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Dubois County Council approves multiple appropriations, backs $350,000 for Birdseye wastewater
Summary
At its March 31 meeting the Dubois County Council approved a series of funding moves: $350,000 in assistance to the Town of Birdseye for a wastewater project, appropriations for the Frosty Jones Airport terminal, transfers to retain a public health nurse, and several other budget adjustments. Most motions passed unanimously.
The Dubois County Council on March 31, 2025, approved a package of appropriations and budget changes that included a $350,000 commitment to help the Town of Birdseye address wastewater-treatment capacity limits and funding requests for the Frosty Jones Airport terminal.
President Michael W. Kluesner opened the meeting at 4:30 p.m. and the council moved through a set of routine and substantive items. Council member Ryan Craig moved to approve the minutes from the Feb. 24 meeting; the motion passed unanimously.
The council approved an additional $25,000 appropriation from the Clerk’s Perpetuation Fund for office furniture after Clerk Amy Kippenbrock reported higher-than-expected quotes. The council also approved $60,000 from the Cum Cap Development Fund for two Solid Waste Management District vehicles following a request from Solid Waste Management District Director Carla Striegel-Winner.
In a notable infrastructure action, Birdseye Town Council President Bret Eckert and Birdseye Water/Sewer Superintendent Joel Schwartz asked the county for help after the town was placed under a Sewer Ban Early Warning because the wastewater treatment plant routinely exceeds capacity and the lagoons have not been dredged since 1976. The town is pursuing an OCRA grant (maximum award $750,000) and a proposed $200,000 loan from the National Rural Water Alliance Rural Water Loan Fund; Jessica Condra of the Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission said the OCRA application deadline is May 16, 2025 and offered application assistance. The council reached a unanimous consensus to provide $350,000 from the LIT-ED fund and asked Auditor Sandra L. Morton to advertise the additional appropriation.
Health Administrative Director Shawn Werner told the council that the Immunization HIP Grant will see reduced funding in fiscal year 2026 and that a nursing position currently funded by that grant would need a new funding source. Auditor Sandra L. Morton presented a transfer of $44,836 from the Co-Ag School Crisis Grant (Capital Outlay) to Personal Services to cover the nurse’s salary ($29,309) plus FICA, health insurance and PERF; Council member Deena J. Lewis moved the transfer and Meredith I. Voegerl seconded it. The council also approved an amendment to the Salary Ordinance to set the grant-funded nurse’s biweekly pay at $2,093.45, effective July 1, 2025.
The council adopted an Appropriation Reduction Ordinance that reduces General Fund Sheriff Department Personal Services by $123,204 to reflect two deputies no longer funded by the COPS for Hire Grant. Auditor Morton presented the ordinance text showing the reductions across specified line items and the body adopted the ordinance on March 31, 2025.
Auditor Morton requested and the council approved a number of other appropriations and transfers, including: • $12,500 from the General Fund Commissioners Personal Services for unemployment and $4,000 for workers’ compensation; • $4,230.22 from the Dubois County Hazmat Taskforce Fund for FIT test equipment (the fund will be closed after purchase); • $250,000 from the LIT-ED Fund for the Community Crossings Matching Grant (2025-01); • $30,475 from Cum Cap Development for courthouse security equipment (an additional $3,866 due to added doors was noted); • $6,000 from Cum Bridge Fund for small structure inspections and $290,000 from the Highway Fund for paving projects.
The council also approved appropriations totaling $1,300,000 to support construction of the Frosty Jones Airport Terminal: $1,000,000 from the Special Airport General Fund and $300,000 from the Airport Rainy Day Fund. The meeting minutes note that the Budget Order approved $764,241 for one item due to limited available revenues.
Vanessa Phillips, Director of Forensic Services for RISE Peer Recovery, introduced the IRACS (Integrated Reentry and Correctional Support) program recently started at the county jail; the council received the report. President Kluesner noted maintenance issues with HVAC units at the Annex and Courthouse that may require future appropriations. Committee reports included a contingency planning note from Council member Ryan Craig about possible federal Soil and Water Conservation funding cuts and a report from Meredith Voegerl on a March 19 open house hosted by the Being for Others Health and Wellness Foundation.
The State Board of Accounts is scheduled to begin the 2024 financial audit on April 2, 2025. The council set future meeting dates, including the next regular monthly meeting on April 28, 2025, and adjourned at 6:24 p.m.
