Owen County Council holds 2027 budget workshop review

At the Sept. 14 Owen County Council meeting, the council members held public hearings for additional appropriations from the Aug. meeting and conducted a 2027 budget workshop review.

The council heard and accepted the following appropriations:

• Fund $3,300 to 1170-22300 Tires
• Fund #1000-County General Cash $10,000 to 1000-235-39800 Care of Patients
• Fund #1176/#1173/#1169-Cash $500,000 each Fund to Road Projects -30101
• Fund #1000-County General Cash $10,000 to 1000-232-37000 Contract Services
• Fund #1191-Riverboat Cash $45,000 to 1191-30100 Other Service
• Fund #1150-Auditor Endorsement Cash $9,600 to 1150-30100 Other Services
• Fund #1000-County General Cash $4,000 to 1000-012-11200 Wages
• Fund #1000-County General Cash $1,797 to 1000-003-20100 Supplies

Owen County Commissioner Sam Hobbs spoke to the council regarding the appropriations for the road projects.

“We got so much work going on that we're going to have to have contractors to help us,” he said. “We can’t get around it. And while we have the money available without depleting our funds because we want to make sure we have enough in December, we have the greatest opportunity right now to get this work done while we have the funds.”

In terms of the plan for the road projects, auditor Sheila Reeves reminded that the list is an outline, subject to change.

“I do not want (the council, commissioners and highway department) beat up, nor do I want the 10 of them to be beat up when there might be a road that changes or has to be changed or an emergency comes up,” Reeves said. “There will be some adjustments. Please try to be flexible and understand. They're trying to figure out how to make everything happen with as little as much they have to work with.”

On other additional appropriations listed under new business, the council moved to advertise the following, to be voted on at the next meeting:

• Sheriff's Dept. 1170-Cash $3619.00 to -30100 Other Services
• Sheriff's Dept. 1170-Cash $2400.00 to -37000 Contract Services
• Sheriff's Dept. Fund #4913 $7000.00 to -22200 Gas-Oil-Lube

The council members also discussed a request to give funding to Rural Transit, an Area 10 Agency on Aging public transportation service that gives door-to-door service to anyone, regardless of age or ability, for $3 a ride. It’s the only form of public transportation in Owen County.

Council vice president Anton Neff said the council has three options, creating a grant fund with a certain dollar amount for it, adding a line item for Rural Transit in the budget and taking no action, not giving Rural Transit funding.

“It is taxpayer money and I don’t like giving it away,” council member Steve Carrell said. “There’s stuff we have to do. Let’s do the have to-dos.”

None of the council members made further motions to take action.

The council additionally discussed the building department and its current financial standing. Reeves said when the commissioners first created it in 1992, they said the building department could be cut if it is not self-supporting.

The department has attempted to gain more revenue by raising the price of building permits, but as stated at the meeting, it is too early in its enactment to calculate the long-term impact.

Reeves said following the change, in August, the department brought in $12,000, as opposed to the average $7,500 it had been bringing in each month. She expects the department will bring in enough to maintain the budget this year, but is concerned with what it will start with in January and have moving forward.

The council also made decisions on a couple positions, changing a courthouse custodian position from part-time to full-time, giving her benefits. The council decided to finalize her pay at a later date.

“A lot of people really say that whoever this is, they’re very pleased with what she’s doing. She does a good job,” council member Nick Robertson said.

A vote to accept a part-time position within the election office ended in a tie between the six present council members, with Neff and council members Joe Frye and Dan Browning voting in favor, and council president Polly Chesser, Robertson and Carrell voting against it. The tie resulted in a remaining status quo, with no added position.

“I absolutely would have been for that if it had been an election year,” Chesser said.

Frye said he thinks the repercussions of the vote will be “significant.”

“We have a current part-time employee in there that does the work of a full-time,” he said. “I think there’s value to having somebody that is experienced in that role. By skipping a year, I think we’re going to lose that experience and that employee, and we’ll have to retrain somebody.”