OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Vanderburgh County Council Personnel and Finance Meeting – June 24, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, June 24, 2026
BodyEvansville, Indiana
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, June 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:18:28
Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:03

Uh, welcome to our county council personnel and finance meeting dated June the 24th, 2026.

0:10

For those in attendance, thank you for attending.

0:12

And for those streaming via Granagus, we welcome you as well.

0:17

We'll open our meeting with an attendance roll call, please.

0:25

Council Member Yaccarino here.

0:28

Councilmember Shetler.

0:30

Here.

0:30

Council Member Piefer.

0:32

Here.

0:32

Councilmember Bassmeyer.

0:35

Council Member Raven.

0:37

Here.

0:38

Councilmember Hahn.

0:40

Here.

0:40

President Montrestail.

0:42

Here we have a quorum.

0:43

Next up, we'll have a pledge of allegiance led by Councilmember Shatler and then the invocation by Paula.

0:57

What is it?

1:03

Or which is one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice or father.

1:16

Praise you for this meeting and your purpose for it.

1:19

We know that when we gather together, you always have a divine agenda.

1:24

We love you for that, Father.

1:26

Even when we have done what you have asked, the results are so much greater than we could have ever imagined.

1:33

Even in failed attempts, you amaze us with your faithfulness to provide what we need.

1:39

In your name we pray.

1:41

Amen.

1:46

Thank you, Paul.

1:47

Thank you, Tom.

1:49

This is our PNF meeting.

1:50

It'll be a much shorter meeting than we're typically we typically have.

1:56

First up is we'll talk about appropriations.

1:59

We've got several items there, and then we have one item under new business, and that's the pension plan.

2:07

So um James, you want to do this part?

2:12

Um, happy to do that.

2:16

Okay, first uh on the agenda is under the sheriff.

2:21

We've got a request for garage motor.

2:24

The sheriff is here to answer any questions anyone may have.

2:29

What the request is for 140,000, and that's garage motor is all the repairs and whatnot for his uh all his staff cars.

2:42

Hello.

2:45

Hey, sheriff.

2:47

Greetings.

2:47

How are you?

2:49

Any questions about the appropriation request for graduate motion?

2:51

What would we would we budget for um the previous year?

2:55

I mean, this is a a pretty substantial increase, and he's got what 35k left in his budget, so uh I'm just wondering.

3:03

So thinking look at my notes here.

3:04

I think we spent 320,000 in 2025.

3:09

320.

3:12

Let me look there.

3:13

Regan was you remind me, Regan.

3:15

You step up here for a second.

3:16

Let me make sure I don't get my facts straight here.

3:18

Want to see what I started the year off of.

3:20

Was it two?

3:21

And then we have we got an appropriation for 120 later on.

3:24

Yeah, so we total spend was one 320,000 last year, a little bit over that, of which 120,000 was an additional appropriation we asked for in August of 25 and received.

3:36

So uh somebody do the math.

3:39

Are we on course to spend more this year?

3:42

Yeah, we've had some transmission failures and some engine issues, uh so we are asking for 140,000 this year as opposed to 120,000 that we asked last year, and we are asking for it a bit sooner.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Fiscal Sustainability████████████████████████████████████36%
Personnel Matters██████████████████████████26%
Public Health███████████████15%
Pending Litigation█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Vanderburgh County Council Personnel and Finance Meeting – June 24, 2026

The meeting was called to order at 9:15 AM with a quorum present. After the pledge of allegiance and an invocation, the council reviewed several appropriation requests and a detailed presentation on the county police pension and benefit plans. No formal votes were taken; the discussions will inform decisions at a future meeting scheduled for July 1, 2026.

