Current Issues / News

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb Thursday awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash to Vigo County Commissioner Judith Anderson.  The Republican governor stopped by the Vigo County Annex at First and Oak Street on Thursday afternoon to surprise Anderson, a Democrat.

"I knew he was coming in, and he said he would stop by and say hi, which in itself is a good honor, but then he turns around and presents me with this," Anderson said. "I was very excited. It feels absolutely wonderful. It was quite a shock, but also quite an honor."

Anderson said she thought the governor might have planned to ask her to serve on a board, as she has chosen not to seek re-election as a county commissioner. The Sagamore of the Wabash is the highest honor an Indiana governor regularly bestows upon individuals, second only to the Sachem, which is given, at most, to only one person each year. Holcomb bestows only a very limited number of Sagamores each year. The award is given at the governor's discretion.

The governor reserves the Sagamore for those who have distinguished themselves by humanity in living, loyalty in friendship, wisdom, and inspiration in leadership; and for those who have contributed to their communities in an extraordinary manner, or distinguished themselves in service to the state or to the governor, said Rachel Hoffmeyer, press secretary."As a notable leader in Vigo County, the region and the state for decades, Judy is beyond qualified," Hoffmeyer said. 

Anderson was born, raised, and educated in Vigo County. She was a bus driver for the Vigo County School Corp from 1978 to 1996. She served on the Fayette Township Advisory Board from 1984 to 1996.   Anderson was elected in 1997, serving four years in an at-large seat on the Vigo County Council. In 2001 she was the first woman elected as a Vigo County commissioner.Anderson was named the 2019 Outstanding Commissioner of the Year by the Indiana Association of Counties and received the same award in 2009. She previously served as president of the Association of Indiana Counties in 2008 and received that organization’s top Himsel award in 2011.   Anderson served as president of the Indiana Association of County Commissioners in 2009 and 2019. 

Tribune-Star, Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached 812-231-4204 or [email protected].
 

                                      

Governor's Weekly Wednesday 2:30pm UPDATE

Indiana COVID-19 Data Report    

 

         

 

Indiana Announces Advance to Stage 5 of Back on Track - CLICK HERE 

 

Indiana CARES Act COVID-19 Funding


    CARES Act letter to County Commissioners 9.25.20
    Public Safety and Public Health Payroll Expenses

   Indiana Finance Authority (IFA)CARES Act Reimbursement Update Presentation 10.1.20

The passage of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), established the Coronavirus Relief Fund(CRF), and sent $2.4B to Indiana to assist in covering the cost of response to the COVID-19.  Indiana has now established a program by which it will distribute $300M of that money to counties, cities, and towns to assist in covering the costs that local government has experienced from the pandemic. The Indiana Finance Authority(IFA) will be Administering the program. 

Visit the links below for important guidance related to seeking reimbursement from the CRF created by Indiana and Managed by IFA:

Governor Holcomb's Executive Orders

Executive Orders of interest to County Commissioners

 

Click Here to read Governor’s Executive Order 20-50 - Continuation of color coded county assessments

Click Here to read Governor’s Executive Order 20-49 Renewal of the Public Health Emergency Declaration for the COVID-19 Outbreak

Click Here to read Governor’s Executive Order 20-48 Color Coded County Assessments

Click Here to read Governor’s Executive Order 20-47 to extend the Public Health Emergency to December 1, 2020

Click here to read Governor's Executive Order 20-43 - Stage 5 of Back on Track 

Click here to read Governor's Executive Order 20-34 - Modifications to State’s Back on Track Plan

Click here to read Governor's Executive Order 20-31 - Public Health Emergency and Public Meeting/Open Door Laws Extensions

Click here to read Governor's Executive Order 20-26  - Roadmap to Reopen Indiana for Hoosiers, Businesses and State Government

Click here to read Governor's Executive Order 20-22 - Extension of Stay at Home 

Click here to read Governor’s Executive Order 20-18 - Extension of Stay at Home

Click here to read Governor’s Executive Order 20-09 - Continuity of Government Operations

Click here to read Governor's Executive Order 20-08 - Stay at Home

Click here to read Governor's Executive Order 20-07 - Rescheduling the primary election 

Click here to read Governor's Executive Order 20-05 - Property taxes

Click here to read Governor's Executive Order 20-04  - Public Meetings and Open-door Laws

 

Indiana Guidance and Resources

 

Indiana Supreme Court, Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush

The Indiana Supreme Court issued two orders related to the procedures in your courts-both for now and going forward as we continue to expand operations

State Board of Accounts:

DLGF Supplemental Memo on Executive Order #20-005 – Cash Flow Solutions -March 30, 2020 - This memorandum supplements the Department of Local Government Finance’s (“Department”) memorandum issued on March 20, 2020, on the waiver of penalties for delinquent property tax payments. As discussed in that memorandum, Executive Order #20-005 waives penalties on property taxes paid during the sixty (60) day period after May 11, 2020. 

Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) - Amplification and Social Media Toolkit  It is critical that we get as much information out to Hoosiers about the coronavirus, so please consider sharing via your social media and messaging channels if you are able.  Please tag the Governor and the Indiana State Department of Health in your posts. Their accounts are listed in the tool kit.

