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P C N SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Volume 138 Edition 51
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
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Texting 911 to Dispatch now available in Posey By Lois Mittino Gray Imagine being in a dangerous situation where you can’t talk and call for help, but you can shoot a quick 911 text on your phone. With a brand-new software upgrade installed Friday at Posey County Central Dispatch, your location can be found in 3-D imagery to come to your aid. Posey County is the first county, of twenty in this area, to get the upgrade installed by INDigital, the firm the State hired to do the improvement. “Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Gibson in this area still need to be done and then we will all be linked together,” explained Tara Neaveill, the county 911 dispatcher who maneuvered through the software instruction to turn on the system Friday morning at 11 a.m. Posey County was chosen to be first because it was the last day of work for E911 Director Sabrina Harms and she wanted to see it come to fruition before her departure.
The new 911 texting upgrade will allow all calls that come in from a cell phone to be located in a 360 degree view of the area. “We can see if it is a two-story or three story house in 3-D. I can create a pdf file and export it to another dispatcher when all the counties get the upgrade,” Neaveill noted. D i s patchers can communicate with each other in separate view boxes now without the caller seeing or hearing the conversation. “I can easily talk partner to partner with this and see the entire conversation.
The caller does not lose us as we work,” the dispatcher said. Rapid SOS is a new feature that can find a location if a caller is lost. It functions with Verizon, A T and T, and TMobile phones at this time. Neaveill, who has been employed as a 911 dispatcher for five and a half years, enjoys the work. The county hires eight full time dispatchers to run the 911 system. They are well-trained for all possible emergency scenarios, taking a forty hour APCO course paid for by the State. Posey County has been granted $8,000.00 from the State to pay for EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch), LSD (Law Service Dispatch), and FSD (Fire Service Dispatch) training next year. Dispatchers will be given standard protocols and questions to ask when doing the job in each area. It will help
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MV Council takes care of year-end finances
Pauper fees continue to take chunk of budget
By Lois Mittino Gray The December 6, meeting of the Mount Vernon Common Council was an activity of shuffling funds around in accounts for end of the year black ink, approving the vacating of an alley for TMI Industries, and a discussion of ways to possibly save money in the upcoming 2019 city elections, by moving them to 2020. City Attorney Beth McFadin Higgins introduced many resolutions and ordinances to vote on at the meeting. Mayor Bill Curtis opened a public hearing on the ordinance to address additional appropriations requested in the County Option Income Tax, State Gaming, and General Funds. No one spoke on the request, so the hearing was closed by the Mayor. It passed unanimously on third reading as 1830. Higgins explained that a transfer resolution for three city accounts would get the budgets all in line before the end of the year, with no fiscal impact. Within the General Fund, $1000 was transferred in the Sanitation lines, $13,400 was transferred within Parks and Recreation lines and $761 was shifted within Park & Recreation Non-Reverting Swim Funds. The transfers totaled $15,161 and passed unanimously as resolution 18-31. The next item for consideration was a resolution authorizing contingent offers in reference to the Tresslar Building purchase, lots at 403, 409, and 411 Main Street. The property has been sold recently and the new owner is looking to sell, possibly to the city. The Mayor was given authority to ask for two appraisals on the property. State law requires getting two and not paying more than the average of the pair. The Mayor was
(FLSA) states the county must pay overtime after forty hours of work. The committee proposed changing the standard work week for administrative offices to thirty-five hours a week. This would entail working 8 a.m. to 4 p. m, Monday through Friday, with a sixty minute unpaid meal time. Employees would not be paid overtime until they have worked over forty hours in a given week. Irwin stated the council needed to decide how employees working the gap between 35 and 40 hours would be remunerated. Would it be a straight time hourly rate or granted comp time at an hour to hour ratio up to forty hours? Irwin explained this action will affect only administrative offices. The Sheriff Department, EMS, EMA, and Dispatch are all on a different schedule. Councilman Bob Gentil asked for the specifics to be included in the handbook regarding what departments will work 35 hours and what departments will remain on a 40 hour per week schedule. Mr. Irwin replied that section 3.2 in the new handbook will list each depart-
