Commissioners Approve Ordinance For Parks Departments Donations
June 22, 2022 at 1:34 a.m.
By David [email protected]
In presenting the ordinance, county attorney Ed Ormsby, reading parts of the ordinance, said on May 10 the Commissioners created the Department of Parks and Recreation (KCDPR). The KCDPR, according to the ordinance, will consist of a park and recreation citizen board and may consist of a superintendent and other personnel that the KCDPR Board determines subject to the parks ordinance. Members of the Board, superintendent and other personnel are to be volunteers.
“Parks are important to establishing and maintaining quality of life in the community, increasing the health of families and youth, and contributing to the economic and environmental well-being of a county,” Ormsby read from the ordinance. “Quality parks and recreation are cited as one of the top three reasons that business cite in relocation decisions in a number of U.S. studies.
The parks ordinance allows the KCDPR to act as the public fundraising arm of the parks and recreation system in the county. Private citizens have expressed an interest in donating to the KCDPR, Ormsby said. “It is therefore necessary to provide by way of ordinance for a special fund to enable private citizens to make donations toward the” KCDPR.
The ordinance approved Tuesday creates a special fund to be designated and known as the KCDPR Special Fund. The fund “shall be a continuing, non-reverting fund, with all balances remaining therein at the end of each year. Such balances shall not lapse into the county general fund, or ever be directly or indirectly diverted in any manner to uses other than those stated in this ordinance,” the ordinance states.
All monetary donations made to the KCDPR shall be deposited into the fund, which will be administerd by the county auditor. All donations deposited in the fund shall be used for the benefit of the KCDPR. Expenditures from the fund shall be made without appropriation.
Annual financial reports will be prepared by the county auditor and reviewed by the Board and as otherwise provided by law, the ordinance states.
Commissioner Cary Groninger said, “This is something that - we established our park board just a few weeks ago. We already have a foundation that is looking to want to help fund a master trail plan here in our community, so this is just another step forward that we’re making to be able to accept those funds and have those funds available when we would get ready to prepare, the board would prepare to do a master trail plan.”
After Commissioner Bob Conley made the motion to approve the ordinance and Commissioner Brad Jackson seconded it, Groninger noted that the ordinance was just for the acceptance of funds, not property.
Earlier in the meeting, Steve Henschen, with Jones Petrie Rafinski, the engineering firm for the Tippecanoe and Chapman Regional Sewer District project, brought before the Commissioners two requests from property owners to be included in the district territory and the project. He reminded the Commissioners they had a similar request several months ago that they approved.
“The process is - to expand the territory since the district was formed with specific boundary lines - the process is that the County Commissioners actually create the petition to go back to the sewer district. However, in advance, the sewer district has already agreed to and would like to include these territories in their project,” Henschen said.
Both properties are on CR 300, with the first one being at 6207, and owned by Brown Properties LLC, and the second one at 6303, and owned by Kevin Harris. Henschen said the 6207 property is on the west side of CR 300 and has an existing house and garage. Harris wants to have a cottage with a garage on his property, Henschen said.
Both properties are low-cost connections because there’s already a main line running down CR 300. The requests were presented to the district board’s engineering committee, which recommended both properties be added, and the district board concurred at their May 9 meeting.
“We’re getting to the point on the project where we’ve received all of our approvals and I’ll have all of the rights-of-way and easements needed and it’ll be advertised for bids starting next Wednesday,” Henschen said. “Bids will be received end of July. We’re getting to that point where, if the County Commissioners approve this today, we’ll incorporate these two into the project, and anything coming in, in the future, may not be added to the project right away. They may have to come in on their own after the fact.”
He said it will depend on the funding agency’s decision on whether or not more properties can be incorporated into the project once the project has been bid.
The Commissioners unanimously approved for both properties to be incorporated into the project.
