~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
The Greene County board of supervisors at their Sept. 23 meeting discussed getting information to the public about the upcoming vote on using Local Option Sales and Service Tax (LOSST) for “any legal purpose.” Only voters in unincorporated parts of the county will have the question on their ballot.
“Voting starts Oct. 16,” auditor Billie Jo Hoskins said.
The issue of changing the wording in a current resolution to permit the use of money for “legal purposes” other than property tax reduction has been a confusing issue for many. Supervisors stated some residents believe a yes vote would mean more taxes. Supervisors said this is not true.
Board chair John Muir said the process (of changing the wording) is like “backing up and changing the hoops in order to do something that’s the right thing to do.”
“Being able to use LOSST funds for more purposes actually is property tax relief,” Muir said. “Using that money allows us to repay debt (instead of raising property taxes to repay debt.)”
Supervisor Dawn Rudolph said the supervisors were “a little late last year” before the voting in March to get information out to the voters about the re-wording.
“I really appreciate that people weren’t just voting yes or no last time. They were looking and reading. It’s our responsibility to ease their minds and explain why this is needed,” Muir said.
Engineer Wade Weiss emphasized money for roads will benefit if voters pass the resolution.
“If we have this in place,” Muir said, “it means the State can’t just come in and take (certain revenues) from us in the future. We would be ahead of the game (in anticipating possible legislative changes ahead.)”
Muir related the issue to the current needs for HVAC and roof replacement in the courthouse.
“We’ve agreed these projects need to move forward and we’re trying to figure out how to pay for these (without raising property taxes.)” Muir said. “I know for everyone all of this is a little overwhelming. We’re getting a new jail. It’s not the Taj Mahal but it’s a jail that will suffice to our needs.” Muir said. “We’ve got a bike trail that’s just old asphalt and cracks unless we can fix that.”
Muir spoke about many needs happening at the same time.
“We’re making it easy on the supervisors in the future if we can fix these things now,” he said, also referring to rising costs the longer projects are delayed.
Auditor Billie Jo Hoskins said she thinks some people are concerned that if the wording is changed and needed improvements are made from LOSST, future supervisors will think they have extra money and will spend it frivolously.
Muir said the voters elect the supervisors and asking candidates about their fiscal beliefs would be a good way to prevent spend-thrifts from getting into office.
“The public has to stay engaged in the issues,” Muir said.
Rudolph said, “People are concerned we are going to take away from the roads. We have to be clear (approving the re-wording) will not taking money away from roads.”
The supervisors agreed on various plans to get information to the public on the issue to be voted on in November.
Attorney Laehn told the board there would be three things to tell the public about approving the new wording: property taxes will increase if it’s not approved; the projects are necessary and costs will increase for construction, replacement of HVAC, and roofing if delayed; and ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) funds will be lost if the money is not used.
When discussing the costs of the major projects, supervisor Dan Benitz and Muir reported attending a jail design update meeting with ISG Architects, DCI (Construction Manager at Risk) and sheriff Jack Williams.
Muir said he felt comfortable that the architects and others understood the amount of money the county has to work with.
“I think they’re making the bids a little high,” Muir said. He said he thought they were sometimes struggling to understand what the county wants within the cost limits. “We’re close. It was a good meeting.”
Muir said actual bids have not been submitted yet.
Muir also reported attending a meeting with BBS (Architects) for an update on the HVAC/roof project.
“This can has been kicked down the road for 38 years,” Muir said. He said the architects have some good ideas.
Weiss reported the boiler in the courthouse basement needs to be replaced and this will require more exits and addressing a water infiltration problem. He said the architect’s recommendation is currently to move the location of new boilers to the fourth floor of the courthouse.
Weiss said he could see some cost savings in doing that. He said the old boiler could stay in the basement as a historical artifact. He said the water in the basement should be cleaned up.
Benitz asked about bringing the elevation up in the basement to help with the water problem.
Muir estimated the exhaust pipe now required for the boiler from the basement to the roof costs $25,000. He said a much shorter pipe would be needed if the boilers were on the fourth floor. Weiss estimated other costs involved in installing the long pipe could raise that estimate to $50,000.
Weiss discussed plans for averting damage if the boilers leaked. He said a leak would be contained.
The board discussed the weight of boilers and chillers on the fourth floor. Muir said each boiler is estimated at 450 pounds.
“The books up there now weigh more than that,” he said.
“I left that meeting much more comfortable with the plans presented.” Muir said. “They’ve put a lot of thought into what we need.”
Weiss spoke about the roof replacement and said the roofers will look at all the issues involved such as asbestos, underlayment, leaking, and special materials and structures needed.
The board discussed an electronic monitoring system of the HVAC equipment to alert of leaks or abnormalities. Weiss estimated this would add $400,000 to the cost.
Auditor Hoskins told the board the electronic monitoring system can be added later if a need arises. She also said this kind of thing can become outdated quickly.
The general opinion was this is not necessary as there are people routinely around to notice any problems.
In judicial business, county attorney Thomas Laehn reported his office has 73 pending cases and several domestic abuse cases.
“It’s been my policy as county attorney to prosecute domestic abuse regardless of the victim’s wishes,” Laehn said. He said sometimes victims want to drop the charges later, but his office continues to prosecute if there is evidence.
“That creates some dilemmas for a prosecutor,” he said, “if a victim does not want to testify.”
“I represent the people of Greene County,” Laehn said. “I do not represent the victim in any crime. I have a duty to do what is in the interests of justice.”
“I agree,” Muir said. “That message needs to be sent. The people of Greene County won’t tolerate that behavior (domestic abuse).”
“We don’t want people living in fear in their own homes,” Laehn said.
Rudolph asked about services from ACCESS (Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support), a non-profit advocacy agency.
Laehn said domestic violence victims are referred to ACCESS.
“A victim’s advocate is allowed to be in the room when a victim gives a deposition,” Laehn said. “The advocate does represent the victim and makes recommendations to the prosecutor. Sometimes the advocate advocates for the charges being dropped, so sometimes we act at cross-purposes. We rely on ACCESS but we’re not always on the same page as to how the case should play out.”
Laehn said he understands reasons victims might want charges dropped if there are children, housing, and monetary issues affected. He said there also could be issues of safety and coercion.
Laehn said most other counties hire their own victim’s advocate, often called a Victim Witness Coordinator, who makes sure the victim gets restitution and support. He said there is no one currently in his office who does that.
The supervisors unanimously approved the part-time hire of Scott Stork, PM CCP as part-time PRN with the Greene County Ambulance effective Sept. 23, 2024. His rate of pay will be $24 per hour. He will be staying in-house during shifts.
The supervisors also approved the parttime hire of Kyle Cornelius, EMT with the Greene County Ambulance effective Sept. 23. His rate of pay will be $18.75 per hour. He will also be staying in-house during shifts.
