[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6299060,"mediaKeyId","2498931-6b9093b2fc3aa2eddec2245042e8012c","parentId",2498931,"title","Votes at a glance: Adams County Council actions and appropriations, Oct. 12, 2025","audioSeconds",5824,"startMs",82000,"endMs",5906000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2498931-6b9093b2fc3aa2eddec2245042e8012c&start=82&end=5906","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2498931-6b9093b2fc3aa2eddec2245042e8012c/thumbnail_82000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6299060/Adams-County/Indiana/Votes-at-a-glance-Adams-County-Council-actions-and-appropriations-Oct-12-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6299060-55338afb4bccf8da374639f3177ed85d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771427734&Signature=efipd7vcJS2a0sPIHC2xAGTEW3HAIeRumtvp7mi1B8OjoE88xTTKSGBEcD09Z7Xh0LWaYazn56HVNl1r6y8suFJ1Q9PS5FP4Pv5Oww0Qzvrtj2aaPks19AGytWslf7dJYjHoav3L3F8qkyKamPPxUI50tWzpa294ynnCbVbdyDg94r1jDeO0Po~ccb81aCs94N~GNLHGvvSawFGWGTenqZEFoEBpiie2jQ7ANLb7WrQPuFRZbthGukHbSOdKabt9J0aUvDbcNRrIw9n2F70G7ubJKqKbq0qg3Un6OsH9IYSOmhASLEVDV5t8MInNuP190BPyAYsZLeOvQW1IayKVAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Adams County IN","date","2025-03-05T13:37:02.103Z","article","At its Oct. 12 meeting the Adams County Council recorded and approved a set of routine motions, appropriations and personnel items. Key actions taken by the council are summarized below.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes from the Oct. 8 meeting — Motion carried (voice vote).

- EMA: Approved $1,000 foundation grant application to pay toward a floor liner for the newly purchased decontamination incident command trailer; remaining cost to be covered by EMA’s equipment fund — Motion carried (voice vote).

- Appropriation of state 90/10 split funds: Commissioners appropriated state reimbursement funds that closed an anticipated gap in the night-warrant fund and related accounts; staff described the appropriation as cover for previously planned spending rather than new spending — Motion carried (voice vote).

- Unrestricted opioid settlement funds: Commissioners approved using opioid-settlement monies to purchase drones and to host operator certification training; staff said the funds originated from settlement distributions rather than property taxes — Motion carried (voice vote). Staff will pursue a spring training class that can certify two officers free of charge and make the course available to neighboring counties.

- Sheriff salary contract for 2025: Council approved the sheriff’s contract establishing a 2025 salary of $125,035 and statutory contract provisions; the signed contract will be forwarded to the commissioners — Motion carried (voice vote).

- Financial transfers and mid-year salary orders: Council approved transfers, mid-year salary orders and related additions — Motion carried (voice vote).

- 2024 amended salary ordinance: Council approved amendments to the county’s salary ordinance for 2024 — Motion carried (voice vote).

- Additional appropriations: Council approved listed additional appropriations, including restricted opioid community outreach and ARPA-related appropriations for records-scanning and other projects — Motion carried (voice vote).

- Adjournment: Motion to adjourn approved.

Details and provenance for each action are recorded in the minutes and in the meeting transcript; staff said several ARPA-funded projects still have outstanding obligations and that departments should finalize contracts before year-end to avoid losing federal funds.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","County Council Meeting 11/12/24","oneSentenceSummary","The Adams County Council approved minutes, several appropriations and personnel/salary items, and passed transfers and additional appropriations. No controversial tax or capital commitments were finalized.","taxTitle","Adams County, Indiana","taxId",70750,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6299062,"Adams County explores income-tax options to finance proposed $32 million judicial center",2076,2135000,4211000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2498931-6b9093b2fc3aa2eddec2245042e8012c&start=2135&end=4211","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2498931-6b9093b2fc3aa2eddec2245042e8012c/thumbnail_2135000.jpg","/articles/6299062/Adams-County/Indiana/Adams-County-explores-income-tax-options-to-finance-proposed-32-million-judicial-center","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6299062-7a7f995a62eba7ce6cbca5e0a47288ad/orig.mp4?Expires=1771427734&Signature=Mdy94a7ek8-NoLQbWm3U3WvICgrkos8kYPKY31iRZYf8rSvt67-I2dGH4uSDvUEDW4p2E3lsltW1N4GwVxUfTD-7wQ59tA-GmZC5seDvsVSsBhiB0BgVF8kfxcqyFIDLEy3oKYeWN5k-6PlZcT5wmB8XERnvImXZqpp1Eh~TI1TeiQ-lgka2D4rY2~CyTtHd7IpCkcxVsHJqzQFiy52TJGmTEmeXKXzgBv3SDbcn-LUuzTAuuvrIvmmNtQF8oCih4mDGw~6MiEhoQdw6I~zmiGGFPfGHhH0CUYM34e4bsKvfCLAnqutCYw-znlYddzpNmq1PwnDJL2Y~xIT8HngBPA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County finance staff and an outside analyst presented illustrative financing scenarios for a proposed judicial center and described options to avoid a property-tax referendum.

