Monday, February 3, 2025
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NATURE’S CLASSROOM
Shelbyville Middle School seventh grader Lilly Slaven inspects a salamander she caught Saturday at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont in Tennessee. Students were tasked with finding, identifying and releasing salamanders in one of many activities on this weekend’s trip, organized by Mr. Scott Hughes, SMS teacher. BELOW: Austin Addis and Conner Clagg, with assistance from SMS teacher Mr. Justin Stenger, inspect and taste hemlock during a hike to the Spruce Flats Falls. | photos by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
Officials Discuss County Budget Needs
A county budget update meeting scheduled for an hour went for nearly two last Tuesday morning as county officials, many newly elected, discussed various items. Below are a few highlights:
Coroner Bradley Rund expressed the need to build or establish one county site for autopsy work, of which his office does approximately 50 per year. Due to lack of space, the county works out of four spaces now and must outsource many cases. Just a few years ago, each autopsy cost the county about $1,500, which is now at $4,000.
The county maintenance department also needs space. After a storage shed/building on West Hendricks St. was demolished to make way for the second Annex, the department moved the equipment to various locations, department head Jose Gonzales said. County officials discussed building a facility that could meet both the coroner and maintenance departments’ needs.
The two courthouse elevators - one for the public, the other for inmates - need to be upgraded, which will cost about $150,000 each. The same model elevators had been installed at the jail, and those were recently replaced.
Road funding is going to be an issue given that the fuel tax is not bringing in anticipated amounts, Greg Guerrettaz, president of Financial Solutions Group, the county’s financial advisor, said. “There is no doubt that the gas funding formula is going to change,” he said.
The county has $781,000 in its Rainy Day Fund, which is a significant improvement from many years ago, and Guerrettaz encouraged officials to continue building that to $2 million. “(The current fund) could be gone in two seconds,” he said.
The county’s Racino fund has a significant balance, which could become the Rainy Day Fund, or used for other projects.
The county’s $2 million insurance reserve is in great shape, Guerrettaz said. December 2024 claims exceeded $300,000, but most months are closer to $200,000.
The state is considering a change in jail reimbursement formulas that could mean about a $200,000 loss for Shelby County, Guerrettaz said. A few years ago, the state decided to eliminate the administrative costs of the reimbursement program by giving counties a set amount. “It was pretty stable revenue,” Guerrettaz said. Since the change does not require legislative approval, Guerrettaz said the change is likely.
County officials briefly discussed the governor’s property tax reform plans, which would mean less revenue for the county.
Guerrettaz thinks economic development projects will be “strong” over the next few years.
Commissioner Jason Abel asked County Council members, several of whom are new, to vote at the February meeting on whether the county wishes to proceed with a broadband project or not. A lengthy discussion ensued, with some of the new members asking clarifying questions.
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NOTEBOOK:
Gov. Mike Braun called on Indiana local governments to “do more with less” as he pitched his proposal for a massive residential property tax cut to Hoosier lawmakers Wednesday night in his first “State of the State” address. The Republican chief executive said something must be done to help Hoosiers hurting from high prices over the past four years and delivering historic tax relief will save seniors and young families from getting priced out of their homes due to “runaway property taxes.” The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency projects local units of government would lose about $1.15 billion in revenue in the first year after Braun’s property tax plan is enacted, with $536 million (47%) taken from school corporations and charter schools, and $474 million (41%) from counties, cities and towns where police, fire and other public safety services typically comprise the largest spending category. The estimated revenue losses for Shelby County would be $4.2 million in 2026, approximately $5.3 million in 2027 and $6.3 million in 2028.
HOOSIER NEWS: Westfield leaders have approved a $27 million project that is expected to transform the east side of the city’s downtown. The development called Ambrose on Main will be built on the northeast corner of North East Street and State Road 32. The complex will have 87 one- and two-bedroom apartments, with 12,000 square of feet of commercial space, including a restaurant with outdoor seating. Westfield is the only city in Hamilton County that has seen a decline in its downtown population in recent years, Westfield Mayor Scott Willis told IndyStar.