In other business, the Commissioners approved:
• The American Rescue Plan Act Committee’s recommendation of granting county ARPA funds to the county IT department for cybersecurity, as presented by County Administrator Marsha McSherry. The expenditures include $7,317.01 for Authpoint licenses reimbursement; $10,292.40 for Authpoint additional licenses needed; $31,579.80 for Meraki access points; $54,690.92 for network switches; and $100,000 for secure email service.
The County Council previously approved the recommendation.
• A bid from Adams Remco for $10,454 for a copier for the assessor’s office, as presented by McSherry. The other bid received was from Office Concepts for $10,382.40, including the maintenance contract. McSherry said she was recommending Adams Remco because that copier works better with the county’s computer system.
• For the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office to apply for a federal $24,000 grant through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, as requested by Chief Deputy Shane Bucher. The grant, if received, will be used to purchase 20-24 ballistic shields. No matching funds are required.
• For Emergency Management Director Ed Rock to apply for a $20,000 Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant. He said the county applies for the grant annually through the Department of Transportation. The grant dollars, if received, would be used “to do exercise and training throughout the county,” Rock said.
• All three rezonings requests brought before them by Area Plan Assistant Director Matt Sandy. The Area Plan Commission forwarded a favorable recommendation to the Commissioners on all three of them.
The first was a request from Kralis to rezone two 10-acre parcels from Agricultural to Agricultural II on the south side of CR 510N. There were no remonstrators. Attorney Steve Snyder said, ultimately, the goal is to plat the property into four 5-acre parcels to make it available for residential use.
The second was a request by John Hicks to rezone 1.28 acres of his property from Agricultural to Agricultural II. It’s part of a larger 22-acre parcel, Sandy said. The property is on the south side of CR 700S, west of County Farm Road, in Clay Township.
The final rezoning was for South Shore Ventures LLC to rezone ground from residential and public use to commercial. South Shore Ventures is redeveloping the former South Shore Golf Course on the south side of Ind. 13 in Turkey Creek Township.
Snyder said this was the final rezoning step.
The next Commissioners meeting is at 9 a.m. July 5.
In presenting the ordinance, county attorney Ed Ormsby, reading parts of the ordinance, said on May 10 the Commissioners created the Department of Parks and Recreation (KCDPR). The KCDPR, according to the ordinance, will consist of a park and recreation citizen board and may consist of a superintendent and other personnel that the KCDPR Board determines subject to the parks ordinance. Members of the Board, superintendent and other personnel are to be volunteers.
“Parks are important to establishing and maintaining quality of life in the community, increasing the health of families and youth, and contributing to the economic and environmental well-being of a county,” Ormsby read from the ordinance. “Quality parks and recreation are cited as one of the top three reasons that business cite in relocation decisions in a number of U.S. studies.
The parks ordinance allows the KCDPR to act as the public fundraising arm of the parks and recreation system in the county. Private citizens have expressed an interest in donating to the KCDPR, Ormsby said. “It is therefore necessary to provide by way of ordinance for a special fund to enable private citizens to make donations toward the” KCDPR.
The ordinance approved Tuesday creates a special fund to be designated and known as the KCDPR Special Fund. The fund “shall be a continuing, non-reverting fund, with all balances remaining therein at the end of each year. Such balances shall not lapse into the county general fund, or ever be directly or indirectly diverted in any manner to uses other than those stated in this ordinance,” the ordinance states.
All monetary donations made to the KCDPR shall be deposited into the fund, which will be administerd by the county auditor. All donations deposited in the fund shall be used for the benefit of the KCDPR. Expenditures from the fund shall be made without appropriation.
Annual financial reports will be prepared by the county auditor and reviewed by the Board and as otherwise provided by law, the ordinance states.
Commissioner Cary Groninger said, “This is something that - we established our park board just a few weeks ago. We already have a foundation that is looking to want to help fund a master trail plan here in our community, so this is just another step forward that we’re making to be able to accept those funds and have those funds available when we would get ready to prepare, the board would prepare to do a master trail plan.”
