County Council Approves Appropriations, Looks Forward
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Daniel [email protected]
Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Hampton told the board that he has received about $100,000 in requests from local police departments as well as the Indiana State Police and Department of Natural Resources.
Hampton said his office provides funding for those requests on a need basis.
Those requests are then funded and go through the county auditor’s office, then approved by the county commissioners in their monthly claims.
Hampton noted that, in the past, his department has provided funding for such things as digital labs, riot gear, police dogs, forensic extraction devices and general equipment.
Hampton said that in the past, the prosecutor’s office has provided funding for the county sheriff’s department, ISP, Warsaw, Syracuse, North Webster, Silver Lake, Mentone, Claypool, Milford, Winona and Pierceton police departments along with the DNR and county coroner’s office.
When asked by councilman Larry Teghtmeyer if it was under his sole discretion, Hampton said yes.
The requests for both appropriations were approved 6-1 with Teghtmeyer voting against.
But Teghtmeyer then made a motion that, in the future when these requests come up, that Hampton could bring them before the council.
Hampton said he had no problem with that, and that motion was passed.
Teghtmeyer said he appreciated Hampton agreeing to his motion and was OK with the appropriations at that point.
A request for additional money for a part-time deputy prosecutor was approved.
The position would help the prosecutor’s office in collecting on parents who have failed to make support payments.
“The more child support money we collect, the more we’ll get,” said Hampton.
Hampton told the council that a county in the state with a similar caseload has 16 caseworkers and four full-time deputy prosecutors to work on “deadbeat” dads and moms.
In Kosciusko County, the prosecutor’s office currently has one full-time deputy prosecutor and 10 caseworkers in the child support division.
Most of the money the county receive comes from federal funding.
After the regular business was completed, councilman James Moyer asked if the council and county commissioners could sit down to look at some long-range goals for the county.
While it was discussed that doing so without notice could violate open door law, the council did brainstorm ways to develop long-range goals.
Teghtmeyer said it would be a good idea to look at long-term projects like the county highway’s bridge project.
It was decided that the council would try to get several economic development executive directors, including George Robertson from Kosciusko Economic Development Corp., to come to the council’s June meeting.
They would also invite the county commissioners to attend, along with the public, to have an open forum on ideas.
County Administrator Ron Robinson and County Auditor Marsha McSherry said they would work to coordinate that.
The council also approved two transfers on Thursday night. One was for $953.89 from the health department while the other was for $789.49 from emergency management.
The health department’s came as a refund for money they paid for a person after the person had already entered into Medicaid.
The emergency management transfer came from an insurance claim.
Robinson told wage committee members Brad Tandy and Teghtmeyer that they need to meet before June 1.
Councilman Doug Heinisch was appointed to the appeals board for the Lakeland Regional Sewer District.
The district is currently in the stage of defining who will be in and who will be out when it comes to sewers in the Barbee Chain of Lakes.
The appeals board would be available to those who want to petition to either be in or out of the sewer system when the time comes.
Robinson informed the council that the state raised the mileage reimbursement from 40 to 44 cents per mile.
Sanders closed the meeting by thanking McSherry for providing financial information to the council prior to each month’s meeting.
The council’s next meeting is scheduled for June 9 at 7 p.m.
The council meets in the old courtroom at the Kosciusko County Courthouse.[[In-content Ad]]
Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Hampton told the board that he has received about $100,000 in requests from local police departments as well as the Indiana State Police and Department of Natural Resources.
Hampton said his office provides funding for those requests on a need basis.
Those requests are then funded and go through the county auditor’s office, then approved by the county commissioners in their monthly claims.
Hampton noted that, in the past, his department has provided funding for such things as digital labs, riot gear, police dogs, forensic extraction devices and general equipment.
Hampton said that in the past, the prosecutor’s office has provided funding for the county sheriff’s department, ISP, Warsaw, Syracuse, North Webster, Silver Lake, Mentone, Claypool, Milford, Winona and Pierceton police departments along with the DNR and county coroner’s office.
When asked by councilman Larry Teghtmeyer if it was under his sole discretion, Hampton said yes.
The requests for both appropriations were approved 6-1 with Teghtmeyer voting against.
But Teghtmeyer then made a motion that, in the future when these requests come up, that Hampton could bring them before the council.
Hampton said he had no problem with that, and that motion was passed.
Teghtmeyer said he appreciated Hampton agreeing to his motion and was OK with the appropriations at that point.
A request for additional money for a part-time deputy prosecutor was approved.
The position would help the prosecutor’s office in collecting on parents who have failed to make support payments.
“The more child support money we collect, the more we’ll get,” said Hampton.
Hampton told the council that a county in the state with a similar caseload has 16 caseworkers and four full-time deputy prosecutors to work on “deadbeat” dads and moms.
In Kosciusko County, the prosecutor’s office currently has one full-time deputy prosecutor and 10 caseworkers in the child support division.
Most of the money the county receive comes from federal funding.
After the regular business was completed, councilman James Moyer asked if the council and county commissioners could sit down to look at some long-range goals for the county.
While it was discussed that doing so without notice could violate open door law, the council did brainstorm ways to develop long-range goals.
Teghtmeyer said it would be a good idea to look at long-term projects like the county highway’s bridge project.
It was decided that the council would try to get several economic development executive directors, including George Robertson from Kosciusko Economic Development Corp., to come to the council’s June meeting.
They would also invite the county commissioners to attend, along with the public, to have an open forum on ideas.
County Administrator Ron Robinson and County Auditor Marsha McSherry said they would work to coordinate that.
The council also approved two transfers on Thursday night. One was for $953.89 from the health department while the other was for $789.49 from emergency management.
The health department’s came as a refund for money they paid for a person after the person had already entered into Medicaid.
The emergency management transfer came from an insurance claim.
Robinson told wage committee members Brad Tandy and Teghtmeyer that they need to meet before June 1.
Councilman Doug Heinisch was appointed to the appeals board for the Lakeland Regional Sewer District.
The district is currently in the stage of defining who will be in and who will be out when it comes to sewers in the Barbee Chain of Lakes.
The appeals board would be available to those who want to petition to either be in or out of the sewer system when the time comes.
Robinson informed the council that the state raised the mileage reimbursement from 40 to 44 cents per mile.
Sanders closed the meeting by thanking McSherry for providing financial information to the council prior to each month’s meeting.
The council’s next meeting is scheduled for June 9 at 7 p.m.
The council meets in the old courtroom at the Kosciusko County Courthouse.[[In-content Ad]]
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