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[0:04] LaPorte County Channel 97. Next up is the
[0:09] LaPorte County Board of Commissioners meeting on October 7th. You
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[0:12] information about this
[0:14] meeting at
[0:16] www.accesslaportecounty.org.
[0:22] Good morning.
[0:23] Welcome to the
[0:24] Commissioners' meeting on
[0:26] October 7th. Please
[0:27] stand, please,
[0:28] for the Pledge of
[0:29] Allegiance.
[0:32] I pledge allegiance to the
[0:33] flag of the
[0:34] United States of
[0:35] America. To
[0:36] the Republic I
[0:37] represent, one
[0:39] nation under God,
[0:40] indivisible, with
[0:41] liberty and
[0:42] justice for
[0:43] all.
[0:48] Roll call, Mr.
[0:50] Auditor.
[0:50] Connie Gramarossa.
[0:52] Present.
[0:53] Joe Haney.
[0:53] Present.
[0:54] Steve Hollowfield.
[0:55] Present.
[0:56] You have a
[0:57] quorum. We will accept
[0:58] the motion to
[0:59] consider the
[1:00] agenda, please.
[1:02] Um, a proposal to add
[1:03] , uh, one item to
[1:04] Section 10A. Old
[1:05] business, open
[1:06] bidding for, uh,
[1:07] communications
[1:08] devices JSC, uh,
[1:08] director Andrew Davis. Do
[1:10] you have a second?
[1:12] Everyone who is "in favor", say
[1:13] "yes".
[1:14] Yes.
[1:16] Uh, next, consideration,
[1:18] approval of the
[1:19] minutes of our
[1:20] meeting of
[1:21] September 16, 2026,
[1:23] please.
[1:24] Proposal to
[1:25] approve
[1:26] the minutes of
[1:27] September 16, 2026 as
[1:28] presented
[1:29] .
[1:29] Second.
[1:30] All in favor, say
[1:31] yes.
[1:32] We also have a review of the
[1:34] minutes of the joint
[1:36] seminar from 08/24/2026.
[1:38] Proposal to
[1:40] approve
[1:41] the minutes of the seminar
[1:42] dated 08/24/2026.
[1:43] Second.
[1:44] All in favor, say
[1:45] yes. Yes. Yes.
[1:48] Okay, let's move on to the
[1:49] claims,
[1:50] please.
[1:53] We have a
[1:54] payroll for the
[1:57] period from 918 to 2026, $
[2:00] 1,547,455.85. We have a
[2:03] payroll for the
[2:06] period from 10:22, uh, 10,
[2:08] sorry, from 10:20, uh, 26:00,
[2:11] $1,510,771.61. This
[2:13] totals $3,058,227.46.
[2:16] We also have
[2:17] operating expenses. Oh
[2:18] , let's stop there.
[2:20] Proposal to
[2:21] approve, uh,
[2:22] both
[2:22] payrolls as
[2:23] presented
[2:24] .
[2:25] Second.
[2:26] All in favor, say
[2:27] yes.
[2:28] Now let's move on to
[2:29] operating expenses, $
[2:31] 2,737,715.62. And again
[2:36] , uh, that included
[2:37] some insurance, uh,
[2:39] payments, and also, uh,
[2:40] some other work
[2:41] done on the road.
[2:42] So, this is the time of year
[2:44] when expenses
[2:45] skyrocket because of this.
[2:47] I propose
[2:47] to approve the
[2:48] expense claims as
[2:49] presented.
[2:50] Second.
[2:51] Everyone who is "in favor" says
[2:52] I am. Y. Okay,
[2:54] public
[2:54] discussion. The
[2:55] public
[2:55] discussion is now
[2:56] open. Again
[2:57] , 3 minutes.
[2:58] No disparaging
[2:59] comments about
[3:00] anyone in office, out of
[3:01] office, or anyone
[3:02] else. Does anyone want a
[3:03] public
[3:04] discussion?
[3:09] Nicholas Morelli,
[3:11] Laporte County. I would like to
[3:14] know how the three
[3:15] ordinances recently
[3:16] posted on the
[3:18] LaPorte County government website do not
[3:19] violate
[3:20] LaPorte's rights.
[3:22] Please speak into the microphone for the
[3:23] record.
[3:27] I would like to know how the
[3:28] bylaw
[3:29] affects
[3:30] citizens' rights to
[3:31] public hearings.
[3:34] Simply. Regarding the three
[3:39] resolutions, the
[3:40] reconstruction commission...
[3:42] This... This is in the resolution.
[3:45] You refuse...
[3:46] No, this... this is a public
[3:47] discussion. I'm not
[3:49] going to answer
[3:50] .
[3:50] If
[3:51] so.
[3:51] Mr. Morelli, it is
[3:52] my understanding that
[3:53] you have
[3:54] communicated with
[3:54] District Attorney
[3:55] Guy DiMartino on multiple occasions via
[3:56] email and have
[3:57] been advised that
[3:58] your restitution is
[3:59] being processed through the
[4:00] courts. Do you understand this?
[4:02] No, I don't understand.
[4:03] Okay, then you
[4:04] need to continue
[4:05] communicating with Guy
[4:06] DiMartino, as
[4:08] he has informed me
[4:09] that there is communication going on between the two of you
[4:10] regarding what
[4:11] your
[4:12] proper
[4:13] compensation is. And your
[4:15] compensation, sir.
[4:16] I am
[4:18] asking for clarification regarding the
[4:19] law. Could
[4:21] you please cite the
[4:22] law that says I
[4:23] cannot...
[4:24] This information has already
[4:25] been provided to you, sir.
[4:28] I don't understand the
[4:29] information. I ask
[4:30] you to explain it.
[4:32] And this information has been
[4:34] explained to you, and your
[4:35] due
[4:36] compensation, sir.
[4:38] I ask you
[4:39] to refer to the law
[4:40] according to which I
[4:41] cannot speak.
[4:43] There is no indication that
[4:44] you cannot
[4:45] speak, sir.
[4:48] The evidence is that
[4:50] you have previously
[4:51] approached this
[4:52] board and its attorney and were
[4:53] provided with the
[4:54] requested
[4:55] information. Is this
[4:57] correct?
[4:59] I can't confirm
[5:00] or deny this at
[5:01] this time.
[5:03] Good.
[5:04] So, I am asking for
[5:05] clarification according to the
[5:06] law. My
[5:07] specific public
[5:08] comment, and I
[5:09] hope this is not
[5:10] part of my time,
[5:11] because we're
[5:12] trying to get
[5:13] clarification here and
[5:14] explain what my
[5:16] public comment is. I
[5:17] would say that
[5:18] public comment
[5:19] is not a question-and-
[5:20] answer. This is your
[5:20] public comment.
[5:22] That's good. I would like to
[5:23] make a comment, and I
[5:24] will ask a question, and
[5:26] whether you want to
[5:26] answer or not, it is
[5:28] all up to you.
[5:32] So, with respect to
[5:33] the imposition of
[5:35] TIFs in Fort County, does
[5:36] the wording
[5:37] in the ordinances violate the rights of
[5:45] Fort County citizens
[5:46] to a public hearing?
[5:52] That's what
[5:53] the planner, Mitch
[5:55] Bishop, told me. I have a record
[5:58] where he says all
[5:59] TIF districts in
[6:00] Port County are located in
[6:02] this state. I
[6:03] believe this is a
[6:04] violation of the
[6:05] open door law. People were
[6:07] not informed. If
[6:11] you look at
[6:12] yesterday's LaPorte
[6:13] County City Council meeting
[6:14] , you'll see
[6:15] that it was a real
[6:16] failure, and people were not
[6:17] informed
[6:18] of these ordinances in a timely manner.
[6:22] And, Mr. Morelli, you
[6:24] were previously advised
[6:25] that your question,
[6:26] which you are asking
[6:27] during a public
[6:28] discussion, which is not a
[6:29] question-and-
[6:30] answer session, is
[6:32] properly addressed to the
[6:33] appropriate forum,
[6:34] which is the court. Do you
[6:37] understand?
[6:38] Clarification,
[6:39] please.
[6:40] Well, this is the clarification,
[6:41] as I understand it,
[6:42] that was given to you by
[6:43] District Attorney
[6:44] Guido Martino.
[6:46] I am asking about my
[6:47] right to speak
[6:48] publicly on this
[6:49] issue.
[6:50] You have spoken. Now
[6:52] , if you would like to
[6:53] make any additional
[6:54] comments, please feel free to do so
[6:55] . Did
[6:55] I use it?
[6:56] You used almost
[6:58] 3 minutes.
[6:58] I asked for
[6:59] clarification. This is not a
[7:00] public discussion
[7:01] .
[7:01] Sir, your time is up.
[7:03] Please sit down.
[7:04] If I ask,
[7:05] sir, your time is up. It was
[7:07] me,
[7:07] sir, and
[7:09] our lawyer answered your questions.
[7:10] He told you to go and
[7:11] speak in court. That's
[7:13] all, sir. Please sit down
[7:14] .
[7:15] This is illegal.
[7:16] No, that's not true.
[7:17] Yes, it is illegal.
