The Decatur County Council met on September 17, 2024, at 9 am.
They reviewed and approved all the August meeting minutes.
Minde Myers, Animal Control came to the board for grant appropriations. The appropriations were for 2 grants. She will come back to next month’s meeting with the proper additionals paperwork.
The meeting began with Rebecca Meyers, Bread of Life representative requesting $10,000 for their utilities at the Bread of Life. She said that currently they provide meals on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday each week. They also provide educational classes, allow the optimists to meet at their facility, and host the Grounds for Change meetings. The council voted to give them $5,000 from Riverboat Funding.
The council approved 3 transfers for the Health Department which were just cleaning up a few things.
The council approved an additional for The Area Plan office for $5,842.50 which is for added attorney costs from the additional work that the attorney for the BZA has had to perform.
During the meeting the council approved the following ARPA fund additional:
-$50,000 to All for One Ministries for their Character Based Leadership Mentorship Program in the local schools. This fundings was part of the funds set aside for mental health. 6-0 vote.
-$200,000 over two years ($100,000 per year) to go towards blighted properties. 5-1 vote. Melanie Nobbe voting not to award the funding.
-$105,000 for the Sheriff’s Department for tasers. 6-0 vote.
The council opened the meeting for the Public Hearing for Proposed 2025 County Budget & Solid Waste Board.
Dottie Robbins stated that she has concerns and does not understand why those that are over the target salary are getting the 3% raise and those that are below the target are getting the 3% raises. She pointed out that if they do this everyone will never be at the same payrate. She also was upset that she had reached out to a council member, and they had not contacted her back. She said that at one time all courthouse employees were paid the same and that it isn’t fair that they are not. She stated that those staff in her office are just as important and work just as hard as the other staff in the courthouse. Ashley Hungate responded that the 3% is to compensate for cost-of-living increases that have occurred and continue to occur. She went on to say that it was never the plan for everyone to be at the same pay rate, but that the staff within their specific classification would be within the pay band.
Kenny Hooten pointed out the increase for Solid Waste was due to the increase in cost that they incur for roadside pickup.
The Public Hearing for Proposed 2025 County Budget & Solid Waste Board was closed.
Rob Dehoff, Parks Department came to the council meeting to provide an update on the work and plans being done at the Ball Diamonds and Sports Complex updates. Rob said that he has been tasked with driving interest in the diamonds and Sports Complex. He began speaking about needs at the facility including dirt on the diamonds and general maintenance upkeep. He said that he and Teresa, Parks Department have discussed and worked on a maintenance plan for the facility for continuing maintenance. Rob’s goal is to make this facility a premier complex in the area. His goal is to turn the property into an income producing opportunity for the Parks Department.
Rob went on to discuss Turf and the costs associated with having turf installed on the front 4 diamonds and the rest being dirt for the beginning part of the plan. He said that he had met with the ARPA committee about this as well. He estimates that the cost for the Turf Project to be $700,000. The long-term goal for the facility is blacktopping the back lot, new bathrooms, and possibly another concession stand area. Overall, he has estimated the three-phase project to cost approximately $900,000-$950,000. Rob added that he has 6 new U trip commitments for 2026.
Suzanne Koesel and Robb Backmeyer from Centerstone addressed the council to discuss concerns about not receiving payments as the Designated Mental Health Provider for Decatur County. The last payment they received was on December 6, 2021, for $108,000. The council expressed concerns about how the funds were being spent and stated that they had requested financial statements and additional documentation to clarify this. They emphasized that they did not want to issue payments without knowing exactly where the funds were going and how they were being used. Multiple council members noted that these concerns have persisted for two years, during which they have repeatedly asked for reports and documentation but have not received satisfactory responses.
In response, Suzanne mentioned that she had provided an annual report, but council members clarified that they were looking for more detailed reports specifically outlining the services provided in Decatur County and how Decatur County funds were being spent. Council member Danny Peters voiced his frustration that Centerstone had gone to the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) with their concerns instead of approaching the council directly. Decatur County Commissioner Jeremy Pasel and County Attorney Chad Smith added that the annual report lacked state-specific information that is required to be submitted to the county. Suzanne disagreed with their assessment of the reporting requirements.
Additionally, Jeremy and Chad pointed out that Centerstone is not automatically the official Designated Mental Health Provider for Decatur County just because they provide services in Decatur County. Chad noted that the commissioners have the authority to choose a different provider, but Suzanne disagreed, stating that a formal process must be followed if a new provider is to be selected.
Council member Deanna Burkart suggested that a communication gap might be contributing to the issue. She expressed concerns that services may be provided to certain departments or entities, but those entities claim they are not receiving them, which is why detailed reports are crucial. She emphasized the need for transparency to resolve these discrepancies.
Jeremy proposed that Centerstone submit a report every two months detailing the services rendered. The council asked Centerstone to gather the requested information and present it at a future meeting, after which they will review it and decide on the next steps.
Council voted not to approve the Auditor and Clerk 2024 stipend of $2600 that State Board of Accounts said that could be given out, leaving the decision to County Councils. Ashley Hungate made a motion, Melanie Nobbe seconded. Yeas- Ashley Hungate & Melanie Nobbe, Neas-Bill Metz, Kenny Hooten, & Deanna Burkart, Abstain-Ernie Gauck. 2-3 Vote with Abstain 1.
At the end of the meeting Dottie Robbins asked any of the council members to stop by her office and give ideas on how to help with morale. Dottie said that she needs help with morale in her office.
The meeting was adjourned.