NATIONAL NEWS: Recently-released album “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” is from the 13th animated “Peanuts” special, which aired in 1975, and features a jazz-infused soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi. For 50 years, an album of the music from the animated special languished undistributed — until a 30-track album came two weeks ago. It moved 2,000 equivalent album units, almost all by traditional album sales, which was good enough to hit No. 7 on the Traditional Jazz album chart and No. 9 on the Jazz Albums ranking. That said, it’s not yet “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, which has spent over 100 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Kid Albums chart owing to its iconic holiday sound. (Billboard/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights
September 18, 2009
A new year had brought new policies. Cell phones were allowed in the cafeteria, where they were previously banned. (Senior Tyson Quick said the policy should extend to passing periods. Freshman Jordan Tinkle liked the new rule. “I can call my mom and text my friends at lunch. I may not use this privilege very much, but I like it.” Senior Nathan Eberhart disagreed; he thought cell phones should be banned in all parts of the school.) Half-days had also been banned by the state, with all students required to be in school 180 full days.
Senior Kevin Prosch and junior Patrick Ellis planned to lead the football team, which was “confident about an HHC conference victory or even a sectional championship.”
Homecoming Spirit Week was set: Mix-Up Monday (non-matching outfits); Tired Tuesday (pajamas); Class Color Day Wednesday (in preparation for the parade); Throwback Thursday (retro wear); and Welcome to the Jungle Friday (animal clothing).
Summer update: Juniors Josh Haus, Zach Baird and Jade Ciarletta and senior Joseph O’Brogan had all gone on the Warped Tour. Junior Cheryl Palmer took a mission trip to Missouri to work with children of incarcerated parents. Sophomore Colin Workman went on a trip to Arizona. Stephen Coulston went to Germany to visit Lina Knorr, who had been a foreign exchange student. Junior Nathan Barrett had attended a World Cup qualifier soccer game.
There were 46 extracurricular activities and 21 different honors and AP classes at SHS.
A new state law banned teens from using cell phones while driving. “All drivers can get distracted, not just teens,” Ashley Pettit said.
This Day in Shelby County History
News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2005: The Shelbyville High School girls basketball team lost to Franklin, breaking a seven-game winning streak. LeAnn Douglas led Shelbyville with 16 points and eight rebounds. Lauren Murphy had 13 points and four steals in her final game at Garrett Gymnasium, and fellow senior Lauren Rees also had a strong game, with six points and three assists.
1995: Shelbyville police began training with new, expandable batons, which were more convenient than the traditional nightstick. The department supplied the nightsticks to all 30 of its full-time staff members. Reserve officers could purchase their own.
1985: John Thomas, manager of the Morristown branch of American Fletcher National Bank, had an interesting morning. He went to the bank’s Beech Grove branch for training. When he arrived, a police car pulled up behind him and a police officer jumped out of the car with a shotgun. Seconds later, another officer arrived and got out of his car with a shotgun. They suspected Thomas of being a bank robber. One of the tellers had not properly set up her cash drawer, setting off the alarm. When police arrived, Thomas, driving an unfamiliar car, was a suspect. Bank officials helped clear the matter up, assuring police that Thomas was not likely to rob his own bank.
1975: Jack Worland, 44, real estate broker, announced plans to run for the Republican nomination for mayor. Worland was the first candidate to file. Worland’s wife, Betty, was a secretary in the county’s Probation Department. They lived at 147 W. Jackson St. Worland, a real estate agent with Grigsby, had previously been manager of Plymate Laundry and operated Jack Worland Fine Sandwiches.
1965: The Shelbyville Elks Club would be the scene of the Cincinnati Reds’ first traveling conference of the year. The program, featuring Reds officials, had been created four years’ prior.
1955: City police purchased two new Plymouth station wagons.
A state Education Department official said in a report that Waldron had “what is probably the best county school library in the state.” Other items of interest at the school were the “self-discipline method used in the study hall” and the school’s possession of an electric organ.
1945: A large semi-trailer truck carrying a load of steel rods collided with a west-bound New York Central freight train at the Walker and Pike streets intersection. The out-of-town truck driver was not injured.
1935: Dr. W.W. Tindall, S. Harrison St., interrupted a burglar in his office early Sunday morning. Dr. R.W. Gehres’ office on West Jackson Street had been robbed of a five-tube RCA radio.
1925: A lawsuit involving a set of golf clubs was settled. The clubs were found by the Henry County Sheriff in the residence of the man who had left town suddenly without giving them to Mr. Cochran, who had purchased them. The clubs were given to Cochran.
1915: SHS Civics students spent the day watching the Indiana Legislature.
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OBITUARIES
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