[7:18] And then go see a
[7:19] lawyer.
[7:19] Clarification is not a
[7:20] public
[7:21] discussion.
[7:22] Mr. Rymer,
[7:23] could you help
[7:24] him find a place,
[7:25] please? Mr.
[7:26] Hollifield,
[7:27] please
[7:28] refer to the law.
[7:29] The issue was
[7:30] considered. The person
[7:31] expressed his right
[7:33] to public
[7:33] discussion. This is not a
[7:35] question and
[7:36] answer session. So,
[7:38] his public
[7:38] comment has been
[7:39] made, and no
[7:40] further action
[7:41] needs to be taken.
[7:42] Then he needs to
[7:43] stop talking.
[7:44] The law should be
[7:45] reviewed. Do
[7:47] you have any other
[7:48] comments?
[7:49] Yes.
[7:49] What is your comment?
[7:51] I will not comment
[7:52] further until
[7:53] clarification is provided.
[7:54] Come on, just
[7:55] sit down. Just
[7:56] sit down. We all
[7:57] have to
[7:58] abide by the terms of
[7:59] detention, my friend.
[8:00] Sir, you have been provided with
[8:01] sufficient information
[8:02] and clarification.
[8:03] I was given full
[8:04] time to comment.
[8:05] I asked for
[8:06] clarification. This is not a
[8:08] public
[8:08] discussion.
[8:09] I have a legal right
[8:11] to an explanation,
[8:14] and your legal right
[8:15] to an explanation has been properly
[8:17] addressed in the
[8:18] appropriate forum to which
[8:19] you were referred by the
[8:20] District Attorney. You
[8:23] admit that, don't you
[8:24] ?
[8:24] No.
[8:24] Okay, there's
[8:25] nothing more we can
[8:26] do for you.
[8:27] And I...Sir, I ask for
[8:28] clarification.
[8:30] Please allow me
[8:31] .
[8:31] No, I won't let them
[8:32] tell me how to
[8:33] take a break. Sir,
[8:34] your time is up.
[8:36] for clarification on
[8:36] which I cannot
[8:37] continue my
[8:38] public comment.
[8:39] Your time is up. You
[8:40] have 3 minutes.
[8:41] Tell me the law that
[8:42] ...
[8:43] What is your name, sir?
[8:44] Yes, you are fired.
[8:46] Please, sir.
[8:47] you
[8:47] are disrupting our
[8:48] meeting now.
[8:49] I'm not trying. Yes,
[8:50] you are fired. You
[8:51] were told how to
[8:52] do it.
[8:53] I don't understand.
[8:54] You were told how to
[8:55] do it. Then I
[8:56] suggest you
[8:57] go back to school.
[8:58] Learn how
[8:59] the government works.
[8:59] Please feel
[9:00] free to
[9:00] continue emailing
[9:02] Mr. Holyfield,
[9:02] sorry, we are
[9:03] going to disagree on
[9:04] this
[9:05] .
[9:05] Why can't I
[9:06] continue my
[9:07] public hearing?
[9:08] How much time did I
[9:09] spend? What law am
[9:11] I breaking, sir?
[9:12] Well, it's been almost 10 minutes
[9:14] .
[9:14] Please sit down.
[9:15] Name the law that prevents me from
[9:18] speaking in public,
[9:19] sir.
[9:20] Mr. Morelli, you were
[9:21] previously provided this
[9:22] information by the
[9:23] district attorney. Sir, I am speaking.
[9:28] You previously...It was previously
[9:30] pointed out to you by the
[9:31] district attorney, sir. No.
[9:35] Then your due
[9:37] compensation is in court.
[9:38] This is not for this forum.
[9:41] and clarification before the
[9:44] public
[9:44] comment period begins.
[9:46] Please don't touch
[9:47] me.
[9:48] Oh, God.
[9:49] Sir, please
[9:50] tell me
[9:51] which law I am
[9:52] violating. Please
[9:53] name the law
[9:54] I am violating, or
[9:55] I will file a lawsuit and be
[9:56] sued. Good.
[9:58] The lawyer explained this.
[10:00] public discussion
[10:01] . I need
[10:02] clarification. I'm asking...
[10:04] This is not for
[10:04] public discussion
[10:05] .
[10:06] Holyfield, how
[10:07] long...
[10:07] You've taken over 3
[10:08] minutes.
[10:09] It was a click...We're
[10:10] talking about
[10:11] clarification...
[10:12] We're done. We are
[10:13] moving on. Are
[10:14] we talking about
[10:15] any other
[10:15] public discussions
[10:16] ? Anyone else for
[10:16] public
[10:17] discussion?
[10:17] This is illegal.
[10:18] So, then
[10:19] arrest us,
[10:20] please. Does anyone else want a
[10:20] public
[10:21] discussion?
[10:22] Speak up. The
[10:22] public discussion is
[10:23] now closed.
[10:24] Let's move on.
[10:25] Comments from the head of the
[10:26] department. Do we have any
[10:27] comments from the
[10:27] department head? Please
[10:28] come to
[10:29] the microphone and
[10:29] speak. Mr.
[10:30] Savage, do you have anything?
[10:31] I'm not doing anything.
[10:32] Mr. Hollifield, we
[10:33] continue the meeting.
[10:34] There's another person who
[10:36] expressed their...
[10:37] Is there...Okay, I did
[10:38] n't see that.
[10:38] request for public
[10:39] discussion.
[10:40] Okay, I didn't see
[10:41] anyone raise their hand.
[10:42] Mr. Callis,
[10:42] please speak.
[10:43] Sorry about that.
[10:44] George.
[10:47] This time, no
[10:47] problem. Just a
[10:48] quick comment.
[10:50] Of course.
[10:50] I know that you have referred
[10:51] the issue of unification to the
[10:52] council for consideration so that
[10:53] it can decide something. I
[10:54] just want to draw
[10:56] attention to one thing. If I
[10:57] work for someone and
[10:57] they send
[10:58] me to
[10:58] Indianapolis and
[10:59] I don't have a
[11:00] car to
[11:00] team up with and I have to
[11:01] use my
[11:02] personal
[11:02] car, that's
[11:03] right, right?
[11:04] You are declaring the
[11:04] mileage.
[11:05] Okay, but what
[11:06] happens if I
[11:07] get into an accident,
[11:08] my car is
[11:08] completely wrecked, my
[11:10] insurance company
[11:11] gives me $5,000
[11:12] , and I have to
[11:13] spend another
[11:14] $25,000 to replace it?
[11:15] It's just complicated, will
[11:16] the county give me
[11:17] the difference in the amount it
[11:18] will
[11:19] cost to
[11:20] replace it? It's just something to
[11:21] think about. I don't...no
[11:22] ...I'm never
[11:23] going to
[11:23] use my
[11:24] car because it's
[11:25] happened to me
[11:26] before and I
[11:26] refuse
[11:27] to do that job.
[11:28] Okay, I'm just
[11:29] saying this, and I'm
[11:30] sure you've
[11:31] thought about it, but my
[11:32] comments don't
[11:32] change.
[11:33] Okay, thank you, George.
[11:34] Thank you, sir.
[11:38] Any other
[11:38] public comments?
[11:41] But that's all. The
[11:42] public discussion is
[11:44] now closed. We
[11:45] move on to
[11:46] the comments of the
[11:47] department head.
[11:53] Rob Saby of the
[11:56] LaPorte County Emergency Management Agency. Uh, I just
[11:57] want to give an update
[11:58] on, uh,
[12:00] a few things that are
[12:01] going on. Uh, first of all
[12:02] , uh, I
[12:02] spoke to the SDR
[12:03] this morning to
[12:04] get an update
[12:05] on
[12:06] where they
[12:07] are with the
[12:08] debris removal.
[12:11] Um, they said they
[12:12] probably, um, plan to be
[12:13] fully completed
[12:14] sometime around the
[12:15] first week of
[12:16] November, somewhere around
[12:17] that area. Um, they
[12:21] seem to be
[12:22] about 90%
[12:23] done with the
[12:25] trees with
[12:26] branches hanging down and
[12:27] broken things. They
[12:29] cut off the bad things
[12:31] that are still standing. Um, once
[12:32] I finish that,
[12:34] then they'll finish,
[12:35] and then, um, he said
[12:37] they were about
[12:38] 40-50% done with the
[12:39] trash removal.
[12:40] So, it involves,
[12:41] you know, shredding
[12:43] what we had and
[12:44] taking it out. So that's what
[12:45] they're on
[12:46] now. Um, I know there have been
[12:48] some complaints.
[12:49] People, um, I know there was
[12:51] a
[12:52] case going around recently, you know, they were
[12:54] just cutting down
[12:55] trees to make
[12:56] money. Um, and that's not true.
[12:58] Haha. Um, so there's, um, a
[13:01] group that actually
[13:02] monitors what
[13:04] they can cut down.
