The presiding officer opened a special Vermillion County Council meeting Dec. 19 and said the only agenda item was a set of year-end transfers to "clean up some line items." The council approved all transfer requests by voice vote, with no recorded roll-call tallies in the transcript.

The council approved a $2,943.28 transfer to reflect a personnel change in the highway department, moving funds from the highway superintendent line to the highway foreman line after the department restructured and eliminated the superintendent position. The presiding officer said the change "was due to the change we had in the structure. We no longer have a superintendent. We now have a foreman," and recorded that Mr. Weir moved the measure and Mr. Somerville seconded; an affirmative voice vote followed.

Council members then approved a slate of payroll-related transfers in the general fund to cover Social Security, Medicare, life insurance and overlapping pay periods caused by changes among elected officials and staff. The presiding officer outlined numerous small adjustments — for example, $11.60 to the sheriff's Medicare account, $421.75 to county jail Social Security, and other amounts ranging from under $100 to several thousand dollars for staffing overlaps — and said Misty (county staff) would review packet documentation to ensure accuracy. The presiding officer recorded a motion to approve the payroll transfers and called an affirmative voice vote.

The council next approved a $22,423.34 transfer into the sheriff's overtime line. The presiding officer explained the previously approved overtime allocation would not cover year-end payroll and said the requested amount consisted of $21,298.91 moved from the secretary line and $1,124.43 from the fourth deputy line. Mr. Weir moved the transfer; the presiding officer recorded a second and announced it was approved by voice vote.

Finally, the council approved a $3,786.17 transfer into parks capital outlays to cover the first payment on new playground equipment. The presiding officer said the funds would come from tires and tubes ($2,970.14), gas/oil/lube ($537.82) and a nonreverting capital improvement fund ($278.21). The presiding officer observed the purchase likely related to swings budgeted for 2026 but said the packet did not specify exact items. A motion was recorded and the presiding officer announced the transfer was approved by voice vote.

The presiding officer solicited public comment and none was offered. The meeting concluded with holiday wishes and an adjournment motion.

Votes at a glance
- Highway pay-line transfer: $2,943.28 — approved by voice vote (mover: Mr. Weir; second: Mr. Somerville). Individual vote tallies not recorded in the transcript.
- General fund payroll transfers: assorted amounts (see packet) — approved by voice vote (mover recorded by presiding officer: Mr. Weir; second recorded by presiding officer). Individual vote tallies not recorded.
- Sheriff overtime transfer: $22,423.34 — approved by voice vote (mover: Mr. Weir; second recorded by presiding officer). Individual vote tallies not recorded.
- Parks capital outlay (playground equipment): $3,786.17 — approved by voice vote (mover recorded by presiding officer: Mr. Bose; second recorded by presiding officer). Individual vote tallies not recorded.

What happens next
County staff (Misty was named during the meeting) will finalize paperwork and verify the reporting details for the payroll transfers. The items are administrative year-end adjustments; no ordinances or policy changes were made during the special meeting.