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Porter County adopts inclement-weather closing policy and a fund for borrowed principal
Summary
The board adopted a new inclement-weather closing procedure that standardizes how highway, sheriff and emergency management staff advise on delays or closures, and approved a nonreverting fund (No. 4822) on second reading to hold principal borrowed from a foundation.
Porter County commissioners on Dec. 9 approved a written commissioner's policy to govern county delays and closures for inclement weather and also approved a nonreverting fund to hold borrowed foundation principal.
The adopted weather policy sets a formal process for early-morning decisions: county highway, the chief deputy of the sheriff’s department and the director of Emergency Management (or designees) will communicate classifications such as travel advisory, travel watch or travel warning. "If it has been determined at 05:30AM that there'll be a travel advisory... there will be an automatic 2 hour delay," staff explained when reading the policy.
The board said the change was intended to make decisions more consistent and fair to employees, replacing ad hoc phone calls with a predictable, written procedure. The board president said the goal was a "more scientific way of doing this" so employees could rely on a procedure rather than inconsistent calls.
In related business, the commissioners approved on second reading an ordinance establishing nonreverting fund number 4822 to hold money borrowed from a foundation so those dollars have a proper fund during the repayment period.
Both items passed on voice votes. The weather policy will be implemented administratively with website updates and coordination among county departments; staff directed appropriate department designees to follow the new procedures.