[13:05] If it doesn't meet
[13:07] the requirements, they don't
[13:08] get paid for it. So, you know, there
[13:10] must be some kind of
[13:11] damage. I
[13:12] went out and looked at
[13:14] one. There was a complaint about the
[13:15] tree, they say, someone
[13:17] called and said
[13:18] that, um, everything was fine with it
[13:19] . They just
[13:21] cut him down. Hmm, they
[13:22] take pictures of everything. So
[13:24] he showed me
[13:25] the pictures and it
[13:25] was actually
[13:26] split. So you
[13:27] couldn't...so the tree
[13:28] looked whole, but
[13:29] there was probably a gap
[13:30] about an inch that
[13:31] went down about
[13:32] 6-8 feet. So,
[13:33] you know, the next
[13:34] good wind would probably
[13:35] cut it down. So,
[13:37] um, just wanted
[13:38] to clarify. So, you know,
[13:40] people...they just don't
[13:41] go out, um, cut down
[13:42] trees just because
[13:44] they're going to get paid to do it, because
[13:45] that's not how it works.
[13:47] Anyway, the
[13:48] second thing I have is
[13:50] ...this Saturday or
[13:51] Friday and Saturday
[13:52] we have a general
[13:53] store. Hmm, he'll be
[13:55] at the fairgrounds
[13:56] . So,
[13:58] we have, um, a bunch of different
[13:59] agencies that will be
[14:01] there to help
[14:02] people. Um, they
[14:03] can answer
[14:04] questions and
[14:05] maybe help them
[14:06] fill out forms and such.
[14:07] Um, I'll just quickly
[14:09] go through the list. Um
[14:10] , so on Friday they
[14:12] will be there from 9:00 to 18:00
[14:14] and on Saturday from 9:00 to 16:00.
[14:16] And they will be in the
[14:16] community building. Um,
[14:19] so if you have
[14:20] any questions about
[14:21] this, I highly
[14:22] recommend you go out
[14:24] there and get
[14:25] your
[14:26] questions answered. Um, I know
[14:28] we're still
[14:29] getting a lot of
[14:30] calls, people,
[14:31] you know, wanting to
[14:31] know about
[14:32] garbage collection,
[14:33] insurance, etc. So
[14:34] I'll just go through the
[14:36] list here. Um, I
[14:37] know there are people in the county
[14:38] who are, um,
[14:39] being helped with
[14:40] temporary housing right now and
[14:42] they are looking for
[14:42] long-term housing.
[14:44] So, they put
[14:45] them in hotels and
[14:46] things like that,
[14:47] you know, because they've
[14:47] suffered damage that they
[14:49] can't really stay
[14:50] at home. Um, there will be
[14:51] housing support.
[14:53] Um,
[14:54] insurance information, meaning
[14:55] people from the insurance
[14:56] industry will be there,
[14:57] they'll help with
[14:58] interpreting your
[14:59] policies or, uh,
[15:00] maybe help
[15:01] if you lost or,
[15:02] you know, maybe your
[15:03] house was
[15:04] damaged or
[15:05] flooded or
[15:06] something and you lost
[15:07] your policies, you know,
[15:08] they got wet, and they
[15:09] can help you
[15:10] with that. Um, maybe
[15:12] get copies of your
[15:14] insurance policies,
[15:15] um, and maybe
[15:16] just general
[15:17] information on how to
[15:18] go through this process.
[15:21] Um, public
[15:22] health will be there. Um
[15:24] , um, I mean, through the
[15:25] state, and I think the
[15:27] county will be there too.
[15:30] I don't have
[15:31] confirmation of this yet,
[15:32] but as far as
[15:33] getting your, uh,
[15:35] vaccination records,
[15:36] tetanus shots,
[15:37] civil life records,
[15:39] you know,
[15:40] birth and death certificates.
[15:41] Um, and they'll have
[15:42] some, you know,
[15:44] cleaning tips,
[15:45] you know, like how to,
[15:46] you know, clean up
[15:47] mold and stuff. Um,
[15:50] disaster unemployment, is there
[15:52] any assistance,
[15:53] maybe for
[15:53] lost
[15:55] wages due to the storm.
[15:56] You know, if your
[15:57] business was closed
[15:58] and you couldn't, you know,
[16:00] get
[16:01] paid. Um, the
[16:02] BMV transportation department
[16:04] will be there to
[16:05] help, you know,
[16:06] maybe replace
[16:07] lost documents.
[16:08] Maybe you lost
[16:09] your, uh, driver's
[16:10] license or
[16:11] ID card,
[16:12] or maybe
[16:12] your vehicle registration
[16:14] or something.
[16:15] Social services,
[16:16] you know, for
[16:17] referrals to
[16:18] crisis psychiatric
[16:19] care. Um, SDRF, the
[16:21] State
[16:23] Disaster Relief Fund, they
[16:25] will be there to
[16:26] help with the
[16:27] applications. General
[16:29] questions, advice for
[16:31] small businesses regarding
[16:32] resources to
[16:33] replenish
[16:33] unmet needs
[16:35] for clothing, food, and
[16:36] cleaning assistance through
[16:37] local volunteer
[16:38] organizations.
[16:40] Guides on
[16:41] potential
[16:41] fraudulent
[16:42] contractors. Um,
[16:43] tips for
[16:44] contacting the
[16:45] USDA
[16:47] regarding
[16:47] agricultural
[16:48] losses. Um, FEMA
[16:50] will also be there for
[16:50] individual
[16:51] assistance and
[16:52] support. I know
[16:54] some people have already
[16:55] applied but maybe
[16:56] didn't get as many
[16:57] as they expected
[16:58] or got rejected or
[17:00] something. They'll be
[17:00] there to
[17:01] answer those
[17:02] questions or
[17:03] help maybe,
[17:04] well, you know, find
[17:05] your way around. The
[17:06] Small
[17:07] Business Administration will provide you with
[17:09] disaster loans.
[17:10] They have
[17:11] low interest loans and
[17:12] so on. So they
[17:13] will help businesses
[17:14] and individuals
[17:15] apply if
[17:17] they need to. The
[17:19] La Porte County Assessor's Office will
[17:21] help you file the
[17:22] form. This is Form 137 for
[17:24] revaluation. So if
[17:26] your property has been
[17:27] damaged or
[17:28] something, you can
[17:29] apply for a
[17:30] reassessment to
[17:30] help, you know,
[17:31] lower the cost of
[17:32] your taxes. These are just
[17:33] some of the services that
[17:35] will be provided. So,
[17:36] as I said, it will be
[17:37] on Friday and
[17:38] Saturday. So, Friday
[17:39] is open from 9:00 to 18:00, and
[17:41] Saturday is from 9:00 to 16:00.
[17:43] So are there any more
[17:44] questions?
[17:44] While you're here, I have
[17:45] two things I
[17:46] just want to say.
[17:48] I was recently in a
[17:49] Zoom meeting with the
[17:50] Department of
[17:50] Homeland Security.
[17:53] If you live in a
[17:55] floodplain, it is Category
[17:57] I. There is an 800 number or
[17:58] 833-495-9888 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
[18:01] Eastern Standard
[18:03] Time. Or you can
[18:05] reach out to
[18:06] insdprogram@tetratech.com and they
[18:07] can help you
[18:08] if you have
[18:09] property damage and
[18:10] they can tell
[18:11] you if
[18:12] you are in a floodplain.
[18:13] Yes, I just
[18:14] talked...I didn't
[18:15] talk to her. We
[18:16] played a little bit of
[18:17] phone catch-up
[18:18] this morning, but,
[18:19] uh, the girl in
[18:20] charge of it
[18:21] called me
[18:22] this morning, and I
[18:23] tried to
[18:24] call her back
[18:25] before the meeting, but,
[18:26] uh, I know we're
[18:26] working on it
[18:27] because of the flood. So
[18:28] she said she would
[18:29] leave a
[18:30] message and
[18:30] said we would
[18:31] need to file
[18:32] some paperwork throughout the
[18:33] county. So,
[18:35] she hasn't
[18:36] called me back yet, but
[18:37] I guess we'll get to that today
[18:38] . So, we
[18:43] are also working on
[18:44] collaborating with VOAD from
[18:45] another state and United Way
[18:47] on long-term
[18:48] recovery. So
[18:50] next week we're going to have a
[18:52] meeting with
[18:53] a lot of different, um,
[18:54] agencies from around the county. An
[18:59] email will be sent out today to
[19:00] develop a plan to
[19:01] help people. There are
[19:04] a lot of gaps that
[19:05] we are trying
[19:06] to fill, ahem, for
[19:08] recovery. I know
[19:11] that the United Way has some
[19:12] grants from the state, and where
[19:13] they can, there's some
[19:15] money, maybe to
[19:16] help with rent
[19:17] or, you know,
[19:18] things like that, or maybe
[19:19] I'm looking at...I know there
[19:20] are still people
[19:21] who have trees and
[19:22] things in their yards that
[19:23] are trying to get
[19:24] help with that.
[19:25] You know, insurance doesn't
[19:27] pay, you know,
[19:28] maybe $500, and
[19:29] removing one
[19:30] tree, you know,
[19:31] costs about five or
[19:32] six thousand. So it's not a
[19:33] lot of money,
[19:34] you know, if you have
[19:35] five or six trees
[19:37] in your yard, it's a lot of
[19:38] money, you know, so
[19:39] we're working to
[19:40] take care of that as well.
