County council has full agenda

Wanda English Burnett
Editor


The October 19 meeting of the Ripley County Council had a packed agenda with many items to hear.
Under additional appropriations the council unanimously approved:

• $20,000 for the “Scour Plan of Action.” This is a state mandated program for bridge safety according to Robert Reiners, president of the commissioners. He further noted that 80% of the money was to be reimbursed.

• $90,000 was appropriated for construction of a new bridge located on County Road 500 N.
• Eleven appropriations for the health department totaling $52,870 for the operating, supplies and equipment to distribute the H1N1 vaccine was approved. This is Phase III of a federal money disbursement.

• $3,500 was appropriated for LEPC grant for hazardous material transportation flow study.

• $10,000 from the Innkeepers Tax was appropriated to receive Innkeepers tax dollars for the remainder of the year as requested by the Ripley County Department of Tourism.

• Ripley County Department of Parks and Recreation’s request to appropriate $200 from the Lions Club donation toward the annual Christmas Walk was approved as well as $225 from rental deposits by individuals renting the park facilities.

• Transfers were approved for the Ripley County Superior Court for printing and an Interpreter.

• Ripley County Clerk Ginger Bradford’s request of $1715.16 from the Clerk’s Perpetuation Clerical fund to Capital Outlay was approved.

• $10,000 from the Guard Rails and Posts fund to the Bridge #72 project was approved for the highway department. Also approved was $41,500 from Gas, Oil and Lubes to new equipment for a machine that will clean out culverts and other drains. Also, $14,000 was taken from Gas, Oil & Lubes for new equipment - ditchers for tractors.

• Under old business the transfer of monies from the Welfare to the Rainy Day fund was approved.
• Sheriff Tom Grills presented a copy of a job description of a maintenance position at the jail. No action was taken.

Kelly Vollet, Ripley County Technology, presented information on a new system that is being looked at by the county for the courts, probation, clerk and prosecutor’s office.

Council President Dephane Smith commended the sheriff and everyone involved in the fingerprinting program, also thanking previous sheriffs for their part in initializing the program.

Clerk Bradford reported the cost for the special election for the Batesville Community School Corporation referendum question will be $10,000. She said the county will be reimbursed by the school corporation for this expense.

All council members were in attendance with auditor Mary Ann McCoy to record the minutes.

The next regular meeting of the council will be held November 16 at 7 p.m. in the commissioners’ room of the courthouse annex in Versailles. This will be the last regular meeting of the year as the council unanimously decided to cancel the December meeting.