Pulaski County Officials Considering Social Distancing Protocols for BZA Solar Farm Hearing

A proposed solar farm in Pulaski County is expected to draw a crowd to next week’s board of zoning appeals meeting. How to keep everyone safe from COVID-19 was a topic of discussion during Monday’s county commissioners meeting. A company called Mammoth Solar is seeking permission to build solar arrays on more than 4,500 acres of farmland. The project would be in portions of Jefferson, Beaver, Rich Grove, Franklin, and Monroe townships.

Continue reading

Pulaski County Commissioners to Open Bids for Winamac Ambulance Garage Addition

Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker

The Pulaski County Commissioners will open bids for the addition to the Winamac ambulance garage tonight. EMS Director Brandon DeLorenzo told the commissioners last month that the addition will bring the garage up to a total of four bays. The expansion has been discussed for years, since the county’s ambulances can barely fit in the existing space.

Continue reading

Pulaski County Council Decides to Hold Off on Staffing Increases while Awaiting Fiscal Plan

Pulaski County Council: back row: Mike Tiede, Kathi Thompson, Brian Young; front row: Scott Hinkle, Rudy DeSabatine, Jay Sullivan (not pictured: Ken Boswell)

Pulaski County’s long-awaited fiscal plan is set to be unveiled next month, but in the meantime, several departments’ requests for additional help will remain on hold. Three department heads were scheduled to ask the county council for staffing increases Monday, but at the start of the meeting, Council Member Kathi Thompson said that fiscal planning consultant Jeffrey Peters has asked council members to hold off.

Continue reading

Requests for Additional Help to be Considered by Pulaski County Council Tonight

Pulaski County Council: back row: Mike Tiede, Kathi Thompson, Brian Young; front row: Scott Hinkle, Rudy DeSabatine, Jay Sullivan (not pictured: Ken Boswell)

The Pulaski County Council will consider several departments’ requests for additional help tonight. Prosecutor Dan Murphy has been asking for another full-time secretary, citing a significant increase in the number of cases being filed, along with the addition of new court programs. A vote on the matter ended in a three-to-three tie last month. Council President Jay Sullivan asked the county commissioners to weigh in, but they sent it back to the council without making a formal recommendation.

Continue reading

Pulaski County Building Inspector, Director of Environmental Health Asking for Additional Help

The Pulaski County Commissioners have agreed to support the Building and Health departments’ requests for additional help. Building Inspector Doug Hoover told the commissioners Monday that he’s going to once again ask the county council to move Building Department Assistant Karla Kreamer from part-time to full-time status.

Continue reading

Pulaski County Council to Adopt 2019 Budget, Consider Tax Abatement Request

The Pulaski County Council is scheduled to adopt the county’s 2019 budget tonight, but a number of issues still have to be addressed. Assessor Holly VanDerAa has been calling for a tax increase to make up a shortfall in the county’s Reassessment budget. She says the change would reduce the need for various costs to be paid out of the county’s General Fund.

Continue reading

Pulaski County Building, Health Departments Seeking Support for Rental Property Inspection Program

Pulaski County officials continue working on implementing a rental property inspection program, but exactly how to do that was a topic of discussion during Monday’s plan commission meeting. Director of Environmental Health Terri Hansen told members that she and Building Inspector Doug Hoover are repeatedly called to the same rental units, due to complaints about their condition. “It’s really sad when you see the kids, you guys,” she said. “They don’t want to live like that. It’s terrible. Makes you sick.”

Continue reading

Pulaski County Health, Building Departments Call for Tougher Regulations on Rental Properties

The condition of Pulaski County’s rental housing is creating a crisis for the county’s health and building departments. Director of Environmental Health Terri Hansen told the advisory plan commission Tuesday she had to deal with 530 environmental complaints last year. Nearly 400 of them related specifically to housing.  Continue reading