[19:41] That is, we were lucky.
[19:43] We didn't have flooding,
[19:44] I mean, we had
[19:45] basements that flooded
[19:47] because of, you know,
[19:47] septic tanks because there was no
[19:49] electricity,
[19:49] sump pumps
[19:51] and stuff weren't working,
[19:52] but we do have some
[19:54] mold damage and other things,
[19:55] but not too much. We were
[19:56] lucky. In our
[19:58] district, I've said this
[19:59] before, we still
[20:01] had a lot of
[20:01] damage, but,
[20:02] you know, we were lucky
[20:04] . We didn't have a lot of
[20:05] structural
[20:06] damage. You know,
[20:07] right now, as far as we
[20:08] know, only
[20:10] five of our houses have been
[20:11] destroyed. We
[20:13] had about 60
[20:14] serious cases, and
[20:15] then, you know, it
[20:16] just keeps going
[20:17] . So, you know, we had
[20:19] some, you know, not
[20:20] gutters off houses and stuff
[20:21] , maybe some
[20:22] damage to roofs,
[20:23] but I mean there's a lot more
[20:25] , but it's not as
[20:26] bad as,
[20:27] you know, what
[20:28] happened in the other two
[20:29] counties to the west of
[20:31] us. So we
[20:31] got lucky there, but
[20:33] okay. So are there any more
[20:34] questions?
[20:35] Yes, we have one more.
[20:37] Mr. Ferraro,
[20:38] could you come over and
[20:39] join Mr.
[20:40] Sibi? I'm sorry, I almost
[20:43] lured you here this
[20:44] morning under
[20:45] false pretenses.
[20:46] Nice to
[20:47] see you.
[20:47] Ministers, good
[20:49] morning. My name is
[20:50] Anthony Ferraro. I am a
[20:51] senior policy
[20:52] advisor to Governor
[20:53] Brown. I had the honor of
[20:55] being the co-
[20:56] incident commander during the
[20:57] storms in District 1. I
[20:59] know I spoke to, I
[21:00] think, almost all of
[21:02] you, if not here and
[21:03] there, and I had the
[21:04] opportunity to work
[21:05] directly with
[21:06] Rob and other EMAs throughout the
[21:08] district. Um, I
[21:10] can tell you, know,
[21:11] confirming all this
[21:13] information and participating
[21:14] in the recovery phase, that
[21:16] the level of
[21:16] professionalism
[21:17] that you have here and
[21:19] your EMA director is
[21:20] still outstanding. So I'm
[21:22] grateful to Commissioner
[21:23] Haney, who reached out
[21:24] to me and asked if
[21:25] we could recognize
[21:26] his efforts and the
[21:27] efforts of his team.
[21:29] And the governor
[21:29] agreed. So
[21:31] today, to everyone who
[21:33] enjoys these
[21:34] gifts, congratulations:
[21:35] as some people
[21:36] are recognized for their
[21:37] significant contributions to
[21:38] their communities;
[21:39] because the qualities and
[21:40] characteristics of such
[21:41] people reflect the
[21:42] best in the great
[21:43] state of Indiana;
[21:44] whereas these actions of the people
[21:46] inspire confidence in the
[21:47] hearts and minds of all
[21:48] the people of Indiana; and
[21:49] whereas
[21:50] the undermentioned person is
[21:51] such a man as
[21:52] has earned the respect and
[21:53] admiration of the people of
[21:55] Indiana throughout the
[21:56] state and is worthy
[21:57] to join the ranks of
[21:58] those who have been so
[21:58] honored. Now, I,
[22:01] Mike Brown,
[22:02] Governor of the State of
[22:03] Indiana, do hereby proclaim the
[22:04] Honorable Robert
[22:06] Savi an Honorable
[22:07] Resident of Indiana.
[22:08] Congratulations
[22:09] . Thank you. I just
[22:17] want to add that this is a
[22:18] team effort. I
[22:19] mean
[22:21] Cody?
[22:21] Yes, Cody too. I
[22:23] mean our
[22:24] employees, but
[22:25] as for the entire district,
[22:26] I mean we're
[22:27] all united. Um,
[22:28] you know, there's a
[22:30] whole bunch of people sitting in the back row who,
[22:32] you know, all of them, all of the
[22:33] agencies in the county, we've
[22:34] all come together. We
[22:36] all worked. We are
[22:37] still working. Um,
[22:38] I appreciate that and thank you.
[22:40] Um,
[22:40] I anticipated these
[22:41] comments, so we
[22:43] have an additional letter
[22:44] for the team, because we
[22:45] understand that, you know,
[22:47] we are one people, but it's
[22:48] always, you know, the people
[22:49] below us who do
[22:51] this every day. So, there is an
[22:51] additional letter of
[22:52] congratulations and
[22:53] endorsement for the
[22:54] governor for the
[22:55] team. Well
[22:55] , thank you.
[22:56] Of course.
[22:57] Thanks, Rob. I accept
[22:59] this on behalf of the entire
[23:00] district.
[23:00] Good. Thanks, Rob.
[23:02] Thank you. Are
[23:03] there any other
[23:04] department heads,
[23:05] please?
[23:12] I want to give way to
[23:13] others, I think I'm
[23:14] next. Mike
[23:15] Rosenbaum, auditor.
[23:17] Um, there are a few
[23:17] announcements, I just
[23:18] want to make sure it's
[23:20] all
[23:20] posted. The county is holding a tax sale for over 300 properties on
[23:21] Tuesday, October 13th at
[23:22] 10:00 a.m. at the
[23:23] fairgrounds.
[23:28] Detailed information
[23:29] can be found on the
[23:30] district's website. It
[23:31] has also been
[23:32] published
[23:33] elsewhere. On Wednesday,
[23:34] October 14th, at 5:30 PM, the
[23:35] County Council
[23:36] will hold a special
[23:37] meeting, public
[23:38] hearing, in this room on the following
[23:39] issues:
[23:40] Local
[23:41] Income Tax Modification for EMS.
[23:45] La Porte County Government Budget for 2027. And the
[23:48] La Porte County Solid Waste Management Budget
[23:50] for 2027. A
[23:50] proper notice
[23:51] was placed in both
[23:53] newspapers. For
[23:54] state purposes, Form Three,
[23:55] a Notice to
[23:56] Taxpayers,
[23:57] on the state's website,
[23:58] known as Gateway, is a
[23:59] summary of the
[24:00] 2027 budget.
[24:01] It was also
[24:02] posted on the
[24:02] district's website. I
[24:04] believe this is the first time we are doing this
[24:05] .
[24:06] Public
[24:06] announcements also
[24:07] inform
[24:08] the public
[24:09] that budget
[24:10] information,
[24:10] additional budget
[24:11] information is available
[24:13] on the Solid Waste website for
[24:14] their budget and at the
[24:15] Auditor's Office for the
[24:16] County Government budget.
[24:18] I have a few
[24:19] brief comments
[24:20] regarding the
[24:22] local
[24:23] income tax modification outlined
[24:24] in white.
[24:25] The implementation,
[24:26] the introduction of a
[24:27] supplemental
[24:27] local
[24:29] income tax for EMS, is
[24:29] one of the
[24:31] remaining tools to
[24:32] make up for lost
[24:33] revenue from
[24:34] real estate and
[24:35] personal property taxes.
[24:37] Implementation
[24:37] will free up funds in the
[24:38] general fund to
[24:39] pay for future
[24:40] major renovations to
[24:41] several structures, such
[24:43] as the
[24:43] LaPorte Courthouse and
[24:44] Michigan City City Hall,
[24:45] to name two of the
[24:46] largest.
[24:48] The county is currently unable to come out
[24:49] and provide guarantees for
[24:50] these projects because
[24:51] the county has not restored
[24:52] its credit
[24:53] rating. The State
[24:54] Board of Accounts
[24:55] is in the
[24:56] process of completing its
[24:57] 2025 audit
[24:57] under
[24:58] generally accepted
[25:01] accounting principles, also
[25:02] known as GAAP. After
[25:03] the report is published, it
[25:05] may take
[25:06] several months for the credit agencies to
[25:06] review before
[25:07] our credit
[25:08] rating is
[25:09] restored. On
[25:10] another issue, I
[25:14] would like to make
[25:15] a few comments
[25:16] regarding my office,
[25:17] as there were some
[25:18] inaccuracies and I
[25:19] just want to
[25:20] make sure we have
[25:21] corrected everything. Our
[25:23] real estate office, or
[25:24] now Beacon, the
[25:25] auditor's office, has direct
[25:26] access to Beacon. So,
[25:28] we can
[25:29] only enter information about
[25:30] address changes or
[25:30] changes in information that
[25:32] we enter into the
[25:33] Laos software.
[25:34] Telling someone that
[25:35] we have access to
[25:36] Beacon is not true.
