Bill Could Affect Belterra Funds For Batesville

Local leaders are watching the gaming bill that would affect their revenue. Mayor Rick Fledderman brought this up at the Monday city council meeting. The council also discussed a salary increase for an employee.

Belterra
SB 528 has passed and is now in the House for consideration. The bill was written so the casinos would be more competitive with Ohio and other outlying states, but it means a cut in revenue to local communities where the casinos exist. Casinos give a portion of the admissions tax to docking cities and counties. SB 528 removes the Admissions Tax guarantee. Ohio County, for example, would lose over 60 percent of revenue, despite expenses for 24 hour paramedic, expanded fire protection and the deterioration of highways.

Fledderman presented a thick document on how it might affect their gaming revenue. “This could affect the Belterra funds we receive, it could affect the Rising Sun grant, and the Lawrenceburg 10 County grant. It does have a big effect on Batesville and the surrounding area,” Fledderman told council.
The city receives up to $120,000 annually from Belterra funds that can be used for anything other than operational city costs. Belterra was the last casino to open on the Ohio River in Indiana in 2000.

State Rep. Jud McMillin, State Rep. Cindy Ziemke and State Rep. Randy Frye both oppose the senate bill as it is written.

The thinking is the bill will be presented in the House Wednesday. Gov. Pence has said he is against any expansion of gambling in Indiana, alluding to language in the bill allowing table games at the racinos, riverboats to move on land and more mobile gaming devices.

Salary Increase For Officer
In a 3 to 2 vote, Batesville City Council agreed to increase the salary for a first class firefighter. This had been suggested to better align pay with first class patrol officers. Council President Gene Lambert said they looked at 18 cities and towns in similar size of Batesville to compare salaries of patrol and fire offices. For first class patrol officers the average was $40,900, and only 10 cities had similar positions for firefighters. The average was $39,142.

The firefighter doesn’t get overtime until after 53 hours, versus a police officer who gets it at 40 plus hours.

Mayor Rick Fledderman and city council both said Brian Hardebeck works hard and does a good job. The increase would put his salary at $43, 150. Council members Beth Meyers and Darrick Cox voted against the motion because they thought the $5,000 increase should be given in two year increments since no other city workers were getting that kind of raise. However, council member Kevin Chaffee noted the increase was included in the budget, and made the motion to increase it. Bob Narwold and Lambert also voted it in.

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Douglas Wilson