, and the $500 across the board would kind of damage that, so if we could look at the whole, if we could look at each office and there may be some situations where we may need to take, say you’ve got 100 employees in an office and you take each office as a pool, so you’ve got $500 per person, but you divide that pool so that you respect those differences in pay per rank, I think that would be very prudent on our part to make sure that we do that. I looked at the, for example, like the Sheriff’s department, if you took like an average deputy’s salary and you took that $500 increase, it would come up to just shy of a 1 ½ percent increase. So if we could apply that maybe across the board, up and down, in departments like that so that we don’t find ourselves in a real situation where we’ve got to come back and make some major adjustments to salaries to offset what a flat, across the board increase would end up resulting in the departments, I think it would be a very good measure on our part.

President Bassemier: Anybody else? Mr. Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Well, my disappoint is that I feel we have an obligation to keep our folks at a good level and to set the pace for the community. And a lot of our folks at the lower end of the scale are barely making enough to make ends meet from the studies that we’ve done of a living wage. And I think we can afford the three percent and I’m sorry we didn’t.

President Bassemier: Anybody else? Lloyd?

Councilmember Winnecke: I would just, I mean, I think at the outset we all wanted to make sure that there was a three percent pay increase in 2005 for the employees. I think given the way, the manner by which we had to strip so many budgets so deeply, that I think the most prudent thing in this regard is to return some of that money that we stripped out initially to restore some of these budgets. We’re fortunate in the sense we’ve not had to cut employees, unlike the city. So I think we’re fortunate. Although we’d like to give more, I think we’re lucky to have what we have.

President Bassemier: Jim?

Councilmember Raben: Okay, thank you, Mr. President. I’d like to echo some of all the comments made here. It is disappointing that we can’t provide a three percent this year, but you know, reflecting back just on my career, you know, I think this is probably the ninth year I’ve served as finance chairman and, you know, over that period I think the smallest, with the exception of 1992, the smallest we ever granted was a three. And it’s always been between a three and a five. But Councilman Winnecke stated this was a challenging year and we did strip lines from budgets that we’ve never stripped before. We may have made cuts in the past but never before did we strip them. So, you know, there’s a lot of needs out there that, you know, I think the best use of any additional monies at this point is to do just what they said, restore some of it back in the budget. Never before have we gone without buying Sheriff’s cars. You know, never before have we denied the Assessors of their part-time help and training and a long list of other lines, so I think the fact that the insurance figure came in reduced, along with the $500 across the board, I think that guarantees that the employees really aren’t going to go backwards and we can look at next year. But, you know, not every year is that possible. But hopefully, next year we can get back on track.

President Bassemier: Thank you, Jim. I’d just like to say, I really was for a three percent raise. I thought we was home free when the insurance figures came in. We was $300,000 better off. To me, it’s a slap in the face to the county employees and it’s a sad day not to give you hard working people a decent raise. So that’s all I have to say. Thank you.

Councilmember Tornatta: Yeah, I’d just like to kind of reiterate that when we were making these cuts, we were counting on $500 with a different tone on the insurance. Once the insurance comes back, the Commissioners tell their insurance provider they need to go back and get a better rate, they go back and get a better rate, come in so we can give that three percent that we dangled in front of all these employees to begin with. And then we come back and we don’t give them a three percent when we do have the money available to give them a three percent. And probably that’s my biggest gripe. If we’re going out and doing this in the future, I would rather put zero or $500 in the line item as opposed to go three percent and not give them three percent.

Councilmember Sutton: One thing I think we can be encouraged about, I mean, I know there’s probably nobody that’s excited about what’s taken place here. I think we all would like to do more if we could. I know I surely would like to have done more on the salary side, but what we’ve been able to do on the insurance side and that’s maintained. And I know, for me, that was the number one priority. I know that’s what I hear from the county employees is, you know, can you protect the insurance line so they don’t have more of a burden on their family or more on them personally. And we’ve been able to do that in this budget. Fortunately, we’ve been able to keep that insurance line in very good shape and it didn’t cost us near what we thought it would be and good budgeting just requires us to try to estimate high and hopefully, that it will come in low. Fortunately, it did come in low for us. And I’d like to echo just some of the other thoughts, and that is the lines where we’ve made some pretty drastic cuts, I’d like for us to go back in and revisit and restore some of those lines in particular in the Sheriff’s department. I don’t know if it’s cars or some of the other things, but get with the Sheriff’s department as soon as we possibly can to find out the areas where we’ve maybe cut a little bit deeper than what we really need to cut and find out what we can do to restore there. We’ve also, with the Extra Help line and also the Riverboat lines as well, where we’ve made some cuts, go back and make the adjustment. I think the amount is somewhere around $335,000, something like that, if we can go back and reapply those to some of those lines, I think we will have done a great job here in a budget process. No, everyone is not leaving here happy. No one is totally satisfied, but given where we are, I don’t know if we really had a whole lot of options available to ourselves.

President Bassemier: Mr. Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: I would just like to respond to Councilman Tornatta. I say this with all due respect, I don’t think we’ve ever dangled a three percent pay increase out there. We asked that department heads and the officeholders to prepare a budget for planning purposes. We’ve never promised it, and each of the four years I’ve been involved in this process, we’ve always set it up, we’ve always teed it up that this is what we’d like to do. And I don’t think you can construe that as dangling or teasing an employee. We’ve worked, I think, in really a bipartisan fashion in good faith to do the best we can for county employees, and I think its unfair to say we’ve dangled something in front of them and then taken it away.