[25:37] I'm sorry if this
[25:39] spread and anyone
[25:40] got
[25:40] misinformed, but it's
[25:42] not true. The only people
[25:43] who have access to
[25:45] Beacon are the
[25:46] assessor's office, which
[25:47] uploads
[25:47] the information at least
[25:49] annually, unless there are
[25:50] other things that
[25:51] need to happen. Hmm, there
[25:53] is a
[25:54] possibility in this. We
[25:55] also have a
[25:57] GIS employee and he also has
[25:58] access, but not my
[25:59] department. Another thing
[26:02] I want to let
[26:03] people know is that when the
[26:05] property tax number, when the property numbers
[26:07] are taxed,
[26:08] sometimes it's there for the
[26:10] property tax and sometimes it's there
[26:11] for the
[26:12] personal property tax. Therefore, it is
[26:15] not easy to determine what it is
[26:16] . So when
[26:18] someone comes up and
[26:19] asks a question to
[26:20] another department, we
[26:21] have asked, and I'm
[26:22] going to repeat
[26:23] this publicly, if
[26:24] you have anything that you
[26:26] think should be sent
[26:27] to our office,
[26:28] please send it to
[26:29] me and Joey. Um,
[26:30] sometimes you don't even
[26:31] realize it.
[26:32] Joey will do a quick
[26:33] research faster
[26:34] than anyone else, and
[26:36] that way we
[26:36] will get
[26:37] an answer to them faster. And
[26:38] so far today it is
[26:40] starting to work just like that
[26:41] . So, with that in
[26:42] mind, it's good
[26:43] . Um, and I also
[26:44] suggest that when you
[26:45] get a request for
[26:46] information that's not your
[26:48] department, just
[26:49] forward it to
[26:50] the head of that
[26:50] department. We would be
[26:52] very grateful for such a
[26:53] professional approach, and
[26:54] then we will be able to
[26:55] help our
[26:56] constituents in the best
[26:57] way possible. Uh, and then the
[26:59] last comment
[27:00] here earlier this
[27:01] morning, I didn't
[27:02] expect that. I heard from the
[27:03] person who
[27:04] audited
[27:05] our workers' compensation. Uh
[27:07] , this is
[27:07] being finalized now.
[27:09] It is being forwarded to
[27:10] management, and so
[27:12] we will probably
[27:14] receive an assessment within the next week. Uh, it
[27:15] definitely will be, it will be an
[27:16] additional amount,
[27:17] because looking at
[27:18] the estimate, there was a
[27:19] general increase in the
[27:20] payroll
[27:22] compared to what
[27:23] was forecasted,
[27:24] because when it was
[27:24] forecasted, it
[27:25] was without a raise.
[27:27] And last year there was a
[27:28] 3% increase, and that's
[27:30] about an additional
[27:31] amount. The good news
[27:33] is that
[27:34] this time there are
[27:35] different classifications of
[27:36] workers. So, there is a
[27:38] difference between a
[27:39] truck driver, an office
[27:40] worker, and
[27:41] a mechanic. And we're
[27:42] working very hard
[27:43] to get that data
[27:44] ...we've provided this
[27:45] auditor with a tremendous
[27:46] amount of information
[27:47] , and we believe we've
[27:48] now got
[27:49] the classifications so that we
[27:50] can get a better
[27:51] assessment. So sometimes
[27:52] the numbers are lower,
[27:53] some are higher, and
[27:54] obviously the more precise
[27:56] we do it, the
[27:57] better estimate we
[27:58] get. And so, it
[27:59] was just a few
[28:00] hours ago before the
[28:01] meeting. So
[28:02] moving on, thank
[28:04] you for your time. Just
[28:05] wanted to give
[28:06] you a quick update on
[28:06] a lot of things that are
[28:07] happening.
[28:08] Okay, thank you. Are
[28:09] there any more
[28:10] department heads?
[28:18] Good morning, Maureen
[28:20] Thomas, Director of Human
[28:21] Resources. I just
[28:23] want to let everyone know
[28:24] that open enrollment
[28:26] starts from
[28:27] October 26th to November 6th.
[28:29] This will be a personal
[28:31] set with our
[28:32] American
[28:33] Fidelity representatives. They will be
[28:35] present here, in
[28:36] the district, in different
[28:37] areas. So,
[28:38] keep an eye on this
[28:39] email. And
[28:41] also, uh, from November 9th to 13th,
[28:42] they
[28:43] will be conducting
[28:44] telephone
[28:45] consultations. So those
[28:46] employees who cannot
[28:48] attend in person
[28:50] will be able to
[28:50] call and
[28:51] register there.
[28:54] So those who are on
[28:54] vacation outside the
[28:56] country will have
[28:57] the opportunity
[28:57] to register
[28:58] openly by phone.
[29:01] So I just want
[29:02] to let everyone know that
[29:03] this will happen
[29:04] within the next
[29:05] few weeks. I also
[29:06] want to thank everyone
[29:07] who attended our
[29:09] food truck event. Thank you,
[29:10] commissioners, for
[29:12] allowing us to
[29:13] do this and giving
[29:14] the staff something to look forward to
[29:16] every year, and
[29:17] maybe we can
[29:18] do it annually, and maybe
[29:19] we can do it
[29:20] just once a year. Uh,
[29:23] maybe we can talk
[29:24] about that sometime. So I
[29:26] just want to
[29:27] let you know what we
[29:28] do in HR, and if
[29:29] you have any questions
[29:31] , you know where I am.
[29:32] So,
[29:33] Ms. Thompson, I want to
[29:34] ask you
[29:35] a question because
[29:36] we face this every year
[29:37] . There are always one
[29:39] or two employees
[29:40] who don't use
[29:41] it, and they don't
[29:42] do open
[29:43] enrollment. And I want
[29:47] you to be specific about
[29:48] what other
[29:49] ways you're
[29:49] using,
[29:50] other than going to the
[29:51] commissioner's meeting and making
[29:53] a statement about it, so that everyone
[29:54] understands that there are other
[29:55] ways that you're
[29:56] calling for
[29:57] to ensure that all
[29:58] employees
[29:59] do this so that we don't
[30:00] continue to have this
[30:02] problem.
[30:04] Yes, of course. Every year,
[30:06] American Fidelity sends
[30:07] text
[30:08] messages,
[30:09] emails, and
[30:10] postcards to the
[30:12] addresses on file for
[30:13] each
[30:13] employee. And for
[30:17] those who say they
[30:19] don't get them, we
[30:20] have records that, uh,
[30:21] communications are
[30:22] coming to these
[30:23] people; and also, uh, you'll
[30:24] get a
[30:25] notification and they
[30:26] do it the day before
[30:28] their meetings. You
[30:31] can schedule
[30:32] your own meetings
[30:33] in these
[30:34] emails, and as I
[30:35] said, with the leaflets
[30:36] and flyers that are
[30:37] sent out,
[30:38] employees can also
[30:40] call the
[30:41] 1-800 number. So, there are
[30:42] various ways for
[30:43] employees
[30:44] to contact American
[30:45] Fidelity to schedule
[30:47] their appointments.
[30:48] Thank you.
[30:49] Hmm.
[30:50] Thank you.
[30:50] Are there any more questions?
[30:53] Thank you. Are
[30:55] there other
[30:56] department heads?
[30:58] Uh, briefly, uh, Mr.
[30:59] President, if
[31:00] you allow me. Uh, I just
[31:02] want to make sure that
[31:03] , uh, the public
[31:04] knows that, uh, you know,
[31:05] if they have any
[31:07] questions, they can
[31:08] , of course, reach out
[31:09] to any of us. Uh
[31:10] , go to
[31:11] our district
[31:12] attorney, anyone
[31:13] else, but when
[31:14] it comes to, uh
[31:15] , imposing a
[31:16] technology park
[31:17] , a TIF district, those are two
[31:18] very different things. Uh,
[31:19] when it comes to,
[31:20] uh, you know, for example
[31:22] , a BZA hearing, if
[31:23] there's a deviation, everything has to
[31:24] be considered before the
[31:25] BZA hearing regardless
[31:26] . When
[31:27] it comes to the fact
[31:29] that there is no
[31:29] need for a waiver,
[31:31] then, obviously, there is no
[31:32] need to contact the
[31:33] BZA. As far as
[31:35] publicity, you know,
[31:36] public hearings,
[31:37] public meetings, uh
[31:38] , anything that's
[31:39] voted on and
[31:39] decided,
[31:41] whether it's through the RDC or the
[31:42] planning commission or the
[31:43] county council or
[31:44] our board here, the
[31:45] board of commissioners,
[31:46] anytime there's
[31:48] any public
[31:48] vote, for
[31:49] those things there's a period
[31:50] for my protest or
[31:51] public
[31:52] discussion or
[31:53] both. Uh,
[31:54] none of this
[31:55] changes, none of
[31:56] this has changed, and
[31:57] I would encourage anyone
[31:58] who is interested, all of our
[31:59] joint zoning ordinances
[32:01] are online on the
[32:02] county website, you
[32:03] can look at
[32:04] them. The
[32:05] data center ordinance
[32:06] that we passed, uh, is
[32:08] on the county website,
[32:09] you can
[32:09] look at it. The map of the
[32:12] KIP Technology Park is also
[32:13] online, you can
[32:14] look at it
[32:15] anytime, anyone
[32:16] wants to, look at
[32:17] it and see all the
[32:18] different things outlined
[32:20] , and, you know, they all
[32:21] stack up on top of each
[32:22] other. When it comes
[32:24] to a TIF district, a
[32:25] TIF district map is significantly
[32:26] different from a
[32:27] technology
[32:29] park map. For example, in KIP,
[32:31] this technology
[32:32] park only covers
[32:35] part of the industrial
[32:36] park and only heavy
[32:37] industry M2,
[32:39] right? The TIF map itself
[32:40] for the TIF district around
[32:42] this area is larger
[32:43] than that, and they are two very
[32:44] different things. TIF is a
[32:47] tax increment financing district
[32:48] . In any case, that's
[32:49] a lot of topics to
[32:50] discuss here at the
[32:51] meeting, for the sake of
[32:51] brevity. I...I...I'm
[32:52] going to end
[32:53] it there, but if
[32:53] you have any
[32:54] questions, you can
[32:54] reach out to
[32:55] any of us,
[32:55] reach out to our
[32:56] district attorney,
[32:57] reach out to our
[32:58] planning commission,
[32:58] planning department, and
[32:59] we'd be happy
[33:00] to answer any
[33:00] questions you have.
