Carroll County Council met, discussed and listened to proponents and to opponents for almost an hour before members made the decision to increase the county economic development income tax rate (EDIT). Those in favor of the increase did not receive the amount of increase they requested. And when the final vote was taken, the increase was reduced even more.

"We're going about this backwards," council member Ann Brown said beginning the discussion. "LOIT (local option income tax) needs to be decided first."

Brown said she favored some tax increase but not by the amount requested by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and the Carroll County Economic Development Corporation, which submitted a joint distribution plan to county commissioners. Commissioners control EDIT appropriations.

"We cannot pass this thing as they're asking," she explained, "because we don't know how much money we have."

Brown said the county needs to encourage businesses to locate in the county. She said the commissioners' plan for EDIT funds includes a significant amount designated to build the county road extension to SR75 to the north from Camden, which is "so far into the future to me."

She said another issue with the chamber/EDC plan is that it seems additional staff would be hired to implement the components. She said she is not in favor of funding new workers when the county has had to lay off law enforcement and emergency medical personnel due to budget reductions.

"You cannot tax your way out of the problem we're in," she said.

Council member Steve Ashby said he was in agreement with Brown. He said the county borrowed approximately $1.6 million that would have to be repaid.

"We can't ignore that," he said. "You gotta put that money back."

"When I put a tax on people, it's a tax," he continued. "We are being forced by the state to replace property tax with income tax (referring to LOIT)."

Council member Jerry Hendress said he was in favor of some increase but not the amount recommended.

"We cannot continue to do nothing," he said. "And we cannot continue to put the burden on the taxpayer."

Council member Carl Abbott said he would push for accountability from those who receive EDIT funding. However, he noted that after the November election the council could be working with three new council members.

Council member Rob Baker made the motion to increase the tax rate to .175 percent total, an increase of .075 percent, and Abbott provided the second. The motion passed in a five-to-one vote. Council member Ron Slavens voted against the tax increase.

After the vote, audience member Miriam Robeson said from reading material about how the tax was to be adopted, it appeared the rate could only be increased in half-point increments. That was confirmed in a telephone call with Robert Walls Jr. with the Indiana Department of Internal Revenue who said Robeson was correct per state code.

"He said what we voted in was incorrect," Abbott said.

Brown made a motion to adopt an EDIT increase of .05 percent, which would make the total EDIT rate .15 percent. Baker provided the second and the tax was adopted, effective Oct. 1.

Budget schedule

Council will hear 2009 budget request presentations from department heads Aug. 11 and 15 beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day. They will meet Sept. 11, 12 (and 15, if needed) for budget work sessions. All meetings will begin at 8:30 a.m. except for Sept. 15 which will begin at 1 p.m. due to the commissioners regularly scheduled meeting that morning.

Final discussions and adoption of the 2009 budget will be Sept. 25 and 26, beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day.

Salary ordinance

The council rejected a request by the county health department to amend the county salary ordinance for the recently hired part-time food inspector. Although the position pays a maximum of $8.55 an hour per the ordinance, the health department advertised it for $9.55/hour, which is what the new employee ex- pected to make.

Speaking on behalf of county sanitarian Kris Jones, nurse Brenda Coble said the position was solely funded by the state. Council members explained the health department was responsible to advertise according to the salary ordinance.

Highway department

Highway superintendent Ron Francis described in detail the cost-saving measures the department employed as requested by council members. He said no summer help was hired, one part-time worker was laid off while a full-time worker was on short-term disability and a departed employee was not replaced. Truck governors were set to go no faster than the legal speed limit, the amount of road grading, mowing and dust control was reduced, locking gas caps were installed on trucks, fuel storage tanks were locked and drivers were told to not idle the trucks for more than three minutes at any one time.

Lunch breaks were flexed to coincide with travel, the air conditioning temperature control was turned up making the office hotter and lights were being turned off in rooms where they were not needed.

Transfers approved:

• Highway - $13,200 from truck drivers to unemployment, $10,500 from truck drivers, $6,350 from summer help, $32,588.31 from dust control and $35,000 from group insurance all to fuel, $1,400 from dust control to uniforms and testing and $250 from other road equipment to training and education;

• Commissioners - $7,000 from retirement to unemployment;

• Custodian - $150 from repair building to other supplies and $5,511 from assistant custodian to extra help;

• Coroner - $50 from mileage and $36 from equipment both to transportation; and

• Area Plan - $27.21 from office machines to office supplies.

The highway department was granted an additional appropriation for $50,000 out of the department's operating budget.

The next monthly regular business meeting will be Aug. 21 at 8 a.m.