Councilmember Tornatta: Well, I disagree with that because I think that we could go through this whole process without having a number in those line items because we know what that number would be. We can figure that number out . That’s not as big of an issue. We know what the numbers of salaries are, so we can have, whether it’s from a half a percent all the way up to four percent, drawn up to figure out what those numbers are going to come in. So I don’t think that’s it at all. And when I talked and when we talked to the finance chair, it was established that we needed $300,000 to get this job done. I found out and came through that we were going to have that amount, the amount that we were trying to achieve, we were going to have it with the insurance when the insurance came in low. And yet, we go back to the $500. And that’s my only issue.

President Bassemier: Thank you, Troy. Let’s go ahead and move on, Mr. Raben.

Councilmember Raben: Okay, Mr. President, just as a matter of clarification, I don’t know if in my original motion if I included this, but I’d like to move that all FICA, PERF by adjusted accordingly as well.

Councilmember Winnecke: Second.

President Bassemier: We have a motion and a second. Any discussion on that? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay, next I’d move that Exhibit A through H be approved as listed in the 2005 Salary Ordinance.

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

President Bassemier: I have a motion and a second. Any discussion? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay, now I’d ask all Councilmembers to check the listing of salary and position title changes from the budget book and move to approve List A and make that part of the record. Everyone has List A.

Councilmember Hoy: Second.

President Bassemier: Got a motion and who was the second? Mr. Hoy. Any discussion? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay, next all Councilmembers were given a list of additional cuts and/or additions. I move that the amended List B be approved and made part of the record as well.

Councilmember Hoy: Second.

President Bassemier: I have a motion and a second. Any discussion? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay next, all Councilmembers have been given a list of the final insurance data. I move that the Council approve the 2005 insurance budget as listed. These figures represent the county’s share of the county’s three current health plans with the total employee contribution of eight percent. The figures are for full-time county employees and do not include Superior Court magistrates. I make this – I’d like to make this insurance data made part of the record as well, and I make that in the form of a motion.

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

President Bassemier: I have a motion and a second by Mr. Wortman. Any discussion on it, please? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay, last, Mr. President, we need to address the 2000 and 3000 accounts but first there are two corrections. One is in the Commissioner’s budget, Emergency Management which is 1300-3210. The figure we had is wrong, so I’m going to move first that we reopen account 1300-3210 and in Local Roads & Streets 2160-3481.

President Bassemier: I have a motion to reopen. Do I have a second?

Councilmember Winnecke: Second.

President Bassemier: I have a second. Let’s get it on the record. Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay, under 1300-3210 Emergency Management, the correct figure is $161,771. Then under Local Roads & Streets, account 2160-3481 Traffic Department, the correct figure is $165,774. And then all other 2000, 3000 and 4000 accounts for the 2005 budget be adopted as previously approved.

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

President Bassemier: I have a motion and a second. Any discussion on those changes? Roll call vote please.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Tornatta?

Councilmember Tornatta: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Sutton?

Councilmember Sutton: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Winnecke?

Councilmember Winnecke: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Hoy?

Councilmember Hoy: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Raben?

Councilmember Raben: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: Councilmember Wortman?

Councilmember Wortman: Yes.

Teri Lukeman: President Bassemier?

President Bassemier: Yes.

COMMISSIONERS

LOCAL ROADS & STREETS

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

Councilmember Raben: Okay, Mr. President, that pretty much concludes the business we have before us today. Once again, I’d like to thank each and every Councilmember for their help and hard work in passing this budget with all due respect of each and every one of us. You know, it never does come down exactly what everyone wants, but sometimes you just try to find a happy medium, and thank you.

President Bassemier: You know, being a public meeting and all, before we close, is there anybody out there that would like to come before us and voice their opinions or anything? It looks like its too early in the morning so –

Councilmember Tornatta: Mr. President, I just want to get this in the record that the Councilmen will take no raises in this new budget, just as a side note, out of the booklet. And the only thing I’ll say is, you know, that vote is over. We did, I want to reiterate, we did work to get this thing through a tough year. We did work to get it done. I’m very proud that we came in under where we thought we could never make. The disappointment is in the salaries. Thanks.

President Bassemier: I really kind of think if we was only going to give a $500 raise, I wish we just would have put it on insurance or something so we don’t have to pay taxes on it, you know, we could have worked it out differently. But anyway, here or there, do I have a motion to adjourn?

Councilmember Winnecke: So moved.

Councilmember Wortman: Second.

President Bassemier: Got a motion and a second. Everybody in favor say aye.

(Motion unanimously approved 7-0)

President Bassemier: Thank you very much.

(Meeting adjourned at 8:25 a.m.)

VANDERBURGH COUNTY COUNCIL

                                                                                                                                             President Ed Bassemier                   Vice President Lloyd Winnecke

                                                                                                                                    
     Councilmember Jim Raben                        Councilmember Phil Hoy

                                                                                                                                          Councilmember Curt Wortman                Councilmember Royce Sutton

Councilmember Troy Tornatta

Recorded and transcribed by Teri Lukeman.