[33:01] Again, all of these
[33:02] documents are online, and
[33:03] they have been
[33:03] online for quite some
[33:04] time. So feel
[33:05] free to
[33:06] browse them at
[33:07] any time. Thank you.
[33:08] Let's move on to
[33:09] the queries. Consider
[33:11] permission to apply to the
[33:12] council for
[33:13] additional
[33:14] spending appropriations. Eric
[33:15] Finstromaker from EMS,
[33:16] please come
[33:17] forward.
[33:20] Good morning,
[33:21] commissioners. I request
[33:22] permission to address the
[33:24] council regarding the 75,000
[33:25] budget deficit
[33:26] related to fuel
[33:28] .
[33:29] Entrance.
[33:30] Yes. With the increase in
[33:31] gasoline prices, our
[33:33] call load has also increased,
[33:34] so we are obviously
[33:35] running out of gasoline and
[33:36] oil for our
[33:37] own
[33:38] ambulances. The
[33:39] other two operations are other
[33:40] operations that are mainly
[33:42] used to
[33:43] supply oxygen. The
[33:44] delivery surcharge has
[33:45] increased to
[33:46] offset their
[33:47] fuel costs. And
[33:48] then, corporate
[33:49] compliance, which is for
[33:50] all of
[33:51] our other
[33:52] consumables
[33:53] that we
[33:53] use in the
[33:55] ambulances, and that fee has
[33:56] gone up along with the
[33:57] cost of those
[33:58] items. So that's
[33:59] 25,000 for each of them, a
[34:01] total of 75,000. Is the
[34:03] board satisfied?
[34:05] Motion
[34:05] to apply to council
[34:06] for permission
[34:07] to apply to council
[34:08] for these additional
[34:09] appropriations.
[34:10] Second.
[34:10] All those in favor, say
[34:12] yes. Yes. Good luck.
[34:13] Thank you.
[34:17] Consider temporarily
[34:18] closing roads for
[34:19] film production.
[34:31] Good morning, Mr.
[34:33] President, and, um,
[34:34] the nurses of the
[34:35] LaPorte County Commission. My
[34:40] name is Michelangelo
[34:41] Bernacchi, I am a resident of
[34:42] Laporte, and I am also the
[34:43] screenwriter and producer of a
[34:44] feature film
[34:45] called "Belle." We
[34:51] film exclusively in
[34:53] LaPorte County and
[34:54] also, um,
[34:55] downtown. We
[34:57] will film a small
[34:58] area there. We are requesting a
[35:03] temporary closure
[35:04] solely for the safety of
[35:05] filming some scenes of
[35:06] the film. They are
[35:11] located in
[35:12] several areas, which
[35:13] we will explain in detail.
[35:16] But I'll backtrack a bit
[35:17] . I'll tell you
[35:20] if you're
[35:21] curious about the
[35:22] movie. "Belle" is...
[35:25] Well, let's start from the
[35:27] beginning. When I was a
[35:28] little boy,
[35:29] I would sit and listen to
[35:30] my grandfather, Angelo
[35:32] Bernacchi, talk about how
[35:33] he rode his
[35:34] bicycles to
[35:35] sell groceries. And
[35:37] when did he ride his
[35:38] bikes for
[35:38] groceries? It was
[35:41] 1908. And he rode his
[35:42] bikes to the
[35:43] Gunness farm. Yes, Belle
[35:45] Gunness was his
[35:46] client. And he was the
[35:49] inspiration I
[35:50] wrote the script about. But
[35:53] I also took
[35:54] some creative
[35:55] liberties by creating a
[35:56] romantic relationship
[35:57] between my grandfather and his
[35:58] adopted daughter
[36:00] Belle Gunness. So
[36:03] not only do we have a
[36:04] historical story
[36:05] based on
[36:08] America's most prolific serial killer, but we also have a
[36:08] romantic subplot
[36:10] that really
[36:11] sets this film apart.
[36:13] We have an extraordinary
[36:15] interest in this
[36:16] industry across the country
[36:17] . People know we're
[36:18] doing it, and the shots
[36:19] will take place here in
[36:21] LaPorte, right here in
[36:22] LaPorte. Our first
[36:24] day of principal photography
[36:25] is around the 27th of
[36:26] this month. And
[36:29] we're talking about
[36:30] completion around
[36:32] November 20th. But regarding
[36:34] the details of these
[36:35] road closures and
[36:36] detours, we
[36:37] need to make it
[36:38] safe, and we
[36:39] understand that this is
[36:40] extremely important. I
[36:42] mean,
[36:43] the commission's goal is the safety of
[36:44] the residents of these
[36:45] areas, and we
[36:46] understand that. That's one of the
[36:49] reasons why we
[36:50] think that if we
[36:51] close these roads,
[36:52] filming will be
[36:53] much
[36:54] safer. So,
[36:57] in terms of details, I
[36:58] brought our
[36:59] production assistant here, her name is
[37:01] Mickey Taylor, and she
[37:02] would like to talk to you
[37:03] about some
[37:04] details. I think I'll
[37:06] keep a few of
[37:08] these signs here to
[37:09] help you. I
[37:10] understand that each of
[37:11] you has some
[37:12] information, but here's
[37:13] Mickey...
[37:15] Yes, I'm too
[37:16] brief. That's it. As
[37:21] I spoke to Diane
[37:22] and Steve earlier, there are
[37:23] specific areas
[37:24] that we need to
[37:25] close for filming.
[37:29] First...Okay, this is the
[37:30] Orlake Mansion. We
[37:32] will be filming in the
[37:34] mansion itself. So we will
[37:36] need to
[37:37] close this section of the
[37:38] road. It will be, um,
[37:42] the details are: West
[37:44] Small Road, just
[37:45] west of, um,
[37:46] Timber Ridge, North
[37:48] Timber Ridge Road and
[37:49] just above 400th. That
[37:52] little area over there.
[37:54] shouldn't be
[37:55] any houses or
[37:55] anything that would cause
[37:56] problems.
[37:57] Traffic can
[37:58] bypass Timber Ridge
[37:59] and get to the other
[38:00] side of Small Road, as well as
[38:02] this section
[38:03] right here.
[38:03] And will they still be able to
[38:04] use 400
[38:06] North?
[38:06] Excuse me, what?
[38:07] They will still be able to
[38:08] use 400
[38:09] North. Good.
[38:10] To be earlier, it would be
[38:11] east of 400 North
[38:12] , west of Timber Ridge.
[38:16] Um, the dates for this, um, the
[38:17] requested dates are November 2nd to
[38:19] November 11th. This is our
[38:22] most filming in the
[38:23] county. Um, we're well
[38:26] aware that we'll
[38:27] remove the locks
[38:29] when we're not shooting and
[38:30] put them
[38:31] back, um, every time we
[38:33] shoot. We don't
[38:34] want to close down
[38:36] filming 24/7. Um, however,
[38:37] it will be at different times of
[38:39] the day because some of
[38:40] the shoots will be
[38:41] at night and some will be
[38:42] during the day. Um, so
[38:43] every day I don't know exactly
[38:45] what the time frame is for
[38:46] each day. Um, so
[38:47] if you want me to
[38:49] update that as we
[38:50] get closer to that
[38:51] schedule, I can
[38:51] let you know so
[38:52] you can also let the
[38:53] , um,
[38:54] agencies know.
[38:55] Yes, please. Yes,
[38:56] because I have 911 and the
[38:57] Sheriff and we would like to
[38:58] know that and also regarding
[38:59] the residents and you
[39:00] say you are doing
[39:01] night shootings and so on.
[39:02] Will you
[39:03] use
[39:04] a lot of light that will keep
[39:05] people awake
[39:05] at night?
[39:06] shoots
[39:06] will
[39:07] mostly be with our
[39:08] microphone,
[39:09] please sir. Please
[39:11] . Microphone.