Discussion Items

  • Sheriff's Garage Motor Appropriation ($140,000): Sheriff requested additional funds for fleet maintenance to cover transmission and engine failures, noting an aging fleet with some vehicles dating back to 2007–2008. The total fleet is approximately 110 vehicles. Last year's similar appropriation was $120,000. Council members questioned the increase and the vehicle replacement policy. No action was taken.
  • Confinement Officers Appropriation (Phased Hiring): The Sheriff and Jail Commander Dave Gettling proposed hiring 22 confinement officers in three phases (7 in September, 7 in October, 8 in November) to staff the new jail expected to open in December or January. The phased approach allows staggered training. Council member John suggested approving hires monthly instead of in bulk, but the Sheriff explained the training schedule requires blocks. No vote was held.
  • Jail Medical Appropriation: The Sheriff reported a significant rise in off-site medical transports (from 396 in 2024 to 566–568 in 2025) and overall medical costs. The jail has a new contract with Heritage to audit bills. Council member John inquired about inmate insurance options, including Medicaid and private insurance. The Sheriff said they have explored private insurance with limited success and will further investigate. No appropriation was approved.
  • Convention Center Operating Expenses ($88,003): This is the third quarter installment of the convention center's 2026 operating expenses. Council members asked for clarification on whether the funds are for maintenance or operations, and requested itemization before the next meeting. No vote was taken.
  • Area Plan Update (Solar Project Litigation): Ron Lennon reported that Bluegrass Solar lost a 4–3 vote, filed a lawsuit, and the case was dismissed on a procedural technicality (continuance filing one day late). The petitioner may refile. Council members expressed concern about litigation costs; no action was taken.
  • Pension Plan and Benefit Plan Presentations: Kevin, the plan actuary, and pension board members (including Noah and Rob) presented the 2026 actuarial valuations. The pension plan is funded at about 80% (assets $76.16M, unfunded liability $53.2M). The 2026 Actuarially Determined Contribution (ADC) is $2,108,385. The benefit plan ADC is $156,757. The council discussed sustainability, previous supplemental contributions ($375,000 in 2024, $265,000 in 2025), and the risk of investment shocks. Council member Tom questioned the board's representation and investment strategy. It was noted that the pension plan may meet its ADC without a supplemental contribution this year, but the benefit plan may need one. No formal action was taken.

Key Outcomes

  • No appropriation requests were voted on; they will be considered at the next meeting on July 1, 2026.
  • The Sheriff will investigate private insurance options for inmates and report back.
  • The convention center representative will clarify the operating expense breakdown.
  • The pension plan appears on track, but the council will monitor investment performance and consider future supplemental contributions as needed.
  • Council members expressed interest in greater transparency and representation on the pension board.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. Uh, welcome to our county council personnel and finance meeting dated June the 24th, 2026. For those in attendance, thank you for attending. And for those streaming via Granagus, we welcome you as well. We'll open our meeting with an attendance roll call, please. Council Member Yaccarino here. Councilmember Shetler. Here. Council Member Piefer. Here. Councilmember Bassmeyer. Council Member Raven. Here. Councilmember Hahn. Here. President Montrestail. Here we have a quorum. Next up, we'll have a pledge of allegiance led by Councilmember Shatler and then the invocation by Paula. What is it? Or which is one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice or father. Praise you for this meeting and your purpose for it. We know that when we gather together, you always have a divine agenda. We love you for that, Father. Even when we have done what you have asked, the results are so much greater than we could have ever imagined. Even in failed attempts, you amaze us with your faithfulness to provide what we need. In your name we pray. Amen. Thank you, Paul. Thank you, Tom. This is our PNF meeting. It'll be a much shorter meeting than we're typically we typically have. First up is we'll talk about appropriations. We've got several items there, and then we have one item under new business, and that's the pension plan. So um James, you want to do this part? Um, happy to do that. Okay, first uh on the agenda is under the sheriff. We've got a request for garage motor. The sheriff is here to answer any questions anyone may have. What the request is for 140,000, and that's garage motor is all the repairs and whatnot for his uh all his staff cars. Hello. Hey, sheriff. Greetings. How are you? Any questions about the appropriation request for graduate motion? What would we would we budget for um the previous year? I mean, this is a a pretty substantial increase, and he's got what 35k left in his budget, so uh I'm just wondering. So thinking look at my notes here. I think we spent 320,000 in 2025. 320. Let me look there.

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