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State of the County: Positive |
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Written by Reporter1
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Tuesday, 09 February 2010 |
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Page 2 of 2
Bauman opened by praising his fellow commissioners, Ed Coil, with whom he has worked for almost 12 years, and Kim Fruechte, with whom he worked for more than 30 years in the North Adams school system.
He also lauded the county council, the cooperation of city and town governments with the county, and such officials as the county auditor, Bill Borne, and the county attorney, Mark Burry.
Bauman offered the following points about the county:
• The 2010 budget is $15.7 million, with the General Fund having more money than it did last year and with $2 million in the Rainy Day Fund.
• The county has 160 fulltime personnel and 100 parttimers, with combined pay of almost $6 million. The county did not cut any jobs, but road projects will be scaled back this year due to the economic situation.
• The courthouse is being improved so it will be a shining centerpiece "for decades to come" and work will be completed this year.
• The county has a new wellness program for its employees, although Bauman predicted that "in 10 to 15 years, it will be rare to have employee health insurance" provided by employers.
• The auditor and the treasurer got the county's property tax bills out on time in 2009 and again this year, with 95.5 percent of the taxes already paid. He said the county is working with a tax-collection service to gain the unpaid taxes.
• State-required property tax caps were a concern last year and still are this year. Bauman said "a small number of people" will benefit from the tax caps and urged that people "really need to take a hard look" at the facts and "study it well" before voting on the matter in the November election.
• He said the county council smartly organized this year's budget by taking into account the expected impact of property tax caps.
• The surveyor's office has, in 12 years, reduced the number of delinquent ditch assessment payments from almost 40 to only four and the total will fall below four this year. Adams County has the fourth-highest total of rural drainage lines among Indiana's 92 counties, with 122 systems in use.
• Electrical and septic improvements were made at the animal shelter.
• People can now pay their taxes and other fees, charges, etc. by credit card.
• Last year saw a drop of 51 in building permits and a decline of $4.5 million in construction costs from the 2008 totals in the rural areas of the county and in Geneva and Monroe. Decatur and Berne have independent building departments.
• Two industrial sites are ready for occupancy, in Decatur and Monroe, and the purchase and reopening of a large Fleetwood recreational vehicle plant in Decatur was "a tremendous plus." The Adams County Economic Development Corp. has 18 revolving loans in operation to assist local businesses.
• The highway department improved 40 to 50 miles of roads in 2009, although Bauman noted that the two county road funds that receive state money monthly got less return for 22 months in a row in one case and for 18 of the past 22 months in the other case.
• A total of 700 H1N1 flu vaccine doses administered in 2009.
• The weights and measures department stayed active, with Bauman gaining laughter when he said the inspector was told to "stay away from Girl Scout cookies."
• Golden Meadows Home has 23 residents, plus 12 fulltime and 12 part-time staffers. Numerous improvements were made there in 2009 and the staff does a fine job, said Bauman.
• The biggest development last year for the health department was creating the county's first regional sewer district, with a seven-member board to guide it. Bauman said the board will act "when the time is right."
• A total of 290 inspections of businesses in 2009 were made by the county's food-safety personnel.
• Bauman complimented the information technology department for doing a great job assisting every other department.
• The office of the assessor was enlarged and renovated in 2009.
• The recorder handled 5,500 documents last year and received $147,000 in fees. Bauman said the recorder, Connie Moser, is leading the way as the county converts all its stored documents to digitalized data.
• In the clerk's office, the largest issue this year is the election, with a primary vote on May 5 and a general election on November 2.
• The extension service staff reported that 629 youth were in 4-H last year, 184 adults volunteered to help, and 1,250 students received programs in their schools.
• The probation department reports a drop in its caseload due to more people being handled by the Community Corrections department.
• The engineer spent $678,000 in 2009 to improve bridges in the county.
• The solid waste district was praised for recycling almost 10,000 tons of refuse, which saved the county nearly $72,000 of disposal fees. Bauman, who was a sergeant in the Marines, drew laughs when he said the district's director, Hank Mayer, a former Marine lieutenant-colonel, created "a miniature Marine Corps base" at the waste transfer station.
• The most important activity in 2009 by the emergency management agency (EMA) was organizing a two-state, six-county drill at Adams Central School in October that simulated an airliner crash on the Indiana-Ohio state line. More than 450 emergency personnel from many departments were involved.
Bauman also said the EMA received $178,000 in grants last year, yet, by being frugal, returned 14 percent of its 2009 budget to the county.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 February 2010 )
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