County Council Approves Mechanic Position For Sheriff’s & Highway Departments
April 10, 2025 at 8:52 p.m.
A number of recommendations from the county wage committee were presented to and approved by the Kosciusko County Council Thursday, including the new position of a garage mechanic to be shared by at least two county departments.
Cathy Reed, county human resource director, on behalf of the wage committee, said the mechanic would be shared between the Kosciusko County Highway Department (KCHD) and the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department (KCSD).
“The first responsibility would be for the squad cars, to do all the maintenance repairs on the squad cars, so we can have an in-house mechanic,” she said.
Council Vice President Kathy Groninger said the two departments will be splitting the mechanic’s wage and it will save the county a “substantial” amount of money “because they’re going to be familiar with the cars, they’re going to be able to work together to do all the maintenance for both departments, and we just thought this was a really good idea and it’ll save us quite a bit of money.”
Councilwoman Kimberly Cates asked if the mechanic would run through the highway department and billed to the sheriff’s department or vice versa.
Sheriff Jim Smith said they talked about what that would look like at the wage committee meeting and decided to lean on the council for guidance. The funds for the position will be there either way.
“To your point, yes, it’s going to be a money saver, I have no doubt,” Smith said. “The sheriff’s office has over 75 vehicles in their fleet. Quite frankly, I’m surprised this hasn’t been done many years ago. I’m excited about the possibilities and the opportunities this is going to present. I’m super excited about the fact that you’re going to have - barring anything major wrong with a vehicle - essentially one mechanic that has their eyes and hands on our vehicles, to tell us where we have a series of issues or a problematic vehicle that we can kind of address that issue rather than trying to dig through our paperwork and that sort of thing.”
He said the new position was not a reflection on any of the body shops the county currently uses for mechanical work as they’ve been “awesome” to work with.
“I just think, fiscally conservative mindset, this is something that needs to be done for the taxpayers, to save money where we can,” Smith said.
Responding to a question from Councilman Joe Irwin, Smith said the mechanic will be KCHD Superintendent Steve Moriarty’s employee but the primary focus will be on the sheriff’s department vehicles.
Smith also pointed out that the highway department already uses a reporting system for their vehicles, and the KCSD will tap into that for theirs. Cates asked KCHD Assistant Superintendent Troy Kintzel if that’s a state software program that they have, and he said it was.
“Our program that we have now, we can tap into it. It’ll tell us what we spent for the vehicle, how much we spend every month on that vehicle, how much per parts. So it gives you basically a cost analysis for each vehicle you have, so you basically know, ‘hey, we’re spending more than we need to, this money isn’t worth putting any more money into,’ or stuff like that. It’s a really, really good program,” Kintzel stated.
Irwin asked Smith if his department keeps track of things like oil changes for their vehicles now. Smith said they do, but it’s not as sophisticated as the highway department’s.
Councilwoman Rachael Rhoades asked if the mechanic could be used for the coroner’s office as well. Smith said that’s been mentioned.
He said the possibilities are endless. They already have a place for the mechanic to set up shop, and while they’ll need tools and such, they’re ready to get the mechanic position going.
Groninger mentioned that the starting wage for the mechanic will be $49,423 annually. They will also get their CDL license so they can test the trucks, and then they’ll be an additional stipend of $5,000 for getting that license.
Irwin made a motion to approve the position; approve the salary ordinance for $27,028 coming from each of the two departments; a transfer from the highway department for $22,500; and a transfer from the KCSD for $21,021.97. It passed 7-0.
Other KCSD Positions
Reed then presented a title change for a Central Dispatch employee.
“They’re developing a new position, it’s called dispatch training coordinator. This person would be in charge of all the trainings for the dispatchers, keeping track of all that, probably organizing them,” she said, and other duties. “So, basically, we just want to change the title for this individual from dispatcher to dispatch training coordinator.”
The person will still be a dispatcher, but have the additional training responsibilities. The council approved the title change; the salary ordinance for $69,406 annually; and a transfer of $2,350.
