Carroll County Clerk Nancy Mattox appeared before the Carroll County Council Thursday morning to request a $5,743 additional appropriation from her perpetuation fund to purchase a new computer system. The system would be used to implement a court management system. The expense was not included in her 2010 appropriation request submitted last August.

The clerk’s perpetuation fund is money generated from user fees and not part of county general, however state law mandates council approval for usage from the fund.

Mattox explained that the new management system is “going online” April 1 in Carroll County. She said that a component to the new system will be the financial accounting for her office.

However, after learning from the clerk that she has not balanced the office accounts since she took office more than a year ago, council members tabled the request until March 18 to discuss the matter and to learn if the accounts are balanced with the bank at that time.

“How are you coming on the balancing,” asked council member Carl Abbott.

Mattox said the last time she worked on the balance reconciliation was two weeks prior to the meeting. She told council members that she would start the new system with a zero balance; that the two bookkeeping systems would remain separate.

“You’re just getting yourself into more trouble,” council president Ann Brown said. “It worries me that you want to move ahead with something before balancing last year’s accounts.”

Nancy S. Cripe told Mattox she was “getting farther behind” by not balancing the current accounts. Scott Ayres said it would not be feasible to think of the old system and the new as independent of each other. He suggested that as information is corrected in the current system, it will impact the information contained in the new bookkeeping system.

Mattox explained that Carroll Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Smith is instituting the system in both his court and Carroll Circuit Court. She said on-site training for the new system, which uses WindowsXP rather than Windows 7, is scheduled for March 17, roughly six weeks prior to the May Primary Election. Mattox said the April 1 start date for using the new system is not a formal deadline.

Cripe is one of two council members who are assigned to work with the courts to develop their annual spending plan. She told the Comet Monday that neither she nor Marion Huffer was able to meet with either judge prior to budget submission. Both budgets were received in the auditor’s office before she or Huffer were able to schedule a budget meeting with either judge.

“To my knowledge, neither court requested money in their 2010 budget for new computers,” she said. “I don’t know what funds they used to pay for them.”

“The first anyone in the county knew about the case management system was when the clerk asked for the additional appropriation for the hardware,” she added. “I don’t think there was one person on the council who didn’t think the new system was a good idea – we just didn’t know about it and we felt like the clerk’s books have to balance before she implements another bookkeeping system in her office.”

Financial report

Myers provided written documentation of the county’s January revenue and disbursements. The report indicated revenues for 2010 are $1,326,345 more than last year at the same time. Myers explained that the significant increase was due in part to the 2009 fall tax settlement not being completed until January of this year. Myers also reported that all funds in her office are in balance with the treasurer’s office.

Treasurer’s office first deputy Gayla Martin presented the treasurer’s fund balance report, required to be completed monthly by Indiana Code. She reported that a total of $1,483,500 in items, such as checks and other items returned by depositories and in the process of collection, are uncollected.

It was noted by Ron Slavens that the balance in the cumulative capital improvement fund, used to fund large planned department projects, is less than the desired $1 million goal. Consensus was to be aware of the balance and not let the fund become too low.

Other business

Brown reported that the council finance committee discussed the possibility of moving a dispatcher salary from the jail to the E-911 budget to enable Sheriff Tony Burns to hire another deputy. 911 director Jay Dee Cree was unable to meet to discuss the proposal.

“There is no need for an immediate decision,” Brown reported.

Abbott was assigned to work with the trash transfer station to develop a list of future needs for repair and equipment replacement of the trash compactor.

Cripe was assigned to work with the park board and their 2011 budget request, replacing Ayres. She removed herself from the Carroll Manor budget development process due to a possible conflict of interest.

A transfer request for $3,000 by the transfer station from refuse disposer to repairs and maintenance was approved.

An additional request by the clerk for $5,743 for a new computer system was tabled.

Upcoming meetings

The council will meet in joint session with commissioners March 15 at 1 p.m. The finance committee will meet March 9 at 8:30 a.m. to prepare for the meeting. The finance committee will meet in regular session March 16 at 8:30 a.m. and the next council meeting will be March 18 at 8:30 a.m.

Additional appropriations Approved: • $6,000 from the Riverboat Gambling Fund for codifications of county ordinances; • $24,000 from the cumulative bridge fund for the Carrollton Bridge; • $13,000 from cum bridge for the Lancaster Covered Bridge; • $16,000 from the Carroll Manor general fund for social security and $13,100 for retirement benefits; and • $3,000 from the clerk’s perpetuation fund for office supplies.