The Decatur County Council met on Tuesday.
Mark Mohr came to the board to request a verbal commitment for future additionals. This will be from Highway Cap for $100,000 and Bridge Cumulative for $200,000. They need equipment replaced that is well over 20 years old and had gotten the most use possible. The county council agreed on a verbal commitment.
Director of Catch-a-Ride Michelle Guidice came to the board to give an update. They thanked the board for their continued support. They are doing their best with COVID and are still social distancing and masking on rides. The social distancing has caused passenger volumes to go down, so they are researching what other similar organizations are doing with social distancing. The trip volume is still lower than it was pre-COVID however their operational expenses remain the same. They have received CARES funding but this will end in June. The received a grant from OKI for an on-board and back-up cameras.
Sheriff Durant came to the board to request approval for a COVID stipend. This will be out of the Commissary Fund and will involve no tax dollars. This will match the stipends given by other county departments. This was approved. The Sheriff applied for a stop-arm grant. They received $12,000 from the state to replace funds for firearm safety training that are typically covered by firearm fees. There are no longer fees on firearms, which is why the funds need covered. The Sheriff also brought up longevity pay for not only the jail, but all county departments. They feel as though this has been looming for years and it is necessary to begin the conversation. The Sheriff hopes that Deanna Burkhart will take this to the salary committee to be discussed while doing the salary study this year.
Dianne Wenning came to the board to request a part time position. This was an oversight when doing the budget, as they had meant to request part time only when everyone was out of the office for meetings, but wrote down no part time needed. This will only be for 90 hours a year at the normal part time rate. This was approved.
All transfers were approved.
All additionals were approved.
Morgan Schofield
WTRE News
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