By VICKI URBANIK

The Porter County Highway Department will begin a four-day work schedule, under a plan approved by the county commissioners Tuesday aimed at saving fuel expenses.

The commissioners agreed that the department crews will begin working four, 10-hour days per week, with the start date to be determined by Highway Supervisor Al Hoagland.

North Porter County Commissioner John Evans, who first proposed the schedule at the last meeting, noted that the Indiana Department of Transportation has also announced a four-day work week in order to save time and money with loading equipment and setting up work sites.

Evans said because the highway department spends so much time traveling to get to work sites, cutting down on the number of work days should save the county in fuel costs.

The highway crews will get paid straight time for their 10-hour days. However, they will still be available during the off hours for any emergency work.

Evans said the commissioners will use the highway department as a “guinea pig” to see if the shortened work week cut costs. He said they will review the progress on an ongoing basis.

Tax Issues

As part of the effort to fix problems with Porter County’s property tax system, the commissioners endorsed another consulting contract.

The Porter County Council has already appropriated $150,000 for a team of consultants led by Beth Henkel, an Indianapolis attorney and former commissioner of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance. The consultants are attempting to get Porter County’s tax billing back on schedule, while correcting years of incorrect tax data.

On Tuesday, the commissioners endorsed another contract – this one with the Crowe Chizek firm dealing with the implementation of new software and the conversion of old data to the new system.

Harper noted that officials who have been meeting regularly with the tax consultants have determined that the new contract is needed as part of the overall project. Evans remarked that every one of the tax contracts cited added requirements from the DLGF as the reason for the added work.

The contract, for three components of work, ranges from a total of $56,000 to $103,000. The contract is still subject to approval by the County Council.

In a separate but related matter, the commissioners approved an annual contract for Center Township Assessor Susan Larsen to retain a consultant to assess commercial parcels in her township.

Larsen said the contract was reviewed last year by the DLGF, but that at the current time, the DLGF is in flux due to a number of new staff.

Harper said office holders from both political parties are spending a great deal of time trying to determine just what the DLGF wants. “It’s really sort of sad,” he said.

Fireworks Ban

The commissioners approved a request from Expo Center Director John Thorstad to ban parking on Division Road during the upcoming fireworks show.

Thorstad said there has been a recurring problem with people coming to watch the fireworks by parking along the road, instead of paying the fee to enter the Expo Center grounds.

“For me, it’s a safety issue,” he said, noting that people don’t just park along the road, but that they also pull out chairs and sit outside their vehicles.

The “Expo Explosion” fireworks show will be held June 28. With the commissioners’ action Tuesday, parking will be banned along Division Road for one mile east of Ind. 49 from 5 to 11 p.m.

Thorstad noted that a large wedding is also scheduled that night at the Expo, so there will be a great deal of traffic in the area, further necessitating the roadside parking ban.

Building Concerns

The commissioners authorized the removal of the bulletproof glass at the County Treasurer’s office. The heavy glass is causing the shelf under it to bow, in turn causing cash boxes to stick, said Building Maintenance Engineer Joe Lain.

“We need to get rid of that glass,” he said.

The removal will cost $800, but Lain cautioned that it could go up to the $1,200 because the work will need to be done over the weekend.

In another building matter, the commissioners tabled action on a proposal to install a new air conditioning unit for the county’s Print Shop, which has had a persistent humidity problem.

One bid came in at $21,9000 and another at $32,500. Evans said that’s too much money to spend for a single department. Lain suggested delaying the matter until after he talks with the bidders about the large price discrepancy.

Posted 6/18/2008