County Antes Up $50,000 For Prisoners' Medical Expenses
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
It wasn't a popular decision, but the Kosciusko County Council voted "reluctantly" Thursday to appropriate an additional $50,000 for prisoners' medical expenses.
The vote was in response to a request by Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine, who said a doctor and nurse have volunteered to come in and check prisoners before sending them to the emergency room.
Still, he said, several injuries, such as a broken jaw, have contributed to the high cost of medical expenses.
"Can I say we're reluctantly approving this?" asked council president James Tranter.
The four members of the council who were present - Kathryn Teel, Tranter, Tom Anglin and Harold Jones - also heard a report by Sue Ann Mitchell, county auditor-elect, that a Web site for the courthouse will soon be operational.
The state made the funds available for a consultant to come to Kosciusko County and show county workers how to develop a Web site, she said.
"It will open the courthouse up for business 24 hours a day," she said, explaining that forms, office hours, building layouts, council minutes, township information, etc., could be included on the site.
"We feel like this is a way for the county to work smarter," she said.
She expects the Web site to be up and running by the end of November, she said, and an information/marketing campaign already is being considered.
The council continued until next month's meeting a request by some township trustees to change the method of reassessment compensation.
Introduced by county administrator Ron Robinson, the request would be for interested trustees to do the reassessing themselves instead of hiring and training others. Trustees get $20 per day to oversee the reassessment, but field workers are paid $70 per day.
Robinson suggested trustees would be paid the $70 instead, foregoing the $20 payment, but trustees Beth Krill (Jefferson Township) and Pat Hurd (Van Buren Township) disagreed.
"Eliminating the $20 would not be practical," Krill said.
"The State Board (of Accounts) is going to want to know - basically, you're gonna get $70 to do the work and $20 to oversee your own work," said county auditor Charlene Knispel.
The council asked Knispel to call the State Board of Accounts before the next meeting.
In other business:
• Council approved the following fund transfers: Kosciusko Circuit Court, $6,000 from court-ordered services into legal research; systems administration, $20,000 from computer maintenance to computer equipment; $3,000 from the matron's wages to the jail budget; and $20,000 from the bridge maintenance account into road paving and drain fund.
• Rob Ladson, county highway superintendent and engineer, said the construction of CR 900N is completed, and the new bridge on Old Road 30E, near the east county line, is expected to open next week.
• Ladson also said the 150-foot radio tower at the highway department will be replaced because it is not in good enough shape to hold the new equipment required to connect the courthouse, highway department, work release center and towns in the county. The approximate cost for the new tower will be $50,000, but, Ladson said, the costs are not yet set.
• The county probation department will close Nov. 11-12 while it moves to the new work release building, Robinson said. The department should be functioning again by Nov. 15.
The county council meets at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month in the courthouse. [[In-content Ad]]
It wasn't a popular decision, but the Kosciusko County Council voted "reluctantly" Thursday to appropriate an additional $50,000 for prisoners' medical expenses.
The vote was in response to a request by Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine, who said a doctor and nurse have volunteered to come in and check prisoners before sending them to the emergency room.
Still, he said, several injuries, such as a broken jaw, have contributed to the high cost of medical expenses.
"Can I say we're reluctantly approving this?" asked council president James Tranter.
The four members of the council who were present - Kathryn Teel, Tranter, Tom Anglin and Harold Jones - also heard a report by Sue Ann Mitchell, county auditor-elect, that a Web site for the courthouse will soon be operational.
The state made the funds available for a consultant to come to Kosciusko County and show county workers how to develop a Web site, she said.
"It will open the courthouse up for business 24 hours a day," she said, explaining that forms, office hours, building layouts, council minutes, township information, etc., could be included on the site.
"We feel like this is a way for the county to work smarter," she said.
She expects the Web site to be up and running by the end of November, she said, and an information/marketing campaign already is being considered.
The council continued until next month's meeting a request by some township trustees to change the method of reassessment compensation.
Introduced by county administrator Ron Robinson, the request would be for interested trustees to do the reassessing themselves instead of hiring and training others. Trustees get $20 per day to oversee the reassessment, but field workers are paid $70 per day.
Robinson suggested trustees would be paid the $70 instead, foregoing the $20 payment, but trustees Beth Krill (Jefferson Township) and Pat Hurd (Van Buren Township) disagreed.
"Eliminating the $20 would not be practical," Krill said.
"The State Board (of Accounts) is going to want to know - basically, you're gonna get $70 to do the work and $20 to oversee your own work," said county auditor Charlene Knispel.
The council asked Knispel to call the State Board of Accounts before the next meeting.
In other business:
• Council approved the following fund transfers: Kosciusko Circuit Court, $6,000 from court-ordered services into legal research; systems administration, $20,000 from computer maintenance to computer equipment; $3,000 from the matron's wages to the jail budget; and $20,000 from the bridge maintenance account into road paving and drain fund.
• Rob Ladson, county highway superintendent and engineer, said the construction of CR 900N is completed, and the new bridge on Old Road 30E, near the east county line, is expected to open next week.
• Ladson also said the 150-foot radio tower at the highway department will be replaced because it is not in good enough shape to hold the new equipment required to connect the courthouse, highway department, work release center and towns in the county. The approximate cost for the new tower will be $50,000, but, Ladson said, the costs are not yet set.
• The county probation department will close Nov. 11-12 while it moves to the new work release building, Robinson said. The department should be functioning again by Nov. 15.
The county council meets at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month in the courthouse. [[In-content Ad]]