County Highway Dept. utilizing savings from 2020

In the uncertainty of 2020, Putnam County officials made an unconventional and likely unpopular choice.

With the effects of COVID-19 ravaging the economy and causing uncertainty over future tax revenues, the Putnam County Council gave the Putnam County Commissioners and Putnam County Highway Department a directive: No road resurfacing work in 2020.

The Highway Department lived up to this directive to a certain point, ultimately still fulfilling obligations to outside contractors to pay for Community Crossings work that was largely funded by the Indiana Department of Transportation.

However county crews did no chip and seal or grind and double chip and seal work in 2020.

With tax revenues not taking the sort of hit originally predicted, though, the Highway Department began playing catch up this year.

Originally slated to do between 56 and 60 miles worth of roads, county crews and outside contractors are combining to resurface 71 miles of roads this year.

On Tuesday, Commissioner Rick Woodall told the County Council that 68 miles of that work was complete.

Appearing on behalf of the Highway Department, Woodall was on the Council’s agenda to request an additional appropriation of $800,000 in road funds.

The money isn’t exactly coming from another source, but simply amounts to part of the savings from 2020 when work was not performed.

Woodall also emphasized that the additional work and materials for 2020 do not amount to the full $800,000, but that the department is actually investing in future road improvements as well.

Much of the grind and double chip and seal work is being performed with millings purchased from INDOT off of roads it has been working on in the region this year.

The Highway Department actually purchased enough millings that they will aid in resurfacing projects for the next few years.

The request was unanimously approved by the Council.

In other business:

• Putnam County EMS Chief Kelly Russ was granted an additional appropriation of $12,000 for insurance reimbursements.

The fund covers the department with the uncertainty of medical billing, when PCEMS may be paid for a run only to end up owing money to Medicare, Medicaid or a private insurer.

Russ explained that with EMS still getting on its feet as an entity in 2020, the figures remained unclear in preparing the budget for 2021, so she simply used the $1,500 monthly budget figure that the previous director had estimated.

However, some bills came in too late in 2020 to be paid off of the previous budget, while the monthly figure is closer to a $2,000 average.

As such, the department has spent its entire $18,000 budget for reimbursements and needed another $12,000 to get to the end of the year.

The request was approved unanimously.

• Just like the Commissioners the day before, the Council discussed a virtual meeting policy.

Guidelines are available from the state indicating how often remote meetings can be utilized both by the complete board as well as individual members.

“I think we need to do that just in case,” Council Attorney Trudy Selvia said, noting that aside from the need during the pandemic last year, having a policy in place could help in the event of inclement weather or if a member has to be out of town.

As he had during the Commissioners meeting, Councilman Larry Parker noted his opposition to virtual meetings, as he and many others in the county live in locations without viable internet access.

Council President Dave Fuhrman also said he has concerns over the limits the state places on the number of times the option can be utilized, both by the entire board and individual members.

County Attorney Jim Ensley already said he would prepare a joint resolution of the Commissioners and Council, which should be on the September agenda.

Parker and Fuhrman were joined on Tuesday by fellow members Danny Wallace, Jay Alcorn, Keith Berry, Stephanie Campbell and Phil Gick, as well as Selvia and County Auditor Kristina Alexander.

The Putnam County Council meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month on the first floor of the Putnam County Courthouse.

However, the next meetings of the Council will be Tuesday, Aug. 24 through Thursday Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. each day for the 2022 budget hearings.