Latest news with #JeremyPasel
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commissioners discuss $1.3M shortfall
GREENSBURG – The Decatur County Board of Commissioners are considering opting out of insurance coverage for themselves and the Decatur County Council; the idea was discussed at a recent evening meeting of the board held at the Decatur County Courthouse. Commissioner Jeremy Pasel said Senate Bill 1 will create projected revenue deficits of $517,710 in 2025 to $781,450 in 2028. Because of that shortfall, he said county government is going to have to tighten its belt. Pasel suggested discontinuing health insurance for county council members as well as the three commissioners, which he said would result in a savings of $106,866. That, he said, would cover roughly 20% of the deficit. 'I don't want to see layoffs,' he said. Commissioner Brian Wenning added, 'I think our employees are the most valuable asset we have, but I would not recommend cutting any benefits for them.' Wenning noted there hasn't been a budget session for 2025, which would allow the county leaders to 'look at different things and compare before we made that decision." Commissioner Gabriel Nobbe indicated he doesn't use the insurance available to the commissioners and suggested waiting to see how things play out before taking action on this concern. Pasel expounded on an analysis of current economics and asked if anyone else wanted to add to the discussion, and no one did. No decisions regarding what to do about the projected shortfall were made. The Board of Commissioners meets on the first and third Mondays of each month in Room 106 of the Decatur County Courthouse unless otherwise posted. All meetings are open to the public.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
2025 Decatur County 4-H Fair Committee members announced
Jan. 27—GREENSBURG — The members of the 2025 Decatur County Fair Committee were recently announced, and planning for the important yearly event is beginning in earnest. The 2025 Decatur County Fair Committee members are President Kevin Crites, serving a 4 year term; Vice President Mark Koors, 2 years; Treasurer Mary Lou Davis, 4 years; Secretary Barb Waechter, 2 years; Scott Best, 4 years; Scott Smith, 4 years; Mark Hirt, 2 years; Commissioner Jeremy Pasel and Decatur County Councilor Danny Peters; and Chris Ramey, at-large. The 2025 Decatur County 4-H Fair is scheduled for July 10 to 16. The Decatur County 4-H Fair has a long and treasured local history, but the history of the committee in charge of preparing and putting on the fair has met with challenges. In August 2021, the Daily News reported on the surprise dissolution of the 21 member Fair Committee by the Decatur County Board of Commissioners, citing their lack of financial accountability for county fairs in the past and their general mismanagement of the Decatur County Fairgrounds. The Fair Committee was unable to produce records accounting for an estimated $30,000 to $40,000 of past year's fair profits. Commissioners Chuck Emsweller and Mark Koors asked the Decatur County Visitors Center Board to manage the Decatur County Fairgrounds and accept the responsibility of managing the Decatur County Fair starting in 2022. After much deliberation, the issue was tabled. Eventually, the Decatur County Visitors Center Board of Directors declined the request. In June 2022, a new nine-member Fair Committee was announced less than a month prior to the start of the annual event. Commissioner Jeremy Pasel explained he favored formation of a new committee to help insulate the fair from changes resulting from elections and their possible negative impact on the fair's 4-H focus. "I don't want the fair to suffer, and I don't want the kids to have a lesser fair going forward in the future," he said. "I want to make sure that we have a Fair Committee in place and people who actually know about the fair can care about it. They'll have a vested interest in it. So that's why I wanted to see a Fair Committee come back." Those selected to serve on the new committee serve voluntarily as Pasel said these will be non-paid positions. He said prior involvement with the fair was a requirement for application because orchestrating a fair was complicated. However, he added, diverse backgrounds and experiences would be helpful in tackling the many different issues execution of a successful event could present. He then asked local media to share a draft of new Fair Committee bylaws and asked that they be publicized so Decatur County citizens know what's planned and what the expectations are. For more information about the 2025 Decatur County 4-H Fair, visit www. Contact Bill Rethlake at 812-651-0876 or email
