2001 County Budget OK'd On First Reading
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
First reading of the 2001 budget for preliminary adoption was Thursday by the Kosciusko County Council.
Several items in the budget relating to certain salaries will be clarified or addressed at the Sept. 18 budget adoption meeting at 7 p.m. after the wage committee meets Wednesday.
There were no remonstrators.
The budget includes salaries for elected officials. Those salaries include: county assessor, $38,005; county auditor, $39,906; county clerk, $39,906; total for all three county commissioners, $43,827; county administrator, $57,587; county coroner, $10,264; county prosecutor, $5,000; county recorder, $35,845; sheriff, $79,505; county surveyor, $50,965; county treasurer, $38,005; and total for all seven county councilmen, $39,029.
In another matter, Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine told the county council the merit board for the department felt it may be time to make changes to the officers' retirement plan.
Their current plan has several problems. Rovenstine presented two different proposals to the council for review, but said he doesn't expect the council to act on anything this year.
One proposal would reduce the retirement age of a county sheriff's officer from 55 to 52. When asked what the purpose of dropping the retirement age was, Rovenstine said it's what most departments in the area are doing and it allows officers who joined early to retire sooner. Councilman Jim Tranter asked if reducing the retirement age could be counterproductive to the department and Rovenstine said it could be.
"Some (departments) are going to 50," Rovenstine said regarding the retirement age. He said he just wanted to make the council aware of the need to make changes to the retirement plan.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a transfer of $7,130 for the election board from the election sheriff account to the election board clerk, judges and inspector accounts. They also approved a salary ordinance to increase the election rate of pay for the inspectors from $100 to $115; judges from $80 to $95; and clerks from $60 to $95.
The Kosciusko County commissioners eliminated the positions of election sheriffs for each district at their last meeting at the recommendation of the election board. The money that paid the election sheriffs is being spread among the inspectors, judges and clerks.
Councilman Tom Anglin asked, "Is this something that can wait? I think we need more information on that. I don't think we need to distribute that money."
While not opposed to the increases, councilman Harold Jones said he thought the county council should have heard about the elimination of the election sheriffs and increase of salaries first. He said there's a process that needs to be followed.
The council voted 6 to 1 to approve it, however, with councilman Jim Tranter opposed.
• Approved three transfers for $14,920.36, $7,117 and $15,420.34 from grants to Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department officers' salaries.
• Approved a transfer for the Kosciusko County Highway Department for $15,000 from the bridge maintenance fund to the bridge replacement fund. The bid to replace bridge 267 was higher than budgeted.
The bridge is on the east side of Lake Wawasee near Enchanted Hills.
Bids for the bridge 267 contract were opened at the last commissioners' meeting. Bids included: Beer & Slabaugh, $246,681.50; Pioneer Associates, $272,471.69; and R.L. McCoy Inc., $259,598.40.
Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson told the commissioners the engineer's estimate for the project was $234,000. The bid will be awarded at the Sept. 12 county commissioners meeting.
• Approved a transfer for the county clerk's office for $10,000 from office supplies to postage due to an increase in postage expenses.
• Approved a transfer for the prosecutor's office for $1,500.
• Approved $20,000 from a grant for the public health specialist for the county health department.
• Approved an amendment to the prenatal and local health maintenance grants salary ordinance to increase the part-time prenatal care coordinator salary to $14.50 per hour, per request of the health department.
• Clarified the trustees' salaries to include $70 per day for field work so the township trustees can be paid like any other field worker. The salary ordinance the council approved last year was vague.
• County Administrator Ron Robinson told the council the south wall of the Justice Building expansion project was poured. Piping on the east end is being put in and in a few weeks, the floor will be poured east to west. Oct. 1 is the target date for the beginning of putting steel in for the building.
"They're on schedule," said Robinson.
Members of the county council are president Brad Tandy, vice president Jim Tranter, Tom Anglin, John Kinsey, Lewis Bertsch, Harold Jones and Kathryn Teel. [[In-content Ad]]
First reading of the 2001 budget for preliminary adoption was Thursday by the Kosciusko County Council.
