County council meeting: Quick meeting completes necessary moves to close out 2015
For their final meeting of 2015, the Dubois County Council approved abating $846,000 in property taxes for a St. Anthony company, adjusted the 10 percent pay issue again and moved some money to avoid being in the red.
The council approved a 5-year property tax abatement for Temple-Inland for $846,000 they invested in equipment. Property taxes for the company’s investment will be abated 100 percent for the first two years; 75 percent in year three; 50 percent in year two; and 25 percent in year 5.
The declaratory resolution on the tax abatement was approved on the recommendation of the abatement review committee consisting of Commissioner Larry Vollmer, County Council President Greg Kendall, attorney Art Nordhoff Jr., David Malson and Eric Getzin. The company scored 47 points on their application. Scores are calculated based on various requirements such as how many new employees the investment will create, wage rates, and even the company’s community impact.
According to Kendall, the company is purchasing equipment to produce small runs of product, thereby making the company more competitive in the corrugated packaging industry.
A public hearing is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. on January 25th followed by the consideration for final approval at the council’s regular meeting.
Also at the meeting, County Auditor Kathy Hopf and Deputy Auditor Sandy Morton asked the council to move $23,439.00 from the Records of Examination line item in the commissioners budget over to the County Option Income Tax account to cover a potential shortfall due to year-end activities that would leave the county budget in the red for a short time. According to the auditor, the county should carry over about $500,000 into next year’s operating balance.
Due to the insecurity in having the budget being less than zero, the council voted to move the money.
In a clarification of an earlier decision, the council also voted 4 to 3 to rescind the 90-day probationary effective January 1. This clarified the provision that those employees hired prior to January 1, 2016 will still be subject to the 90-day 10% reduction in pay if the 90-days probationary period extended into 2016.
The council originally voted 5 to 2 on December 14 to remove the 90-day reduced pay stipulation for new employees that was used as a form of probationary pay for new employees in their first 90 days in a county position. The decision Monday night further clarified how it would go into effect.
First it was 5-2, now it was 4-3 – if another vote had to be taken it would swing back to 4-3 to keep it! This only clarifies the ambiguity or uncertainty of those voting – which will lead to more of the same kind of sloppy personnel management. You all need the professional HR review (like the one you cancelled) and salary study, plus you need a full-time HR manager schooled and experienced in the HR field. If you’re too full of pride and hardheaded to admit it, plus don’t want to pay for it, it’s either pay now or pay (more) later – and the hard way.