Indiana Bond Bank - The Advance Funding Program assists local units of government with their annual cash flow needs. 
If your entity is anticipating cash flow difficulty due to the delay in the collection and distribution of property taxes as outlined in Executive Order 20-05, the Midyear program will be your opportunity to borrow to cover your potential cash flow deficit.

ADDITIONAL QUICK LINKS:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH)
Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN)
Indiana Purdue Rural Emergency Preparedness (INPREP)
Purdue Extension-COVID 19 Resources
USDA Rural Development COVID-19 Website
Indiana Public Access Counselor 

 

Cybersecurity

 

Indiana Executive Cybersecurity Council (IECC) Alerts and Guidance - CLICK HERE  Find several alerts that are most certainly important and will be ongoing threats as this pandemic continues.

CISA Cyber Alert Activity: Guidance on the North Korean Cyber Threat   On March 19, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”), issued a Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response. The definition of Essential Businesses and Operations in this Executive Order includes all of the workers identified in that Memorandum, which may be found or accessed by clicking here 

Several key Cybersecurity information bulletins and advisories from our Federal IT Partners

Below are several web links to additional alerts and guidance:

  • FBI Flash (via EMR-ISAC InfoGram) – COVID-19 Email Phishing Against US Healthcare Providers
  • USDHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issues guidance regarding Microsoft Office 365-enterprise collaboration tools
  • GovTech.com– FBI Urges People Use Vigilance with Social Media Sharing
  • CISA Alert – APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) Groups Target Healthcare and Essential Services
  • USDHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) – CISA-DHS unveils teleworking website. 

 

Webinars

 

LTAP - COVID-19 and Local Transportation Funding Webinar Tuesday, April 21, 2020 10:00 am

This webinar took a look at the revenue sources for the Motor Vehicle Highway Account, the Local Road and Street Account, and Community Crossings and how the “stay at home” order can be affecting them. This will provide some helpful information on how to plan for the future and how to utilize your asset management plan during this pandemic

Click to REWATCH webinar
Click here to get the slides and Q&A

 

Dr. Larry DeBoer, Purdue University takes an early look at how COVID-19 might impact the economy and revenue for state and local governments in Indiana. April 1, 2020  -  CLICK HERE for Presentation 

 

NACO’s webinar on “Insider’s Guide to COVID-19 Assistance Maximizing Federal Assistance” (Click Here)

 

Federal Guidance and Resources

 

Whitehouse Guidelines for Opening Up America Again

U.S. Department of the Treasury: The CARES Act Provides Assistance for State and Local Governments
Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide

Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Temporary Employee Paid Leave Rights * Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility

Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide 

Eligible Emergency Protective Measures  Learn more at fema.gov/public-assistance-policy-and-guidance

White House COVID-19 Summary of briefing call Wednesday April 18, 2020 - summary of the White House COVID-19 briefing call with President Donald J. Trump and Senior Administration Officials on Wednesday, April 8 with Local Officials across the US.  Additionally, the document lists Trusted Federal Resources for important information.  Please be sure that when you are using information to make decisions that it is with trusted sources.

Trusted Federal Resources and Information from the White House -This is a summary of the White House COVID-19 briefing call with Vice President Mike Pence and Senior Administration Officials on Wednesday, March 18  with Local Officials across the US. Additionally, it lists Trusted Federal Resources for important information.  Please be sure that when you are using information to make decisions that it is with trusted sources.

ADDITIONAL QUICK LINKS:

FEMA Advisory COVID19 Project Air Bridge Video Information CLICK HERE
FEMA Advisory COVID19 Fact Sheet PPE Preservation Best Practices Information CLICK HERE
FEMA COVID19 Fact Sheet Best Practices PPE Preservation CLICK HERE 
FEMA Advisory COVID19 Fact Sheet IRR CLICK HERE 
FEMA COVID19 Fact Sheet IRR CLICK HERE
USDA's COVID -19 Federal Rural Resource Guide
CLICK HERE to see USDA’s COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide Lists Federal Programs That Can Help Rural Communities, Organizations and Residents Impacted by COVID-19.

National Association of Counties (NACO) Analysis of Federal CARES Act

https://www.naco.org/resources/naco-analysis-third-covid-19-supplemental-coronavirus-aid-relief-and-economic-security-act

During this critical and unprecedented time, NACo is focused on advocating for the needs of counties at the federal level, disseminating useful information to our members, and facilitating the exchange of effective strategies and approaches.

NACo has launched www.NACo.org/coronavirus, as well as this recurring digest of key resources for counties. Click here to subscribe to updates.

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus Disease 2019:  HERE
  • Coronavirus Task Force national briefings: HERE
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (here)
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (here)
  • U.S. Department of Labor (here)
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security (here)
  • U.S. Department of State (here)
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (here)

CISA and NCSC Joint Activity Alert - COVID-19 Exploited by Malicious Cyber Actors click here

 COVID-19 County Policies

 

Re-Opening our Communities

Dubois County

Elkhart County

Hamilton County


LaPorte County

Monroe County

Montgomery County

Morgan County

Steuben County

Vigo County

 

 
 

COVID-19 County Policies