Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Brian Mayo talks about the CARES website to the Warsaw Common Council Monday night. The website can be found at caresresources.com. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — Two of the resolutions before the Warsaw Common Council at their meeting Monday night, Nov. 20, were for fund transfers requested by Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Brian Mayo.

During discussion of the first resolution, the council learned the Community Assistance, Resources, Emergency Services website was up and running.

The C.A.R.E.S. program strives to enhance the crisis response system in the city of Warsaw, ensuring that each member of the community can count on a person-centered, individualized and trauma-informed response to mental health crises and situations for themselves and/or their loved ones, prioritizing the safety of all involved, according to the C.A.R.E.S. website. C.A.R.E.S. also strives to bridge together community resources and services, serving as a safety net program for any community members who may be falling through the cracks of care.

The first resolution Monday night was for the transfer of $6,000 funds from Kosciusko County Community Foundation — C.A.R.E.S. Resource to miscellaneous revenue — operating fund.

A screenshot of the CARES website at caresresources.com is shown. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

Mayo explained, “This was a grant awarded by the Community Foundation that was in conjunction with the C.A.R.E.S. website.” He said the grant reimbursed the fire territory for the funds used to create the C.A.R.E.S. resource website.

“It is up and running and it’s very useful. Tons of resources. Great website,” he stated.

Mayor Joe Thallemer said the money came from the Community Foundation and was put in the KCCF-C.A.R.E.S. Resource fund and the transfer was basically a reimbursement of funds used for the website.
Anyone who is impacted by C.A.R.E.S. is given a card with a QR Code on it, and the QR Code will take them to the website that lists all the resources in the community for different concerns that they may be experiencing, he said.

“It is a tremendous website. It is a website that requires a lot of maintenance because it has to be continually updated,” Thallemer said. “I believe it was Fellowship Missions that had started this, and (C.A.R.E.S. Director) Chris Fancil picked up on it and said this was ideal for what we’re doing, and we worked with them, got a grant from the Foundation and now that’s completed.”

Councilwoman Diane Quance asked if there was a way to access the website without the QR Code. Thallemer used the QR Code on a card he had, which took him to caresresources.com.

“I encourage you all to jump on and take a look at it. It’s a significant compilation of community resources,” Thallemer stated.

Councilman Jerry Frush made a motion to approve the resolution, Councilman Josh Finch seconded it and the motion passed 6-0, with Councilman Jeff Grose absent.

The second resolution presented by Mayo was to transfer a total of $25,000 from operating capital outlays machinery and equipment to three other funds: $10,000 to operating — personal services employee benefits — public employee retirement fund; $10,000 to operating — other services utility services; and $5,000 to other services rentals.

Mayo explained the PERF ran over this year because of overtime and other things that had to be paid out. He said it probably wasn’t budgeted high enough for this year so the $10,000 is to get the department to the end of the year.

Utilities went up this year and was probably a little shorter than it should have been.

Finally, there were some rentals that weren’t forecasted for this year that were needed, such as a lift for the bays to do some work at the fire stations.

Thallemer said they were a perfect example of things not always going as planned.

Finch made a motion to approve the resolution, Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins seconded that motion and it passed 6-0.

In other business, the council:

• Approved a resolution to reduce the 2023 budget by a total of $661,032.
  That total includes $546,532 from the general fund; $10,000 from parks and recreation; $32,500 from aviation; $22,000 from cemetery; and $50,000 from fire territory operating fund.
• Approved the one-year reappointment of Councilman Mike Klondaris and retired banker Bill Curl to the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission; the two-year reappointment of Dan Robinson to the Economic Development Commission; and the one-year reappointment of Quance to the Plan Commission.
• Was reminded the Dec. 4 council meeting was moved to 4 p.m. Dec. 1.