Noble County on record meth lab pace

Date Posted: April 7, 2009

ALBION — Noble County is on a record pace for meth lab busts this year, the Noble County Council heard Monday.

Council members asked Noble County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Doug Harp if there was any sign the methamphetamine problem in Noble County was easing after it had the most meth lab busts in the state in 2008 and its second most on record.

Harp replied that the county is on a record pace for meth lab busts in 2009, but added, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “Part of it is good policing,” he said.

Long experience with fighting meth means more busts, Harp said. “Officers know what they’re looking for.” So do private citizens. “It generates a lot of tips for us,” he said.

The Noble County Highway Department knows what to look for, too added Councilman Mark Pankop.

Harp wasn’t upbeat about everything. State cutbacks mean the Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team will be regional instead of local, so troopers in that rotation may be coming from as far away as Muncie or South Bend, he explained. “It is going to result in some slower response times to labs.”

There has been a definite rise in the number of meth labs since the economic downturn late last year, Harp said.

Also Monday, the council:

• Voted 7-0 to direct county attorney James Mowery to craft a reassessment contract with Nexus — and to make waiting until the county green-lights the work a condition of payment.

The state says a reassessment contract must be signed by April 16. The terms of the contract call for Nexus to be paid up to $754,651, to be paid over three years based on how much work the company actually does.

The problem is, the state slashed the county’s reassessment budget, Mowery explained. It left only $9,000 in the budget line item.

Councilman Randy Myers said the state had cut more than $200,000 from the reassessment budget.

Compounding the issue were questions over whether reassessment would be dropped or delayed by the Indiana General Assembly.

The contract technically has to be signed by the Noble County Commissioners, but they tabled it Monday morning because the budget issue would have to be addressed by the county council Monday afternoon, Mowery explained.

The commissioners were left with the choice of not signing a legally-required contract or agreeing to a contract they had no money to pay, Mowery said.

Council members voted to have Mowery include a notice to proceed clause in the contract so the county could wait to have work done until money was in place.

• Approved an Economic Revitalization Area and tax abatement for R&D Wire in LaOtto.

R&D’s property taxes on $251,000 of equipment that is new to the company and newly in Indiana will be phased in over five years, the council said in a unanimous vote. The company projects it will have 15 employees when the work is done, including three new ones. The total projected salaries and wages for the 15 workers will be $618,381.

• Voted 6-1 to approve two replacement officers for the Noble County Probation Department.

The department currently serves about 1,200 people, said county chief probation officer Stacey Beam. Each officer normally serves about 150-175 people.

According to caseload standards, Noble County is about 9 1/2 probation officers short, Noble Circuit Judge G. David Laur said.

One officer would continue to be paid from a federal grant, and the other through county general funds.

Councilwoman Judy Hass opposed the hiring.

• Approved a $10,000 additional appropriation to cover care of patients from state programs that the county had been paying for.

The state took over paying the expenses Jan. 1, and all bills had to be in by March 15.

• Approved 4-3 allowing an additional appropriation for Noble County Surveyor Scott Zeigler to purchase a new GPS unit as part of his workforce efficiency plan at a cost of $16,812.37, and authorized him to make the purchase.

The commissioners denied Zeigler’s request in March to spend money encumbered in 2008 for the purchase from general and county drainage funds.

Zeigler plans to use the equipment to combine two positions into one, eliminating one employee.

Council members Hass, Les Alligood and Tom Janes opposed the appropriation and purchase.

By Bob Braley – KPC Media