Dave Fuhrman elected county council president for 2019

To borrow the old slogan from Staples, “That was easy.”

After five rounds of voting and no consensus reached during its January meeting, the Putnam County Council had a unanimous selection for president less than five minutes into the February meeting on Tuesday.

Dave Fuhrman, who was eliminated after two rounds of voting last month, was selected by his peers as the 2019 president.

The meeting opened with council attorney Trudy Selvia advising the seven members that they could not vote by secret ballot like they had done in January, as it is a violation of the Indiana Open Door Law.

“There can be no secret ballots at all,” Selvia said. “It’s a violation of the Indiana Open Door Law.

“My suggestion is to follow the way you normally conduct business.”

Taking Selvia’s advice, the board moved quickly, with Jill Bridgewater nominating Fuhrman and Danny Wallace seconding the motion.

There was no discussion on the matter and it passed unanimously.

Coming into the meeting, it appeared the vote might come down to Phil Gick and Larry Parker, who were the two nominees who continued to tie 3-3 during the last meeting when Gene Beck was absence.

“Thank you so much, I think,” Fuhrman said with a laugh.

Keith Berry was also unanimously re-elected vice president.

Getting down to the business of the evening, the board heard from local resident Ty Sutherlin, who is asking the county to explore the possibility of a rock tax in the county.

Sutherlin, who has also pitched the idea to the county commissioners, said that Putnam County is the largest supplier of rock in the state and that hauling of untold tons of rock takes a toll on county roads.

Sutherlin is proposing the possibility of a rock tax on all loads of rock hauled out of Putnam County quarries. He floated the idea of perhaps 50 cents per ton.

“I believe this could be a big asset for Putnam County,” Sutherlin said.

No action was taken on Tuesday, with Selvia advising Sutherlin and the council that they should search for a supporter in the Indiana General Assembly before such a plan could go anywhere.

The council also asked Sutherlin to reach out to someone at one of the local quarries for more information before they would proceed.

In other business:

• The council approved an additional appropriation of $11,649.46 for new recording equipment for Superior Court. The expenditure will be taken from the General Fund.

The new equipment will also allow for the addition of the third court, which is coming to the county July 1.

Gick also shared with his fellow council members that the new court may require additional county employees, contrary to what Circuit Court Judge Matt Headley and Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges told them when the third court was proposed two years ago.

Bridges informed the commissioners of this likelihood during their Monday meeting, at which Gick was also in attendance.

• Walnut Creek Fire Protection District received approval to spend $84,000 from its Cumulative Fire Fund on air packs.

The council approved the expenditure with little discussion, although Parker noted that quite a bit of money remains in the fund for future expenditures.

Walnut Creek Fire Protection District encompasses Clinton and Monroe townships and the Van Bibber Lake and Bainbridge fire departments.

• The council also agreed upon committee assignments for the year:

-Gene Beck-West Central Solid Waste

-Jill Bridgewater-Greencaste/Putnam County Economic Development, Planning and Zoning

-Dave Fuhrman-Emergency Management Agency, Local Emergency Planning Committee, Community Corrections, Cemetery Board

-Phil Gick-West Central Economic Development, 911

-Larry Parker-Commissioners

-Danny Wallace-Operation Life, Humane Society

Additionally, Ken Eitel is the council’s appointee to the Putnam County Community Foundation Board, though his term expires at the end of 2019.