By Lois Mittino Gray Since the December 11, Posey County Council meeting was the last one for this year; it was a time for heartfelt goodbyes. Longtime Councilman Don Mattingly said his fond farewells with a tribute to the value of open spirited debate in politics. “It has been my high honor to represent District Three for these years. Holding political office is the greatest honor you can have. It has brought me great joy to engage in spirited debates on issues, as that is an important part of a democratic society. It brings forth concerns and lets the people know that decisions are not made behind closed doors, but on public record. It says a lot for how we conduct business here in Posey County and we are in great financial shape,” he observed. “Thank you for everything.” Council President Heather Allyn expressed appreciation for his years of service. Goodbyes and thank you were also given to County Treasurer Vicki Peerman, County Sheriff Greg Oeth, and County Clerk Betty Postletheweight. A moment of silence for recently-deceased former councilman Martin Ray Redman opened the meeting. In business proceedings, Alexandrian Public Library Director Marissa Priddis appeared before the council, accompanied by Sarah A. Schuler, President of VPS Architecture of Evansville. She said she was requesting an additional appropriation from
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Enjoying participation in the black Chapel Church Live Nativity Scene on Sunday evening at the church are Three Wise Men, played by Lonnie Boeke, Gary Mayes, and Chad Johnson. Mary and Joseph were played by Erica and Derek Landolt. Photo by Peg Heckman
County handbook update is struggle By Lois Mittino Gray The Posey County Commissioners and Posey County Council met jointly on December 4 in the Hovey House to work on the County Handbook update, regulating overtime and comp time definitions to tighten the county pursestrings. Ten members, representing both political teams attended, with Council member Tom Schneider absent. Commissioner Jay Price introduced Kent Irwin, the consultant working with the Handbook Committee to get the new handbook updated and in order. Handbook Committee Chairman Price told the group all the committee has a rough draft and will meet by the end of the week after this meeting and ensuing discussion to finalize the document. Irwin said that three areas of major concern were going to be addressed. One is the definition of Posey County full-time employee status, the First/Chief Deputy FLSA status and calculation of overtime pay, something that has hit the county coffers hard this past year. According to Irwin, the Fair Labor Standards Act
Order in the Court Long-time bailiff has added a myriad of responsibilities
Briefly BMV Announces Holiday Hours All Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle (BMV) branches will be closed Saturday, December 22 through Tuesday, December 25 in observance of the Christmas holiday. Branches will resume regularly scheduled business hours on Wednesday, December 26. In addition, branches will be closed Tuesday, January 1 in observance of the New Year’s holiday. All branches will resume regularly scheduled business hours beginning Wednesday, January 2, 2019. For a complete list of branch locations and hours, to complete an online transaction, or to find a 24hour BMV Connect kiosk near you visit IN.gov/BMV. PC Sheriff’s Merit Board to meet The Posey County Sheriff’s Merit Board will meet at the Posey County Sheriff’s Office January 2, 2019 at 7 p.m.
More information on these and other events inside today’s Posey County News
(USPS 439-500)
The Golden Years
Gene and Linda Fetcher with granddaughter Bailey By Pam Robinson Despite her snowy crown of hair, long-time Posey County resident Linda Fetcher is no ordinary grandma. The Posey County bailiff and jury administrator is a petite powerhouse of energy. Whether church or family or community or work, Linda gives 110 percent with a happy heart. The first born of Ora and Dorothy Dorsey of Evansville, Linda grew up in the city just four houses down on the same street as her paternal grandparents, Robert and Julia Dorsey. She and her younger sister (by three years),
Gloria, gladly spent a lot of time with their grandparents when they lived so close by. Once Linda married, she kept close ties with her grandparents, who lived into their 90s, and included them on vacations with her and her husband. She appreciated the special bond all the more since her parents died young. Just before Linda’s senior year in high school, however, she decided to move to the Hurt family home in New Harmony, with her parents’ blessing, and to graduate from New Harmony School. Her decision came after she and her family spent a good portion of the summer at the river camp along the Old Dam. Linda had met new friends she wanted to keep and stay near for companionship. She graduated with the Class of 1962 from New Harmony School. After graduating in May, she married Griffin native Gene Fetcher in September 1962. Three years her senior, he graduated with the last class at Griffin School, the Class of 1959. The two met at one of the frequent northern Posey County town dances. The couple has been married 56 years. They’ve been blessed with three children: Rodney and Melody, who grew up together, and Robby, who came along a few years later. Linda says the age span of her seven grandchildren, age 3 to age 30, reflects her and Gene bringing up two families. “It kept me very young,” she comments. The first few years of marriage, Linda and Gene lived in New Harmony while he worked in the oil fields until that work took them briefly to West Virginia. When a job became available at Whirlpool 50 years ago for Gene, he and Linda moved to Wadesville and have lived there ever since. While Linda and Gene raised their two families, Linda worked outside the
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