Budget Adoption Expected Monday With No Tax Increase

September 16, 2004

HUNTSVILLE - A hospital termination agreement and a Help Center lease agreement were among the major items discussed during Monday night's work session of County Commission.

The termination agreement is far from being settled with Community Health Systems, Inc., due primarily to the hospital's finances being tied to those of clinics CHS established in Oneida and Whitley City, but a vote was taken to approve the lease with Big Emory Baptist Association to manage the newly-established Scott County Help Center in the old Capitol Hill School Building.

HELP CENTER LEASE

It was pointed out that remodeling of the old school building is nearing completion, and a homeless shelter will open soon, as well as other services being provided to Scott Countians in need.

According to County Mayor Dwight Murphy, a portion of the building (the old cafeteria) will not be included in the lease agreement, but will continue to be used as storage space by county government.

The lease approved Monday night (which is subject to a vote of the commission in formal session this coming Monday), is that Big Emory Baptist Association will assume a portion of the building for five years at $1 per year, plus have an option to renew the lease for two additional five-year terms at that same rate.

According to the agreement, the property "shall be used only for the operation and management of a homeless shelter and any activities," related to it, and would automatically terminate if it should no longer be used for that purpose. Either party has the right to cancel the agreement with 30 days written notice.

A motion by Hertis Phillips to approve the lease carried by an all-aye vote of the Building & Grounds committee.

TERMINATION AGREEMENT

County Mayor Murphy said the termination agreement with CHS is necessary because in the original lease agreement, Scott County agreed to buy back at "fair market value" all equipment and fixtures at the hospital, once the lease agreement expired.

However, through the years, CHS has opened clinics, physicians' offices, and medical diagnostic centers, whose finances are tied directly to the hospital's.

Murphy said that before a new management firm can move in and take over, a settlement between Scott County and CHS will have to be reached.

In the meantime, Murphy stated that all three of the firms interested in assuming CHS's lease of the hospital (St. Mary's, Covenant and Attentus), have submitted questions to CHS related to what equipment it will be selling back to the county, what leases can be transferred, and other matters related to finance.

In other committee action Monday night:

Approval was given for the Scott County Ambulance Service to purchase a Verizon phone system for use by ambulance drivers. Two packages (500 minutes per package of five phones) will cost $200 a month, according to Ambulance Service Director Jim Reed. In addition to phones being placed in each ambulance, Reed said one will be carried by each supervisor, plus one will be retained in the office.

Hertis Phillips requested that security for County Commission meetings be improved by stationing a deputy where he can view all doors leading into the meeting room. Currently, two officers routinely attend all commission meetings, but are normally seated in an area where visibility of the room is limited.

County Mayor Dwight Murphy called for representatives of both the Emergency Services and Building and Grounds committees to inspect the elevator at the Scott County Jail to determine what problems needed to be corrected prior to the state inspector's visit on October 28.

Murphy also pointed out that all but seven or eight of the prisoners being housed at the jail are "pretrial detainees" for which no state money is being made available for housing those prisoners. It was requested that County Attorney John Beaty meet with the judges to determine if any of those prisoners could be put on a work release program to minimize the costs to the county.

County Maintenance Supervisor Dennis Brown brought a new road sign design to the meeting, and the commission voted to test 21 of the signs (three to be installed at high-profile intersections in each district) to "see how they work," according to County Mayor Murphy. The hardware was fabricated by Shafer & Shafer Welding in an effort to make the signs more secure and less likely to be vandalized. It was pointed out that a high percentage of the county's estimated 1,300 road signs have been destroyed by vandals through the years. The signs themselves cost $25 apiece, while the hardware needed to erect them is valued at $29. It will take about three weeks to manufacture and erect the test road signs, Brown told the committee members.

Approval was given to have the tile floors stripped (of wax buildup) at both the Scott County Office Building and the Scott County Courthouse. And, in a separate motion, approval was given to remove the carpet from the Register of Deeds' office and replace it with floor tile.

The Community Development Committee voted to act as a vehicle for a local industry to apply for an industrial loan from the state in the amount of $750,000. If approved, the loan requested by Lecarra, Inc. will result in a $15,000 grant to Scott County for administration pruposes, according to County Mayor Murphy.

The committee also voted to resubmit an application to the state for funds necessary to install crossing guards at the Dexter Laxton road crossing of the main lines of the Norfolk-Southern Railroad.

news@ihoneida.com

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