Mark, who presented Baker Tilly’s illustrative analysis, said the firm ran two scenarios and estimated that financing a $32 million project over 20 years would produce annual debt service of roughly $2.7–$2.8 million under current market conditions. \"So that's what your mortgage payment would be,\" Mark said, summarizing the estimated annual debt-service obligation for the larger-scope scenario.

Mark and staff explained state rules that trigger a voter referendum if the county uses property-tax revenue for debt service on a project that exceeds $20 million; they outlined alternatives that would not trigger a referendum, principally expanding county-level income taxes (County Option Income Tax, or COIT, and County Economic Development Income Tax, CEDIT). The presentation noted Adams County currently has roughly 1.31% in combined local income taxes in place and that, after hospital bonds paid with an existing 0.2% pledge are retired (projected 2027–2028), some revenue could become available or be reallocated. Baker Tilly estimated that each 0.1% of local income tax would generate approximately $754,398 in 2025 revenues for the county as a unit; staff used that incremental figure to illustrate how much rate increase would be required to support the debt service estimate.

Commissioners raised policy and political concerns about increasing income taxes or effectively reassigning revenue that other municipalities also receive. One commissioner said explicitly that they would not support a property-tax or income-tax increase without broad public support. Staff suggested a two-track approach: (1) ask consultants to re-run financing models with different down-payment levels, amortization scenarios and interest-rate sensitivities; and (2) explore reallocating existing income-tax streams or securing pledges from other units in the county income-tax board to reduce the county’s net annual borrowing need. Mark said he would ask Baker Tilly to run additional scenarios — including the effect of $1 million, $2 million or $3 million down payments and a hypothetical 100-basis-point change in interest rates — and to provide those outputs to commissioners by email.

No financing decision was made. Commissioners directed staff to continue scoping and to return with refined cost, down-payment and revenue-allocation scenarios. Staff and counsel also will examine whether specific existing income-tax pledges (for example, the 0.2% pledged to hospital bonds) could be reallocated after bond retirement and what approvals would be required through the Adams County income-tax board and member fiscal bodies.","A county-finance presentation showed a roughly $2.7 million annual debt-service estimate for a $32 million judicial center and outlined alternatives to a property-tax referendum, including using local income taxes (COIT/CEDIT); commissioners asked staff to run more scenarios and check reallocations of existing income-tax revenues.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6299064,"Adams County parks and recreation officials warn of mounting shortfall; commissioners to seek state guidance",1080,597000,1677000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2498931-6b9093b2fc3aa2eddec2245042e8012c&start=597&end=1677","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2498931-6b9093b2fc3aa2eddec2245042e8012c/thumbnail_597000.jpg","/articles/6299064/Adams-County/Indiana/Adams-County-parks-and-recreation-officials-warn-of-mounting-shortfall-commissioners-to-seek-state-guidance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6299064-d37ae94e513a2b566c0ff3bfb26a9301/orig.mp4?Expires=1771427734&Signature=U-D0PlwoQ0aqWwwmLrrDDi4hVfRHhrjJg2H5Nehg9htSh5MOK2HO80PzaRXrZi2ilHc1RtMXy7SUzJ8HA3OItYF2tbotRvrxEC8bITg69qfQpUDRd11EOKziZvkw6bWjjTF9ZCXQOLu0sNP45LVD8oZtBpes0EsmfyLi6hCp9k9-e~E55qPmuIg1~MejFxzHNRbXyVopFWZLjQn7UxDIi0xTU8D3YAw1uQ5pbwP28tB7mIT4koUEPkvXo3JYeY0-pHSpUarK-EbWESnOSX1NToVSzXOX8G1d6EtxAYkYbEAZjGestkAqhX~GHzjgZz9W4V5pSQPP9fF6A-8xB8IKig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Adams County parks and recreation staff reported a multi-year funding shortfall and asked commissioners to consider structural options to stabilize the department’s cash flow.

Jeremy, a parks and recreation official, said user fees and property-tax revenues have not kept pace with rising operating and capital costs. He told the council the department relied on reserves and intermittent county support to make payroll and maintain services, and warned that without changes the department might need to cut programs. \"I hate to have to start cutting, you know, services for the children,\" Jeremy said.