Several items in the budget relating to certain salaries will be clarified or addressed at the Sept. 18 budget adoption meeting at 7 p.m. after the wage committee meets Wednesday.
There were no remonstrators.
The budget includes salaries for elected officials. Those salaries include: county assessor, $38,005; county auditor, $39,906; county clerk, $39,906; total for all three county commissioners, $43,827; county administrator, $57,587; county coroner, $10,264; county prosecutor, $5,000; county recorder, $35,845; sheriff, $79,505; county surveyor, $50,965; county treasurer, $38,005; and total for all seven county councilmen, $39,029.
In another matter, Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine told the county council the merit board for the department felt it may be time to make changes to the officers' retirement plan.
Their current plan has several problems. Rovenstine presented two different proposals to the council for review, but said he doesn't expect the council to act on anything this year.
One proposal would reduce the retirement age of a county sheriff's officer from 55 to 52. When asked what the purpose of dropping the retirement age was, Rovenstine said it's what most departments in the area are doing and it allows officers who joined early to retire sooner. Councilman Jim Tranter asked if reducing the retirement age could be counterproductive to the department and Rovenstine said it could be.
"Some (departments) are going to 50," Rovenstine said regarding the retirement age. He said he just wanted to make the council aware of the need to make changes to the retirement plan.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a transfer of $7,130 for the election board from the election sheriff account to the election board clerk, judges and inspector accounts. They also approved a salary ordinance to increase the election rate of pay for the inspectors from $100 to $115; judges from $80 to $95; and clerks from $60 to $95.
The Kosciusko County commissioners eliminated the positions of election sheriffs for each district at their last meeting at the recommendation of the election board. The money that paid the election sheriffs is being spread among the inspectors, judges and clerks.
Councilman Tom Anglin asked, "Is this something that can wait? I think we need more information on that. I don't think we need to distribute that money."
While not opposed to the increases, councilman Harold Jones said he thought the county council should have heard about the elimination of the election sheriffs and increase of salaries first. He said there's a process that needs to be followed.
The council voted 6 to 1 to approve it, however, with councilman Jim Tranter opposed.
• Approved three transfers for $14,920.36, $7,117 and $15,420.34 from grants to Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department officers' salaries.
• Approved a transfer for the Kosciusko County Highway Department for $15,000 from the bridge maintenance fund to the bridge replacement fund. The bid to replace bridge 267 was higher than budgeted.
The bridge is on the east side of Lake Wawasee near Enchanted Hills.
Bids for the bridge 267 contract were opened at the last commissioners' meeting. Bids included: Beer & Slabaugh, $246,681.50; Pioneer Associates, $272,471.69; and R.L. McCoy Inc., $259,598.40.
Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson told the commissioners the engineer's estimate for the project was $234,000. The bid will be awarded at the Sept. 12 county commissioners meeting.
• Approved a transfer for the county clerk's office for $10,000 from office supplies to postage due to an increase in postage expenses.
• Approved a transfer for the prosecutor's office for $1,500.
• Approved $20,000 from a grant for the public health specialist for the county health department.
• Approved an amendment to the prenatal and local health maintenance grants salary ordinance to increase the part-time prenatal care coordinator salary to $14.50 per hour, per request of the health department.
• Clarified the trustees' salaries to include $70 per day for field work so the township trustees can be paid like any other field worker. The salary ordinance the council approved last year was vague.
• County Administrator Ron Robinson told the council the south wall of the Justice Building expansion project was poured. Piping on the east end is being put in and in a few weeks, the floor will be poured east to west. Oct. 1 is the target date for the beginning of putting steel in for the building.
"They're on schedule," said Robinson.
Members of the county council are president Brad Tandy, vice president Jim Tranter, Tom Anglin, John Kinsey, Lewis Bertsch, Harold Jones and Kathryn Teel. [[In-content Ad]]