County Council Hears Requests from Judge, Prosecutor and Fire Departments

  –     The Daviess County Council took a second step toward helping a county business add more jobs.    At Wednesday’s meeting the Council passed a resolution in support of tax abatement for a new building at Maysville Enterprises.  Final action on the proposal will come at the Council’s December meeting.

  –     The Council also heard several requests for additional appropriations.  Council members approved Daviess County Superior Court Judge Dean Sobecki’s request for an additional $30,000 for public defenders.  Sobecki noted that the vigilance of area police has resulted in a higher than expected case load.  Sobecki especially mentioned that 42 defendants, facing level 2 and 3 felony charges, were recently arrested through the efforts of local law enforcement and would most likely need court appointed attorneys.  

   –     The Council also approved a request from County Prosecutor Dan Murrie’s  to use Diversion Funds, a non-tax based source, to fund several proposals.  Murrie asked for permission to use $6,000 for increased security measures in the Prosecutor’s office area; $5,000 to hire an assistant prosecutor for the month of December, and for one-time $1,000 bonuses to the ten assistants in the Prosecutor’s Office.  Murrie noted the assistants were responsible for the County winning an award for meeting or surpassing Federal standards five years in a row.  

  –    The Council also approved a request to use E-911 funds by the Montgomery-Cannelburg Fire Department and the Washington Fire Department.  The Montgomery-Cannelburg Fire Department needs to move a repeater to eliminate a radio communication dead zone with the Dispatch Center at the Sheriff’s Department.  The Washington Fire Department and Sheriff Jerry Harbstreit asked for funds to eliminate that dead zone.   Washington Fire Chief David Rhoads told the Council that 80% of all 9-1-1 calls are made from cell phones which automatically go to County Dispatch.  Valuable, potentially life-saving, time is lost if the County Dispatch has to call the Washington Police Dispatch before the Fire Department can be sent on a run. 

  –    In other business the Council approved a Community Liaison to work with the Health Department in advising pregnant mothers on neo-natal care.  County Health Nurse Kathi Sullender told the Council that three refugee babies had died this year.  

   –  The Daviess County Council Wednesday supported County Highway Superintendent Phil Cornelius’s request to submit Phase IV of the Odon-Cannelburg Road project for potential state grants.  The phase includes expanding the road from 450-North to 300-North at a cost of over $7 million.   If grants were awarded the federal government would pay 5.7 million of that with Daviess County and the state transportation department paying for the rest.  County Councilman Kent Norris called it a critical project for the future.   If grants are awarded, a required environmental study would have to take place on that section of road.  The study could take a few years to complete before work could start on the expansion.