Published: May 14, 2008 11:53 am            

Despite resolution failing, Floyd County Council vows to get tougher

This may not be the best time to ask the Floyd County Council for a little extra cash.

Since the state has yet to approve a county budget for 2008, and with gasoline and other costs skyrocketing, council members said office holders better get used to hearing the word no. Each additional appropriation asked for will be analyzed with “a fine tooth comb” according to Council President Larry McAllister at Tuesday’s meeting.

McAllister had council attorney Lee Cotner compose a resolution which would have frozen all additional appropriations. However, other members said the resolution was not needed.

“I think it’s a good idea, but it’s up to the council to stand firm and say no,” Councilman John Schellenberger said. “I don’t think we need a resolution to do that. Once we give an additional resolution to one person, it will void this out. We have to look at it on its own merits.”

McAllister said the resolution was developed to bring awareness to the county’s money woes.

“Sooner or later we have to take a stand,” McAllister said. “If we don’t take a stand we are going to be in deep trouble. This gives us more teeth. We need to stop the additional appropriations.”

However, other council members said they didn’t need a piece of paper to help them do a job they were elected to do.

“We need to have an open discussion on the appropriations instead of putting up some artificial barrier,” Councilman Randy Stumler said.

“We better start reading the fine print,” McAllister shot back.

After several minutes of discussion, Floyd County Police Chief Ted Heavrin asked the council for $140,000 from EDIT funds to pay for communication workers’ salaries and $60,000 for fuel.

The salaries were taken out of 911 funds last year, but the Floyd County Commissioners have said that money was not meant for salaries and would have to come from somewhere else this year. There is currently around $2 million in the EDIT funds.

Since the commissioners control the 911 funds, if they were to take the salaries out of those funds, the city would want its communication workers paid from the same funds, according to McAllister. And there is only about $200,000 left in the 911 account, he said.

“I think the issue should be worked where we can merge these two and save the taxpayers money,” said Councilwoman Dana Fendley about having separate city and county dispatchers.

Heavrin said the $60,000 for fuel will last around three months. He said in January the department spent $8,000 in fuel. In April, it spent $22,000.

The council passed both requests since public safety depends on police officers cruising the streets and dispatchers taking 911 calls.

In other action Tuesday:

• County Clerk Linda Moeller asked the council to appropriate $5,538 to bring three workers up to the same level as other employees in her office who do the same work.

Since the request was not advertised, no vote was taken. However, there was plenty of discussion.

“To me, it’s about being fair,” Moeller told council members. “I’m just asking for equal pay for their co-workers. I am in here fighting for the people in my office.”

McAllister told Moeller if the council made additional salary appropriations for her office, other office holders would come calling. She said this type of employee classification issue “wouldn’t amount to 10 people in the City/County Building.”

Moeller said she will add the increase to her 2009 budget.

“These people deserve a raise. These salaries are pitiful,” Fendley said. “But we just don’t have any money right now. If we gave all the people raises who deserve them, we would have to lay people off.”

        

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