[39:12] Yes, most will be
[39:13] inside the house, There are a
[39:15] few, probably a
[39:16] few hours. We
[39:18] only talk about
[39:19] when we're shooting
[39:20] in the evening, probably
[39:21] 3-4 hours max. And,
[39:23] um, it would be, um,
[39:24] quite far from
[39:25] any residents,
[39:27] actually. We'll be
[39:28] at, um, the Orr mansion,
[39:30] actually. So he's
[39:31] actually in the woods. So it's
[39:33] pretty safe there.
[39:34] Good.
[39:36] Okay, this is an inquiry about
[39:38] the mansion on Lake Orr
[39:39] . Um, on Orr Lake Road
[39:42] , we'll just have a
[39:43] car, uh, an
[39:44] antique car on a
[39:45] trailer, and we
[39:46] need to film them
[39:48] just
[39:49] driving down the county road,
[39:50] and we'll just drive
[39:51] north of the
[39:52] last house
[39:53] on Orr Lake Road. Uh,
[39:57] we'll block it there,
[39:59] towards
[39:59] the intersection with Orr Lake
[40:01] Drive, but we won't
[40:01] close it.
[40:04] Just like that. And there are
[40:06] no
[40:06] residential buildings in that area. And
[40:09] it will only be for
[40:10] about 30 minutes
[40:11] . So just
[40:12] going through it is
[40:13] probably an hour and
[40:14] a half.
[40:15] Good.
[40:16] Probably so.
[40:21] This area used to
[40:22] be called, uh,
[40:23] Hookman Street,
[40:26] They filmed a horror movie there
[40:27] , yes. A
[40:27] scene of a large
[40:28] number of school
[40:29] parking spaces.
[40:30] Yes, of course. I
[40:31] told the director that
[40:32] I was having nightmares
[40:34] about horror movies and
[40:35] he would cure me of it
[40:36] .
[40:36] And this is during
[40:37] Halloween.
[40:38] Oh, even better, yes.
[40:40] Okay, last
[40:42] section: we're shooting
[40:43] on 18th Street, in front of a
[40:45] house, well, in the area of
[40:47] 2532 West 18th, which is a really
[40:49] nice, um,
[40:50] old house
[40:52] in the area. Hmm,
[40:54] just for 1 day.
[40:56] November 12th is the preferred
[40:57] date, but if the
[40:59] weather is bad, we
[41:00] would like to use
[41:01] November 11th as well for
[41:03] this date or instead
[41:04] . Hmm, we would close
[41:07] it on 18th west of
[41:09] Westwood Drive. And
[41:12] then, um, heading
[41:14] east towards
[41:15] Redbud Drive, but between
[41:16] these two
[41:17] intersections. Hmm, and
[41:20] then we'll
[41:21] need a block,
[41:22] um, on Nursery Road,
[41:23] but they also have
[41:24] another exit area
[41:26] if they need it.
[41:29] So, this is the last
[41:30] place. The
[41:31] central building is where
[41:33] Nursery Road
[41:34] ends at 18th
[41:35] Street. That
[41:36] central building,
[41:38] they have no other
[41:39] access except the 18th.
[41:40] This is the house where you
[41:41] are filming, right? Is
[41:42] this the house where you
[41:43] are filming?
[41:43] The one who is dead where
[41:44] Redbud is dead in
[41:45] or kindergarten,
[41:46] sorry, dead in.
[41:47] That's right.
[41:48] Okay, okay, so is the
[41:49] location.
[41:50] Okay, so this
[41:51] won't affect anyone, okay.
[41:53] No. Absolutely not. So, that's
[41:54] all for
[41:56] our closing request
[41:57] . And as I
[41:58] said, if you
[41:59] need any
[42:00] other information from
[42:01] me as the
[42:02] dates approach, I'd be happy to
[42:03] provide it. Yes,
[42:04] please do
[42:05] it. So what does the council
[42:06] want?
[42:07] Proposal to approve.
[42:09] Second.
[42:09] All "yes", say "I do".
[42:11] I.
[42:11] Thank you very much.
[42:13] When you need to
[42:13] get closer to
[42:14] this and you get the
[42:15] exact time, let
[42:16] us know. And then, when you
[42:17] need signs,
[42:18] barricades, whatever
[42:19] , talk to Charity
[42:19] Glaser from the highway
[42:20] department.
[42:20] Okay, sounds good.
[42:22] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[42:25] Can I
[42:26] say something else?
[42:27] Of course.
[42:28] Uh, we just got approved by
[42:29] the state of Indiana for the
[42:31] Indiana film tax credit. We are the
[42:32] first
[42:33] feature film
[42:34] , if we are one of the
[42:35] first, if not the first, to be
[42:36] eligible for
[42:37] these
[42:38] specific funds.
[42:39] So we are very
[42:40] proud of that. We just
[42:41] received information,
[42:42] I thought we would
[42:42] share it with you
[42:43] .
[42:43] Bill Gunther was
[42:44] interesting when I
[42:45] was in school,
[42:45] just to see what it was like
[42:46] , but she
[42:47] lured a bunch of
[42:48] men there under
[42:48] false pretenses
[42:49] , and then they just
[42:50] disappeared.
[42:51] This will be quite
[42:51] special. We're
[42:52] attracting a lot of, um,
[42:54] this will have an
[42:54] economic impact. We're
[42:56] bringing in a lot,
[42:57] about 75 different
[42:58] people from all over the country,
[42:59] from the East
[43:00] Coast, the West
[43:01] Coast, uh,
[43:02] Florida, and, um, it's going to be a
[43:03] fun production, and
[43:04] it's going to be right here in
[43:06] town.
[43:06] Okay, thank you, sir.
[43:08] Thank you.
[43:11] 10A
[43:12] 10, old business, 10A.
[43:14] Mrs. Davis.
[43:21] Good morning.
[43:22] A.m.
[43:23] Angela Davis,
[43:25] County Facilities Director Support.
[43:27] In front of me...
[43:28] Okay, my first one. I have
[43:29] one application in front of me
[43:30] . This
[43:32] was officially
[43:33] received on September 16th at
[43:34] 8:45 am. Mr. Foltz,
[43:36] could you
[43:37] open this,
[43:37] make sure it's
[43:38] correct?
[43:39] We would like to
[43:39] do this.
[43:40] I would be happy to.
[44:07] Mr. President,
[44:08] the proposal is
[44:09] duly sealed and
[44:10] duly
[44:11] submitted.
[44:11] Thank you. A request
[44:13] confirming
[44:13] timely receipt of
[44:15] the offer.
[44:16] Second.
[44:17] Everyone who is "in favor", say
[44:18] "I do." I. I.
[44:22] And since we
[44:23] only got one, and
[44:24] this needs to be done,
[44:26] I think we'll accept
[44:27] this one.
[44:34] The name was "
[44:35] DA got LLC" doing
[44:38] business as OJS Building Services
[44:40] Reliable Control (in parentheses).
[44:42] Okay, would
[44:43] you like to take a look at this and
[44:44] then come back at
[44:45] the end of the meeting after
[44:46] you've
[44:46] looked at it and
[44:47] made sure everything is
[44:48] okay with yours and
[44:49] then after
[44:50] our attorney has had a
[44:51] chance
[44:51] to look at it.
[44:54] Because this should have been
[44:56] done a long time ago
[44:56] .
[44:57] Yes.
[44:58] And just for the
[44:59] public record, these are the
[44:59] controls
[45:00] that open and
[45:01] close the
[45:02] heating and
[45:03] air conditioning valves, correct?
[45:04] Right.
[45:05] Yes.
[45:05] And last winter we
[45:06] froze two
[45:06] coils because they were
[45:07] working.
[45:08] Mr. President,
[45:09] can I also add?
[45:10] Yes.
[45:10] Um, we also
[45:11] found out earlier
[45:12] this week that the
[45:14] Juvenile Center
[45:14] received a grant from
[45:16] Lilly, which I don't
[45:17] have a copy of the grant yet, but
[45:18] we'll see if we
[45:19] can use
[45:20] some of the funds for
[45:21] things like that.
[45:21] Good.
[45:22] So, it was a million
[45:24] dollars for the
[45:24] premises.
[45:26] Um, if it's
[45:27] acceptable, can
[45:28] she come back at
[45:29] the end...
[45:29] Yeah, come on, yeah.
[45:31] Mr. President.
[45:32] Yes, sir.
[45:33] I apologize that
[45:34] this item was not
[45:35] on the agenda
[45:36] before I
[45:37] read it. I wasn't
[45:38] prepared for this.
[45:40] However, as I
[45:41] understand it, the previous
[45:42] applications that were
[45:43] filed, at least the
[45:45] summary of
[45:46] the application regarding the basic
[45:47] application and the amount of the
[45:48] basic application,
[45:49] should be
[45:50] read into the record.
[45:53] Is this accurate, or does it
[45:54] happen after the
[45:55] fact?
[45:56] Um, it's my fault that this
[45:57] item wasn't on the
[45:57] agenda
[45:59] . Ms. Davis
[45:59] called me
[46:00] after the
[46:01] agenda was
[46:02] posted and we
[46:03] decided to add it.
[46:04] So what do you
[46:04] need from us then
[46:05] ?
