‘Tweaks’ suggested to septic ordinance
The Brown County Commissioners have recommended a few tweaks to the proposed septic ordinance rewrite and have forwarded those on to the Brown County Board of Health’s septic committee.
“Because we did not make a motion to approve on first reading, it is still considered a draft. We recommended a few tweaks to (health board President) Thomi Elmore,” commissioner Diana Biddle said during the March 4 meeting.
“She is taking those back to her committee at some time. They’re going to discuss a couple of little, minor changes. Once they get it amended, we will send that up to Barnes and Thornburg (county attorneys) for them to go through. They will publish the amended septic ordinance at least once before our March 18 meeting.”
The commissioners will have the first reading of the rewritten septic ordinance at their March 18 evening meeting. A public hearing on the amended ordinance will also be held.
“Once we find out what suggestions of ours the committee takes, then we’ll know what we can discuss at the March 18 meeting. We will start that meeting with ‘Here’s what we went back and did a couple of tweaks on,'” Biddle said.
“There was only maybe three or four things that really were any sort of a change at all.”
County council approves moving money
The Brown County Council approved using $784,694.11 out of the county’s general fund and salary line items to cover bills and expenses paid late last year.
The encumbrances were approved unanimously at the Feb. 24 meeting. Of the total, $241,352.67 was to pay salaries for employees.
For the other costs, “these are for invoices for things purchased in December, not received until January or February. They are paid out of the 2019 budget,” county commissioner Diana Biddle explained.
The council also unanimously approved moving $28,031.37 from a Guardian Ad Litem grant into the circuit court’s budget. The money will be spent on training, publicity, the GAL website and retention of independent contracted services to assist GAL.
In December, the council unanimously voted to give a $1.50-per-hour raise to current drivers with the Brown County Highway Department who have commercial driver’s licenses as a way to keep them from leaving, and hopefully encourage more people to apply for open driver jobs.
At the February meeting, the council approved $59,592 in additional appropriations from the highway department’s motor vehicle highway, cumulative bridge and local road and street funds to cover those raises this year.
More appointments made to boards
The Brown County Council appointed two more residents to open spots on boards at their Feb. 24 meeting.
Resident and business owner Gary Bartels was appointed to the Brown County Redevelopment Commission. He joins fellow council appointee Jim Schultz and county commissioner appointees Sean Milloy, Justin Schwenk and Mike Spalding on that board.
Carol Bowden also serves on the RDC as a non-voting member appointed by the Brown County Schools Board of Trustees. Bowden said last month that her appointment is a “floating membership” and that other school board members may attend the meetings in her place.
The council also reappointed Judy Wright-Simpson to the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals. Resident Beth Mulry also applied for that opening. Neither woman was at the council meeting in January when appointments were made, which had been a requirement for appointment.
The council still has one seat on the Brown County Convention and Visitors Commission to fill. Derek Clifford and Barry Herring serve on that commission as county commissioner appointments; Kevin Ault and Jim Schultz serve as county council appointments. CVC members must represent the business community in some way.
