County Approves Sheriff's Dept. Pay Increases
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Changes abound in the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department.
Due to promotions within the sheriff's department, the Kosciusko County Council approved transfers and a salary ordinance amendment to pay for the pay increases that come with the promotions.
Lt. Detective Sam Whitaker's salary will increase from $34,568 to $35,149; Detective Sgt. Travis Marsh, from $32,027 to $34,568; road sergeants Craig Bale, Chad Hill and Floyd Knafel, $32,027 to $34,201; corporals Todd Sautter, Reid Piper, Tony Ciriello, $32,027 to $33,098; and Sgt./SPOT Supervisor Larry Holderman, $32,027 to $34,568.
According to Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine, the lieutenant detective is a new position that was created as a supervisor over the detectives.
Rovenstine also sought permission from the council to hire two school resource officers - one for Wawasee Community Schools and one for Tippecanoe Valley Schools. The sheriff's department received a grant recently that will pay 100 percent of the salaries of two full-time school resource officers for three years. The county must pay for the officers' insurance and benefits. The sheriff's department has spare vehicles for the officers to use. During the summer, the officers will be on the road patrolling if they're not involved in summer school activities at the schools.
Rovenstine said the school resource officers will probably be hired from within the department and two new employees will be hired to replace them.
The council unanimously approved.
The council also approved advertising for two new employees for the county jail to provide security to the jail and to operate the front desk. On Dec. 15, the dispatch center was moved to the basement of the Justice Building. In the former dispatch center, the dispatchers monitored the security screens and secured jail doors, and answered public inquiries at the front desk. Because they are downstairs now, the dispatchers can no longer perform those duties.
Rovenstine said, "Where we're heading with the new jail ... that's going to be the whole brains of the operation."
Councilman Harold Jones said, "I think we knew this was coming with the new building, but we were hoping to hold it off a year."
"I'm not for it," Councilman Tom Anglin said, "but there's not much we can do about it."
The council was updated on the Justice Building expansion project by County Administrator Ron Robinson.
Robinson said the remonstration period for the project will begin Wednesday and will last 30 days. The lowest bidder for the demolition of the buildings at the corner of Lake and Center streets was Cripe Excavating, Syracuse. G&G Excavating, Warsaw, was the second lowest bidder. The project architects will review the bids and make a recommendation to the commissioners after the remonstration period has ended.
He also said the demolition bids came in at half of what the architects predicted.
The county and city are also moving ahead with combining their dispatch centers. Robinson said it's a slow process and won't happen overnight, but eventually they hope to have the center on its own budget, funded by 911 proceeds.
"We're finally coming out of the Dark Ages and coming to where we need to be," Robinson said.
In other business, the council:
• Approved transferring $2,094.71 from a K21 Foundation donation to an account for the health department to use for prenatal care.
• Approved Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed's request to transfer $40,000 from the adult user fees account to the court-ordered services account.
• Approved County Prosecutor Chuck Waggoner's request to raise Chief Deputy Prosecutor Byron Tinkey's supplemental pay from $3,333 to $5,000 for 2000. Tinkey has been in the prosecutor's office for four years.
• Elected Brad Tandy as council president for 2000 and Jim Tranter as vice president. Tranter and Tandy will also continue serving on the council's wage committee.
• Named Kenneth Johnson, Syracuse, to the Kosciusko County Alcoholic Beverage Commission; Thad Rothrock to the Winona Lake Economic Development Commission; Councilman John Kinsey to the Warsaw Economic Commission; and Gerald Bitner to the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals.
Members of the county council include Tranter, Tandy, Anglin, Kinsey, Jones, Lewis Bertsch and Kathryn Teel. They meet the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. in the county courthouse. [[In-content Ad]]
Changes abound in the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department.
Due to promotions within the sheriff's department, the Kosciusko County Council approved transfers and a salary ordinance amendment to pay for the pay increases that come with the promotions.
Lt. Detective Sam Whitaker's salary will increase from $34,568 to $35,149; Detective Sgt. Travis Marsh, from $32,027 to $34,568; road sergeants Craig Bale, Chad Hill and Floyd Knafel, $32,027 to $34,201; corporals Todd Sautter, Reid Piper, Tony Ciriello, $32,027 to $33,098; and Sgt./SPOT Supervisor Larry Holderman, $32,027 to $34,568.
According to Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine, the lieutenant detective is a new position that was created as a supervisor over the detectives.
Rovenstine also sought permission from the council to hire two school resource officers - one for Wawasee Community Schools and one for Tippecanoe Valley Schools. The sheriff's department received a grant recently that will pay 100 percent of the salaries of two full-time school resource officers for three years. The county must pay for the officers' insurance and benefits. The sheriff's department has spare vehicles for the officers to use. During the summer, the officers will be on the road patrolling if they're not involved in summer school activities at the schools.
Rovenstine said the school resource officers will probably be hired from within the department and two new employees will be hired to replace them.
The council unanimously approved.
The council also approved advertising for two new employees for the county jail to provide security to the jail and to operate the front desk. On Dec. 15, the dispatch center was moved to the basement of the Justice Building. In the former dispatch center, the dispatchers monitored the security screens and secured jail doors, and answered public inquiries at the front desk. Because they are downstairs now, the dispatchers can no longer perform those duties.
Rovenstine said, "Where we're heading with the new jail ... that's going to be the whole brains of the operation."
Councilman Harold Jones said, "I think we knew this was coming with the new building, but we were hoping to hold it off a year."
"I'm not for it," Councilman Tom Anglin said, "but there's not much we can do about it."
The council was updated on the Justice Building expansion project by County Administrator Ron Robinson.
Robinson said the remonstration period for the project will begin Wednesday and will last 30 days. The lowest bidder for the demolition of the buildings at the corner of Lake and Center streets was Cripe Excavating, Syracuse. G&G Excavating, Warsaw, was the second lowest bidder. The project architects will review the bids and make a recommendation to the commissioners after the remonstration period has ended.
He also said the demolition bids came in at half of what the architects predicted.
The county and city are also moving ahead with combining their dispatch centers. Robinson said it's a slow process and won't happen overnight, but eventually they hope to have the center on its own budget, funded by 911 proceeds.
"We're finally coming out of the Dark Ages and coming to where we need to be," Robinson said.
In other business, the council:
• Approved transferring $2,094.71 from a K21 Foundation donation to an account for the health department to use for prenatal care.
• Approved Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed's request to transfer $40,000 from the adult user fees account to the court-ordered services account.
• Approved County Prosecutor Chuck Waggoner's request to raise Chief Deputy Prosecutor Byron Tinkey's supplemental pay from $3,333 to $5,000 for 2000. Tinkey has been in the prosecutor's office for four years.
• Elected Brad Tandy as council president for 2000 and Jim Tranter as vice president. Tranter and Tandy will also continue serving on the council's wage committee.
• Named Kenneth Johnson, Syracuse, to the Kosciusko County Alcoholic Beverage Commission; Thad Rothrock to the Winona Lake Economic Development Commission; Councilman John Kinsey to the Warsaw Economic Commission; and Gerald Bitner to the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals.
Members of the county council include Tranter, Tandy, Anglin, Kinsey, Jones, Lewis Bertsch and Kathryn Teel. They meet the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. in the county courthouse. [[In-content Ad]]