By NICK WERNER
nwerner@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE — It only took five votes, but Delaware County Council on Tuesday authorized the emergency borrowing of up to $10.5 million to avert a potential crisis.
According to Council President Chris Matchett, the borrowing was necessary for two reasons.
First, the county is required by law to repay before the end of the year $7 million it borrowed from an excess levy fund to stay in business.
Second, the county is about to go bust.
“We didn’t have any money to run the county,” Matchett said afterward. “Our only other option was to lock the doors and turn the lights out.”
The county’s financial straits are due in large part to delays this year in the collection of property taxes and are worsened, Matchett said, by the economy.
The Tuesday meeting wasn’t without drama.
The ordinance to authorize Auditor Judy Rust to borrow the money passed 6-1 in an introductory vote with the council’s only Republican member, Ron Quakenbush, dissenting.
Given the urgency of the situation, Rust asked the council to suspend the rules, which would allow for a final vote at the same meeting.
While suspending the rules requires a unanimous vote, Quakenbush voted against the measure, upsetting the remaining board members who wanted the situation resolved Tuesday.
After some discussion, Quakenbush relented and agreed to revote in favor of suspending the rules.
With that out of the way, the council moved on to the final vote to pass the ordinance, where Quakenbush again casts the only nay vote.
At this point, the council was confused on whether a 6 to 1 majority was enough in this situation to pass the ordinance.
The council recessed, apparently to review laws governing the legislative voting process.
During the recess Democrat Brad Bookout left the meeting for a prior engagement and Quakenbush left out of protest.
The council returned from recess and again took a final vote, passing it this time 5-0.
Matchett said later in the day that he believed the 5-0 was legally unnecessary because the previous 6-1 vote met the requirements for passing the ordinance.
Quakenbush told The Star Press that he understood the county’s need to borrow money and cast his nay votes out of frustration with council Democrats on other issues.
z Contact news reporter Nick Werner at 213-5832.