Swimming at Vastwood this summer? Can the fiscal court find enough lifeguards?
The Hancock County Fiscal Court met on Monday morning, March 11th, and HC 911/EMS Director Damian Rice reported that the infrastructure is up and running on the county’s Digital Radio Communications project.
The court partnered with the schools and cities on this $3.2M project with the help of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, which will allow the county to upgrade from analog to digital for clearer communication. Rice said they have begun testing and that the system is even better than expected as far as coverage. Installation at the schools will begin soon, as well as at dispatch and in the county’s emergency vehicles.
Lifeguards Needed
Swimming at Vastwood Lake this year relies, again, on workforce availability, Judge-Executive Johnny “Chic” Roberts said. Last summer the lake was closed to swimmers not just because of a shortage of lifeguards, but also because of water testing that revealed questionable safety. The water has been tested again recently showing that it is cleaner and safer, but the court is still asking that people interested would get trained and apply for lifeguarding jobs so that they’re guaranteed enough staff to open the lake for swimming this year.
Senior Services Report
Every May is Older Americans Month (OAM) and the fiscal court always sponsors a picnic for seniors. This year’s Senior Picnic is set for Friday, May 17th, HC Senior Services Program Director Lona Morton announced.
Also, the date for Senior Games has been set for Thursday, September 12th at Vastwood Park. “That is a day where all the other counties bring participants,” Lona said, “and we do games and give out medals. We’ll have food and entertainment throughout the day. I’m going to start working on getting some sponsorships for some of the food, etc. It will involve a lot of setting up and tearing down. It’s going to be a fun day.”
HC Clerk’s Report
Hancock County Clerk Trina Ogle reported the 2023 final settlement saying, “2023 was a pretty good year. We collected $350K in license fees, that’s your vehicle registration. The average was about $30K higher than 2022. We collected $475K in usage tax, the percentage of tax you pay when you buy your vehicle. That was up about $75K. We collected $1M in ad valorem taxes (property taxes). That stayed the same because the vehicle values didn’t increase so you didn’t pay more property tax from 2022 to 2023. All in all, it was a good year. We took in right around $2,500,000 and we spent $2,062,000. I’m going to give you about $89K back.”
Road Dept. Report
The fiscal court recently ordered a single axle small truck at $194,887.55 for the HC Road Department. The decision was made by the court and Road Dept. Supervisor Dave Tindle to lease it on a 36-month term. They’ll pay for half of the total amount during that term and payments will be around $2,706 monthly. At the end of the final term, they will have the option to purchase it outright or sell it and replace it if they need to upgrade again at that time.
Occupational Tax Report
“It looks like, as of this date, $3,555,141.79,” Roberts said. “That’s down from $3,765,988.01 this time last year. We’ve caught up a little bit and the numbers look a little better.” The Occupational Tax Report was approved by the court.
Treasurer’s Report
County Treasurer Melissa Johnson’s report was approved by the court. “As of this date, $9,704,765,” Roberts said. “That’s down a little bit from a year ago.”
Economic Report
“The unemployment is at 4 percent, which is the same as we saw on the Career Center report,” Roberts said. “Daviess had 4 percent, Breck – 4.6, Ohio – 5.7, and the average is 4.4. Our big three industries – the outlook is steady and positive. There is continued interest and expansion potential at Lewisport Industrial Park; Some property was sold there last Friday. The overall outlook remains positive and cautiously optimistic.”
By Jennifer Wimmer