Staff and commissioners reviewed two restricted parks property-tax funds referenced in county accounts (identified in the discussion as funds 11-79 and 12-19) and examined year-end cash balances and seasonal cash-flow patterns. Finance staff (Bree/Brie) presented historical year-end cash positions for the funds and a projected December 31 cash position; the presenters said the department had enough cash to reach year-end but that recurring shortfalls could require action in 2025. Staff reported approximate year-end balances: 2022 ended around $67,005 and 2023 around $60,002; the department projected a lower cash balance for the upcoming cycle and said it needed about $58,000 to get through the December–June settlement period.

Commissioners and staff discussed options including modest user-fee increases, shifting some operating costs into County General, temporarily supplementing payroll from general funds and dissolving or consolidating restricted funds to provide operational flexibility. One commissioner suggested dissolving the standalone property-tax fund and placing parks operations fully inside County General to avoid recurring shortfalls; staff said that approach could simplify administration but would require confirmation of state rules. Participants repeatedly cautioned against heavy fee increases that might suppress participation. Jeremy also said ARPA receipts and ongoing capital claims should be tracked closely before year-end to avoid losing unobligated federal funds.

County finance staff said they would check with the State Board and the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) about whether restricted park property-tax funds could be dissolved or reallocated and would report back at the next meeting. No formal vote was taken; commissioners asked staff to return with legal guidance and scenarios showing the impact of shifting revenue between funds or using County General to smooth cash flow.","Parks and recreation leaders told county commissioners their operating funds have been eroding and could require structural changes; commissioners asked staff to consult the State Board and Department of Local Government Finance on options including moving restricted property-tax funds into County General.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6299066,"Adams County approves $1,000 grant for EMA decontamination trailer floor liner",287,109000,396000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2498931-6b9093b2fc3aa2eddec2245042e8012c&start=109&end=396","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2498931-6b9093b2fc3aa2eddec2245042e8012c/thumbnail_109000.jpg","/articles/6299066/Adams-County/Indiana/Adams-County-approves-1000-grant-for-EMA-decontamination-trailer-floor-liner","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6299066-8d111d7cf32f472de7fd5b5d91556b55/orig.mp4?Expires=1771427734&Signature=It1JminoGdtKJuzwHk0TXh5SCFTcI-As4JPXEemN1z98vvFC4pxPKDHfdgx5VK8X7es-MzHL429lVdqxGD1fvdVUJ8PosOf8VrtBBJAzKh5hONa1TIVVmrkJLi7PIkUwLWnkiSCTKZmy99Nk5h5myy8hfX3IM6FnwJbW-pSVlWnABZ~8wk-Mh-OtIVbedGDvui~6AVfHAjkhxNFRR8cUrAe9iOADsd7OkT2GrMxPXKvztye7H7NnB~O51zworSNRIqOukbLiSEEsP7jH0OojOCMfNWnRlCr08Ge4pFcvQJayFhOm9UVd75dfl648oeHNzFMxcfGir9aGqi3sP6wvOA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Adams County commissioners voted to approve a $1,000 grant application to help pay for a floor liner for a newly acquired Emergency Management Agency (EMA) decontamination incident command trailer.

The funding decision followed a presentation from EMA staff explaining the county sold its old decontamination trailer at auction for $4,700 and purchased a new 8½-by-16-foot trailer from Indiana Trailer Sales. EMA staff said the trailer has arrived and been paid for and that a private vendor has volunteered to donate labor and parts to complete interior installations such as heating, air conditioning, shoreline power and internet access.

Megan, an EMA staff member, told the council that the department sought a floor liner to protect the trailer’s wood floor and received a quote of about $1,200 for the liner. \"We sold our old decon trailer at the county auction for $4,700,\" Megan said, and later told commissioners that Rev had \"volunteered to donate all the parts and all the labor to take care of the entire interior of the trailer for us.\" The department applied for a foundation grant and was awarded $1,000; EMA staff said the remaining balance will come from the department’s equipment fund.

A commissioner thanked Rev for the donation during discussion and moved to approve the grant application; the motion was seconded and approved on a voice vote.

The EMA presentation said the trailer and outfitting are intended to create a portable incident command capability that any first-responder agency in Adams County can use. EMA staff said they plan additional work, including developing matching trailer graphics consistent with existing EMA vehicles and installing a protective spray line along the floor and ramp. Details about the total interior outfitting budget beyond the floor liner were not specified in the council discussion.

Commissioners and staff asked for a copy of the grant paperwork and affirmed that the commission had previously approved the trailer purchase. EMA staff said they will follow up with LEPC/EMA members about the graphics and the anticipated timeline for the liner installation.","County commissioners approved a $1,000 foundation grant to help outfit a newly purchased decontamination incident command trailer; a vendor donated labor and parts to finish the interior and the department will cover the remaining cost from its equipment fund.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Adams County Council actions and appropriations, Oct. 12, 2025

Adams County explores income-tax options to finance proposed $32 million judicial center

Adams County parks and recreation officials warn of mounting shortfall; commissioners to seek state guidance

Adams County approves $1,000 grant for EMA decontamination trailer floor liner