The Daviess County Council met Wednesday morning to conduct regular business and then hearings on the 2025 County Budget. The Council appointed Dr. Otto Susec to the Daviess Community Hospital Board and Mike Sprinkle to the Bennington Levee Board.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Steve Sturgis gave to Council a report on the county’s project to get all radios for first responders working on the same platform. Sturgis said he hopes to see the project completed by the end of the year.
The Council also approved a contract with Tom’s Moving to move the county’s 62 new voting machines to the vote centers for the November election. County Clerk Lauren Milton told the Council that the new machines were larger and heavier and could no longer be moved by automobiles. Milton said her office had investigated several options and using Tom’s Moving was the most practical and efficient.
The Council then considered salary amendments and additional appropriations of incoming funds for the Health Department, Clerks Office, and the Superior Court. The Health Department’s request for the appropriation of remaining grant funds for Childhood Blood Lead Level was granted, as was the request to appropriate expected income from performing required health exams for immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship. The Council also approved Superior Court Judge Dan Murrie’s request for an additional $25,000 for petit jurors. Judge Murrie told the Council that an unexpectedly large number of jury trials had been held this year. The Council also approved Murrie’s for the appropriation of an additional $250,000 of non-taxpayer funds for pauper attorneys. The Council also approved additional appropriations for the probation department. The expenditures were for drug screenings, attendance at a conference, and the purchase of new bullet-proof vests.
Following the regular business, the Council adjourned to hearings on the budget for next year.
