Sorry for the delay on this report. The February County Council meeting was light, as discussed in my January column. Outside of some small projects and amendments to job postings, the meeting was dominated by one item and a change in protocols.
Before I get into that, I wanted to share that we rotate who offers the public prayer before each meeting. Councilman Brad Beaver always makes a point of sharing a special prayer to our men and women in the armed services and first responders. As regular readers know, my son joined the United States Marine Corps after he graduated early from Westfield High School. He makes us proud every day and I am so thankful when Councilman Beaver makes a special note about him during his prayer. It goes to show you that while we may disagree, we generally care about each other and get along so that we can work through issues when they arise. Many cities and counties are not so fortunate.
The first item of note was a change in protocols for our meetings. I believe it is important to provide some clarity to our residents as we spend taxpayer dollars and requested that we provide a quick explanation of any such request for the record.
For those watching our meetings, it may look a little scattered at times. Most of the major appropriations already have a council sponsor but some of the appropriations are quite small and generally innocuous.
At our meeting this month, I inadvertently put one of our newest Council members, Tim Griffin, in the hot seat, asking him for a brief explanation of the 144 amendments offered. All these amendments are human resources adjustments that are required but very small in scope. It goes to show you – what works on paper may not always be applicable. We will continue to work on this approach, and I apologized to Councilman Griffin for not giving him an adequate heads-up.
The second item was an introduction of our Hamilton County Board Appointments. In the past we have not had the opportunity to meet with these individuals and never all at the same time. Since most of our appointments start their terms at the beginning of the year and our agendas are generally light, this proved to be a good opportunity to share some basic expectations for the role and thank them for their service. These expectations are spelled out in the new application portal, but some had not yet gone through that process, so it was important to communicate with everyone.
In general, the Council is seeking members of the community who are willing to:
- help support the mission and vision of our county,
- serve the residents and communities within which we live and work, uphold the values of the community at large,
- provide regular updates and communicate as requested with the appointing body, and
- respond to inquiries from citizens and businesses regarding activities and decisions made by the committee, board, or commission.
As designed, the Council Vice President oversees our appointment process and Councilwoman Massillamany did a great job coordinating calendars and communicating broadly to the group to get all but a few to attend in person. It takes a lot of effort to fill these jobs and attend these meetings. It is the front line to our involvement in our communities. We are so appreciative, and it was great to see them all in person.
As with every meeting, you can watch recordings or live stream meetings from our YouTube channel.
Next month we will be getting information about several projects that are out for bid. Additionally, we will be having a work session before March’s council meeting to finalize our Council rules. If items mentioned above are of interest, please reach out to me or any member of the County Council.
As always, I am thankful that the Hamilton County Reporter for publishing my Council updates and a special thanks to you, the readers, and residents of Hamilton County, for reading it and being engaged in the discussion. Our county is better because of you all. I welcome your questions at ken.alexander@hamiltoncounty.in.gov.
Ken Alexander represents District 4 on the Hamilton County Council, which includes Adams and Washington townships, and part of Clay Township. He currently serves as the President of the County Council.