By David Fenker
david@nmpaper.com
WABASH COUNTY, Ind. – The Wabash County Board of Commissioners approved spending more than $135,000 on several items at their Monday, May 1, meeting.
County Coordinator Jim Dils asked the commissioners to revisit three items that they had said they would take under advisement at previous meetings.
Insurance appraisals on seven of the county’s buildings, discussed at the April 17 meeting, was Dils’s first item. The question of replacement versus reproduction insurance had been raised, with replacement coverage appraisals for all buildings costing $2,520 and reproduction appraisals for the courthouse and judicial center costing an additional $3,125.
“We’d like to move forward with getting these appraisals completed, but it was taken under advisement at that time,” Dils said.
The commissioners chose to retain their current replacement coverage, and approved replacement appraisals at a cost of $2,520.
“We’re proceeding with replacement appraisals, and not pursuing the reproduction [coverage] at this time, while that distinction becomes more clear and we learn more about it,” Commissioner Barry Eppley said.
Dils also revisited the county’s cyber insurance policy, also discussed on April 17, and reminded the commissioners that they took three recommendations under advisement: $250,000 of coverage, $500,000 of coverage or $1 million of coverage, all through Travelers. The current policy covers $25,000.
The commissioners approved increasing coverage to $250,000, with a one percent deductible, for a premium of $3,440 per year.
Dils’s final item was the purchasing of new 10-by-20 foot storage sheds, one for the Sheriff’s Department and one for the courthouse. The commissioners had approved one, and requested that Dils look into getting a discount for purchasing two sheds.
“There is no discount on the shed, per se, but the vendor is willing to put in what is valued at $200 for a ramp to get the tractors and so forth in and out of the shed,” Dils said.
“So that would be a $200 valued ramp in each of the sheds if we get two, but there would be no discount.”
The commissioners approved one shed, to be placed at the Sheriff’s Department, for $3,005. They will revisit purchasing a replacement for the courthouse’s shed later this year.
County Recorder Lori Draper announced that Senate Bill 505 was recently signed into law. She said that the bill will modernize the recorder’s office, and that she will need ordinances from the commissioners in order to make some changes.
“My goal with being on the state committee was to get rid of the Security Protection Fund. I didn’t totally succeed with that, but we can transfer the money and spend it,” she said.
Previously, the funds could only be spent on specific items, but transferring will allow the Recorder’s Office to purchase a new microphone machine, Draper said.
According to Draper, an ordinance by the commissioners will be required to transfer the necessary funds.
Additionally, she said that they will need to update the ordinance regarding bulk user fees, which are the fees charged to companies that purchase all of the county’s records each month.
The current rate is seven cents, and Draper requested that it be changed to the minimum required by SB 505, 10 cents.
In other news, County Highway Superintendent John Martin recommended accepting the rock salt bid from Cargill, for $78.34 per ton, for a total of $125,344 for the 2017-2018 season. The commissioners opened the bids at their April 24 meeting.
The bid was unanimously approved.
Sheriff Bob Land reported that the month of April saw an average of 84.26 inmates in the Wabash County Jail, with an average of 152 inmates across the four facilities used by the county.
Last week’s average was 76.85, with 76 in the Wabash County Jail, 54 in Miami County, five in Elkhart County and nine in Wells County as of Monday, May 1, according to Land.
There were 24 new book-ins and eight transports, and a total of 63 inmates in the Wabash County Jail are being held pending court action of some kind, he said.
Additionally, the Sheriff’s Department’s new P25 radio system has been fully installed.
“We’re going to try to get the bugs straightened out today,” Land said.
County Clerk Elaine Martin requested permission to replace their copy machine with a new one from Perry Pro Tech for $4,800.
“It runs about $400 a year for maintenance, which includes everything except for paper,” she said.
She said that purchasing is $800 cheaper than leasing for four years, and that she has the money available in two of the office’s funds.