(A) Rooms are available for use by county officers or county employees for the conduct of county business. Any other informational or educational meeting use must have prior approval from the Building Superintendent and the use will be limited. County office use shall have scheduling priority. The current non-county organizations approved for use are as follows:
(1) Bankruptcy court: One day per month, Room 101, Government Center.
(2) Workers’ compensation hearings: One day per month, Room 101, Government Center.
(3) AARP tax help training: Five days in January, Room 101, Government Center.
(4) AARP individual tax help: One day per week, February through April, Room 107, Government Center.
(B) A county employee will be responsible for the meeting held in the building.
(C) All meetings must be scheduled 48 hours in advance. The Howard county Extension Office, Room 105 of the Government Center, is responsible for scheduling meeting rooms in the government Center and shall maintain a calendar for such purpose. The Howard County Auditor, Room 222 in the Administration Center, is responsible for scheduling meeting rooms in the Administration Center and shall maintain a calendar for such purpose.
(D) Scheduling conflicts will be handled on a first scheduled, first served basis.
(E) Canceled meetings are to be removed from the calendar immediately, so someone else may use the room and doors are not unlocked unnecessarily.
(F) With respect to weekends and official holidays when county offices are closed:
(1) All entrance doors are to remain locked. At no time are the entrance doors to be left unlocked or propped open.
(2) The county employee using the building during these periods is responsible for the building’s security. Meetings that require entry into the building, by anyone other than the employee(s) using the building, must have someone posted at the door to allow entry to authorized persons.
(G) It is the responsibility of the group using the meeting room to clean up. While food and drinks are allowed, it is the group using the room’s responsibility to clean up any spills or food on the floor or tables. Cleaning supplies and sweepers are available in the kitchen area of the Government Center, and through the maintenance department at the Administration Center.
(H) Chairs, tables and other room arrangements will be the total responsibility of the office holding the meeting, and to return the room to its previous condition.
(I) Any item (i.e. TV, DVD player, books, papers, charts, maps and the like) brought into a meeting must be removed from the room at the conclusion of the meeting. Any item left in the room will be considered unwanted waste and will be discarded by the maintenance employees.
(J) Any meeting requiring the entrance door to be unlocked after 4:00 p.m. will be monitored. If any meeting concludes well ahead of the scheduled ending time, the night maintenance staff should be notified so that doors can be locked. The night maintenance supervisor’s cell phone number is : 765-432-8260.
(K) Any proposed meeting that does not comply with these rules must receive special approval from the Extension Office or Auditor, as applicable, whose decision shall be final.
(L) No animals will be allowed in the meeting rooms with the exception of service animals.
(M) Use of the meeting room is a privilege and the County Board of Commissioners reserves the right to suspend the privilege for any group that does not adhere to these rules.
(Ord. 2005-BCC-34, passed 12-19-05; Am. Res. 2011-BCCR-11, passed 5-2-11; Am. Res. 2014-BCCR-3, passed 2-3-14)