[46:06] Well, as far as I
[46:07] remember, and again
[46:08] , I could be
[46:09] wrong, but
[46:10] again, for the sake of
[46:11] transparency,
[46:12] let's just
[46:13] read this. The
[46:14] basic proposal received
[46:16] concerns all
[46:17] work required for the
[46:19] complete modernization of the
[46:20] BAS, with the exception of separately
[46:21] identified
[46:22] alternatives. The
[46:25] base bid amount
[46:26] was
[46:27] $106,000. Sorry,
[46:30] $106,625. This is the
[46:33] only
[46:35] offer received, and
[46:37] the response from the
[46:39] bidder-D.A. Dodd OJS,
[46:41] address: 2516 North Home Street,
[46:43] Mishawaka, Indiana 46545. The
[46:45] authorized
[46:46] contact person is
[46:48] Andrew Miller, and the
[46:50] primary
[46:52] BAS manufacturer platform is Reliable
[46:54] Controls.
[46:57] Thank you.
[47:03] So,
[47:04] as an attorney, could you
[47:05] approve this? Do you
[47:06] think you
[47:07] or we have the
[47:08] approval of an attorney
[47:10] ? Well,
[47:13] since this is the only
[47:15] proposal submitted, I
[47:16] would say it is
[47:17] submitted in proper
[47:18] form. If the department head
[47:24] has correctly determined that, um, this
[47:25] application is eligible, that
[47:27] it is in the
[47:28] proper form, then it will
[47:29] certainly be
[47:29] able to be
[47:30] voted on at this
[47:31] meeting. Good.
[47:33] Come back and
[47:34] let us know what you
[47:35] think. Thank you. New
[47:38] orders. 11A,
[47:40] consider
[47:40] the proposal for
[47:41] renewing
[47:42] vision and dental insurance,
[47:43] Eric Gibson of High Street
[47:44] Insurance. Good morning.
[47:46] Eric Gibson of High Street
[47:48] Insurance. Uh, I'm looking for
[47:48] approval for
[47:49] dental and
[47:50] vision
[47:50] insurance plans. So, we
[47:51] set out to
[47:52] promote both
[47:52] dental and
[47:53] vision
[47:54] insurance. We
[47:54] contacted 14
[47:55] different insurance
[47:56] companies. Sorry. The
[47:57] fair
[47:58] renewal of
[47:58] dental
[47:59] insurance came
[48:00] with a 30% increase.
[48:02] Uh, it was related
[48:03] to claims,
[48:04] unfortunately. Uh, the rate for
[48:05] ophthalmology
[48:05] insurance was
[48:06] fixed. Uh, the
[48:07] good news is
[48:08] that Pacific Life
[48:09] has been very aggressive on this
[48:10] issue, and they
[48:11] actually have a little
[48:11] lower rate on
[48:12] dental
[48:13] insurance, but the
[48:13] annual savings
[48:14] is $1,500.
[48:15] Uh, and the rate for
[48:16] ophthalmology
[48:17] insurance is also
[48:17] slightly lower than the
[48:18] current rate. Uh, that's
[48:19] about $4,000 in
[48:20] annual savings.
[48:22] The only changes to the plan
[48:23] will apply to
[48:24] dental
[48:24] services; teeth whitening
[48:26] will not be covered. And
[48:27] panoramic
[48:28] X-rays
[48:29] will also become basic. So
[48:30] they are still
[48:30] covered by
[48:31] insurance, they just won't
[48:32] be considered
[48:33] preventive.
[48:33] Regarding vision, the only
[48:34] change in the plan is a
[48:36] slightly lower premium
[48:37] for the frame, or,
[48:38] sorry, for the lenses and
[48:39] frames. We conducted an
[48:41] in-depth study of
[48:42] the network. So we took the
[48:44] district's statements and
[48:45] combined them with the network
[48:47] . There is one service provider in the entire county that is
[48:50] affected, and that is this one.
[48:52] So we recommend
[48:54] taking, uh, almost
[48:55] $60,000 instead of
[48:56] renewing and
[48:57] going to Pacific Life.
[49:00] I will make a petition regarding
[49:01] this. And
[49:03] thank you for your
[49:04] diligence and
[49:05] in-depth research into
[49:07] service providers. I think, uh,
[49:09] you know, the transition
[49:10] will definitely save
[49:11] us a lot of money, as well
[49:12] as
[49:13] employee costs. And,
[49:14] of course, you know, changing
[49:15] one
[49:16] provider is a bummer
[49:17] for the person who
[49:18] uses that
[49:19] one provider
[49:20] , but, uh, for the other 50
[49:21] providers
[49:22] that
[49:24] Port County employees use, we'll be able to
[49:25] continue
[49:26] using the
[49:26] same
[49:27] dentist. So that
[49:28] will be good.
[49:30] What will the actual
[49:31] increase be for
[49:32] employees?
[49:33] In fact, it will be a
[49:34] small decrease.
[49:36] For employees?
[49:37] Yes. Do
[49:37] you know what
[49:38] percentage that is?
[49:40] Er, that means
[49:42] it will be a
[49:43] savings of 17 cents on dental care.
[49:45] So it's not very big. Eh
[49:47] , on family–this is a
[49:48] saving of 60 cents. And
[49:50] on vision aid,
[49:52] this will be a savings of
[49:53] approximately 50-56
[49:54] cents, on
[49:55] individual, and
[49:57] $1.66 on family.
[49:59] So, of course, if
[50:00] you spend that on the entire
[50:01] population, the number becomes
[50:02] quite large.
[50:04] Hmm. Well, any
[50:05] savings on
[50:06] insurance now
[50:07] is a plus.
[50:08] Of course. Do
[50:09] we have a second?
[50:11] I will support.
[50:12] Everyone who is "in favor", say
[50:13] "yes". Yes.
[50:14] Thank you.
[50:15] Mr. Gibson. Well
[50:19] , it's nice to see
[50:20] something with insurance.
[50:22] Hmm, consider
[50:23] the ordinance to change the
[50:24] speed limit
[50:26] on West 400 North in
[50:28] Cool Spring Township
[50:29] between North 900 West and North 875
[50:31] West, Mr. Coolaw.
[50:32] Uh, yes, I believe that,
[50:34] um, Commissioner Haney
[50:35] has filed a request to
[50:36] review, um, the
[50:37] current
[50:38] speed limits on 400 North, um
[50:40] , in this area,
[50:41] actually between
[50:42] Cleveland and, um, 875
[50:44] West. So, this will extend
[50:45] it, um, a little bit further
[50:47] west, um, from 900 to
[50:48] Cleveland, which is 950 West.
[50:50] And, uh, we did a
[50:52] speed study there with the
[50:53] highway department
[50:55] and looked at, uh, uh
[50:56] , the geometry of the road, and
[50:57] then in both cases it
[50:59] turned out that, uh, it was
[51:00] appropriate to slightly
[51:01] increase the
[51:02] speed limit from 35 to 40
[51:03] to match the
[51:05] speed limit
[51:06] further east on the 400th. Uh
[51:07] , of course, once
[51:09] you get west
[51:10] of Cleveland with all
[51:11] the traffic there with all the
[51:12] businesses, uh, it
[51:14] makes sense to leave it
[51:15] at 35. So
[51:16] the recommendation
[51:17] was to
[51:18] increase it from 35 to
[51:19] 40 mph, uh, from, uh
[51:20] , Cleveland Avenue, uh,
[51:21] to 875th West.
[51:24] Good. So, we
[51:25] start with
[51:26] the suggestion of
[51:27] reading just
[51:28] the title, right?
[51:29] That's right.
[51:30] Good. I will accept
[51:31] a proposal on
[51:31] this if we have one
[51:32] . Suggestion to
[51:33] read only
[51:34] the title.
[51:34] Second reading.
[51:35] All in favor, say
[51:36] yes. Yes.
[51:40] The title of this ordinance is an ordinance
[51:42] establishing a new
[51:43] speed limit
[51:45] on County Road 400
[51:46] North between Cleveland
[51:48] Avenue and County
[51:49] Road 875 West.
[51:52] Introduce the motion
[51:53] for approval as, uh
[51:55] ,
[51:55] second reading.
[51:56] Approve in first
[51:57] reading.
[51:58] Everyone who is "in favor" says
[51:59] Ya. Ya.
[52:02] Very, um. Should we
[52:04] postpone this until
[52:05] second reading? Do
[52:06] we need to
[52:07] postpone this until
[52:08] second reading?
[52:09] I don't think you
[52:09] need to postpone
[52:10] this until second reading
[52:11] , given that it
[52:12] was a unanimous
[52:13] vote for its
[52:14] adoption and
[52:14] approval on first
[52:15] reading.
[52:16] Good.
[52:16] So, did you get
[52:18] your new role?
[52:19] Thank you.
[52:19] Do
[52:21] we need this second serving
[52:22] or not?
[52:23] Sorry. Then the
[52:26] resolution number will be 2026-8.
[52:30] Thank you.
[52:34] Good. Do we have a
[52:36] transfer proposal?
[52:39] Second.
[52:39] Everyone who is "in favor" says
[52:41] Ya. Ya.