Marion County Council introduced an ordinance, authorizing the execution and delivery of a fee agreement between Marion County and SO-PAK-CO Inc, during its Tuesday morning meeting this past week.
An expansion project is anticipated to result in an investment of $2.5 million over a five-year period, County Attorney Charles McLain explained. McLain also told council members about an ordinance provision regarding the lease agreement with the animal shelter. According to McLain, the lease provision prevents or limits the fostering of animals by the shelter.
Paws to the Rescue Director Jennifer Nall, the entity that now manages the shelter, said the shelter doesn’t want to keep placing dogs in foster homes. “We want to have options,” she said, adding that the shelter would rather have adoptions and that special need cases would be an option for foster care. McLain told council that Nall was asking that the provision be amended. Council approved giving McLain authority to make the change allowing fostering.
County Administrator Tim Harper provided an update to council, regarding several matters, including one which led to council approving Harper’s recommendation to hire a company to remove bats from the Archive Building near the Marion County Courthouse.
Harper presented loan package bids for the purchase of an ambulance and heavy equipment, as well. A 6.5 percent cut in revenues from the state is expected to affect the county’s local government fund to the tune of $143,219, he said.
Council voted to cancel the fourth week meetings in November and December and Harper proposed arranging a quarterly meeting with local municipal officials, beginning in January. Council member Milton Troy II recommended the Planning Commission and Economic Development Commission members also be invited to the joint meetings.
Harper told council members that the county will be partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau in preparation of the 2010 census. The main thing is we have to get our citizens counted,” he said, adding that the census is important to local government funding and that jobs could be available during the process. Council member Troy said that during the last census, citizens were “grossly under counted” and that the county has to take the lead in getting the word out with a campaign to calm citizen’s fears.
“We had people hiding, not filling out questionnaires … all types of fears about the benefits being cut,” he said, adding that county campaign has to be developed to have the representation the area needs.
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