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Larry Teghtmeyer, Kosciusko County councilman, gave a report to the council Thursday on the Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau commission.
He also asked the council to rescind one of its own ordinances until a new one can be drawn up.
Teghtmeyer said the CVB commission met Tuesday morning and reorganized. The commission also asked county attorney Mike Miner to assist them on legal matters pertaining to state law and their positions on issues relating to the CVB.
To address some of the CVB commission's legal issues, Teghtmeyer said, the commission needed $4,000 more of their funding. In December, the county council approved only about a quarter of the predicted budget for the CVB for 2004. The council approved the legal funds.
Teghtmeyer said the commission elected a new chairman and vice chairman and the commission will meet publicly in the county courthouse at least once a month.
He then said the council needs to rescind ordinance 001-001 until a new one can be rewritten. The ordinance establishes the local collection of the innkeepers' tax, addresses the way the tax monies are distributed and when the county council needs to approve the budget for the next year.
As it is written now, Teghtmeyer said, there's some confusion about the ordinance and it may not be in accordance with what the county council wants. The ordinance can be misconstrued, he said.
The council rescinded the ordinance except sections one and two, which provide for the collection of the innkeepers' tax.
County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell, Teghtmeyer said, has agreed to help the commission as an administrative assistant, at least at the beginning.
The next CVB commission meeting is Feb. 3 at 8 a.m. in the county courthouse, Warsaw.
In other business, the county council:
• Heard from Mitchell that she was able to make a distribution to most of the taxing entities by the end of 2003. The deadline for tax bills to be paid by property owners in Jackson, Sidney, Monroe, Pierceton and Washington townships is Jan. 19.
• Approved a transfer of $600 for the county prosecutor's office from informant fees and dues and subscriptions to state witness fees.
• Approved for the prosecutor's office to advertise for the spending of $16,300 out of the pretrial diversion fund to help the county sheriff's department buy 20 cameras and 20 wireless microphones for the road patrol.
• Approved a transfer of $8,500 for Emergency 911 from overtime to telephone; and a $30,000 transfer from equipment to overtime for 2004.
• Approved a $2,000 transfer for the maintenance department from the full-time to the part-time account.
• Approved a $500 transfer for Wayne Township from part-time field worker to a deputy assessor who left the office before the end of 2003.
• Approved the appointment of Susan Myrick to replace Howard Woodward Jr. on the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals.
• Approved the Kosciusko Coalition on Drug Education funding as presented.
• Approved the job classification upgrade to the assistant to the Geographical Imaging System director.
Members of the county council present Thursday included Harold Jones, Tom Anglin, John Kinsey, Larry Teghtmeyer and Maurice Beer. Not present were Brad Tandy and Charlene Knispel.
The council meets at 7 p.m. in the county courthouse, Warsaw, on the second Thursday of every month.