After Commissioner Bob Conley made the motion to approve the ordinance and Commissioner Brad Jackson seconded it, Groninger noted that the ordinance was just for the acceptance of funds, not property.
Earlier in the meeting, Steve Henschen, with Jones Petrie Rafinski, the engineering firm for the Tippecanoe and Chapman Regional Sewer District project, brought before the Commissioners two requests from property owners to be included in the district territory and the project. He reminded the Commissioners they had a similar request several months ago that they approved.
“The process is - to expand the territory since the district was formed with specific boundary lines - the process is that the County Commissioners actually create the petition to go back to the sewer district. However, in advance, the sewer district has already agreed to and would like to include these territories in their project,” Henschen said.
Both properties are on CR 300, with the first one being at 6207, and owned by Brown Properties LLC, and the second one at 6303, and owned by Kevin Harris. Henschen said the 6207 property is on the west side of CR 300 and has an existing house and garage. Harris wants to have a cottage with a garage on his property, Henschen said.
Both properties are low-cost connections because there’s already a main line running down CR 300. The requests were presented to the district board’s engineering committee, which recommended both properties be added, and the district board concurred at their May 9 meeting.
“We’re getting to the point on the project where we’ve received all of our approvals and I’ll have all of the rights-of-way and easements needed and it’ll be advertised for bids starting next Wednesday,” Henschen said. “Bids will be received end of July. We’re getting to that point where, if the County Commissioners approve this today, we’ll incorporate these two into the project, and anything coming in, in the future, may not be added to the project right away. They may have to come in on their own after the fact.”
He said it will depend on the funding agency’s decision on whether or not more properties can be incorporated into the project once the project has been bid.
The Commissioners unanimously approved for both properties to be incorporated into the project.
In other business, the Commissioners approved:
• The American Rescue Plan Act Committee’s recommendation of granting county ARPA funds to the county IT department for cybersecurity, as presented by County Administrator Marsha McSherry. The expenditures include $7,317.01 for Authpoint licenses reimbursement; $10,292.40 for Authpoint additional licenses needed; $31,579.80 for Meraki access points; $54,690.92 for network switches; and $100,000 for secure email service.
The County Council previously approved the recommendation.
• A bid from Adams Remco for $10,454 for a copier for the assessor’s office, as presented by McSherry. The other bid received was from Office Concepts for $10,382.40, including the maintenance contract. McSherry said she was recommending Adams Remco because that copier works better with the county’s computer system.
• For the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office to apply for a federal $24,000 grant through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, as requested by Chief Deputy Shane Bucher. The grant, if received, will be used to purchase 20-24 ballistic shields. No matching funds are required.
• For Emergency Management Director Ed Rock to apply for a $20,000 Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant. He said the county applies for the grant annually through the Department of Transportation. The grant dollars, if received, would be used “to do exercise and training throughout the county,” Rock said.
• All three rezonings requests brought before them by Area Plan Assistant Director Matt Sandy. The Area Plan Commission forwarded a favorable recommendation to the Commissioners on all three of them.
The first was a request from Kralis to rezone two 10-acre parcels from Agricultural to Agricultural II on the south side of CR 510N. There were no remonstrators. Attorney Steve Snyder said, ultimately, the goal is to plat the property into four 5-acre parcels to make it available for residential use.
The second was a request by John Hicks to rezone 1.28 acres of his property from Agricultural to Agricultural II. It’s part of a larger 22-acre parcel, Sandy said. The property is on the south side of CR 700S, west of County Farm Road, in Clay Township.
The final rezoning was for South Shore Ventures LLC to rezone ground from residential and public use to commercial. South Shore Ventures is redeveloping the former South Shore Golf Course on the south side of Ind. 13 in Turkey Creek Township.
Snyder said this was the final rezoning step.
The next Commissioners meeting is at 9 a.m. July 5.
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