Another wage committee recommendation for the sheriff’s office was a title change from deputy to detective sergeant. The individual has been working in the detective division for coming up on six months on July 1, Reed said. The title change will be effective on his six-month anniversary. The council approved the change; the salary ordinance for $69,740; and a transfer of $3,700.
The last recommendation for the sheriff’s office was also a title change. Reed said KCSD Public Information Officer Sgt. Doug Light is currently called a sergeant, but the department only has a road sergeant and detective sergeant. Light works in administration and is not on the road or in the detective division.
“So, if we call it an administrative sergeant/PIO and then the pay would be the same as a detective sergeant,” Reed explained.
Smith said this was his request to the wage committee. He says a lot is asked of Light, who does a “fantastic” job for the sheriff’s office, handling the department’s social media and media requests.
“He doesn’t always get to pick and choose when media is going to call him, and when he has different events going on in the community, it kind of mirrors more of a detective sergeant in that he can get called at any time,” Smith said.
Light also oversees all of the KCSD school resource officers.
The council approved the position change; the salary ordinance at $69,740; and a transfer for $1,475.
Health Department
For the Health Department, Reed presented a recommendation to add a part-time secretary for Health First Indiana. The position was approved, as well as the salary ordinance and a transfer for $19,731.60.
Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver said the position is needed because there’s a lot of data required by the state. The position will help with the data reporting, as well as keeping track of funds. He said the interim director has been putting in 12-hour days and it’s “too much.”
The position will be no more than 29 hours per week and be paid $21.42 per hour.
The next thing for the Health Department was for a wage increase for the part-time immunization nurse/coordinator from $24.32 to $30 per hour. Reed said they’re having trouble finding someone to work as a nurse for the current wage.
Weaver said they’ve had the position advertised for almost a year. It’s believed they can find someone at $30 per hour.
4-H & Maintenance
Reed’s next recommendation was for the Purdue Extension Office. They have an office manager/4-H administration assistant, who handles “a lot,” she said. The committee recommended moving the office manager up on the salary scale. The salary ordinance for $43,418 and transfer of $1,158 were approved.
The last recommendation was for a county maintenance position change, from maintenance tech to the new position of a lead maintenance tech. The council approved the position change, as well as the salary ordinance for $59,738 and a transfer of $2,555. County Administrator Marsha McSherry said they have two maintenance employees currently and they’re trying to hire a third.
In other business, the council:
• Approved Chief Probation Officer Tammy Johnston’s request for an additional appropriation for opioid settlement funds granted by the city of Warsaw for the new Reentry Court. The $30,000 includes $20,000 for personnel expenses, $5,500 for operating supplies, $2,500 for telephone and $2,000 for mileage/travel. Johnston said the Reentry Court has two participants currently and they’ve hired a full-time coordinator to begin May 5.
• Approved KCSD Lt. Mike Mulligan’s request to participate in the 2025 Comprehensive Hoosier Highway’s Injury Reduction Program (CHHIRP) grant. The program includes Click it to Live it Project, Driving Under the Influence Task Force Project and Stop Arm Violation Enforcement (SAVE) Project.
The additional appropriation requests for the 2025 CHHIRP and Indiana Department of Natural Resources grants were approved along with that, including $8,000 for Click it, $6,000 for SAVE, $3,500 for the Task Force; $133.50 for a DNR federal grant and $178.50 for a DNR state grant.
Mulligan also was given permission by the council to apply for 2026 CHHIRP grants.
• Approved KCSO Chief Deputy Chris McKeand’s request to apply for a $10,000 non-matching grant from the 1st Source Foundation. The commissioners approved the request at their March 25 meeting.
The funds will be used for the Kosciusko Community Recovery Program (KCRP) in the jail.
“It would supply radio equipment for our peer recovery coaches that we have put in place this year, and it also would allow for KCRP to put together release packages for the inmates that are leaving incarceration from us with whatever they would need - hygiene products, clothing, things like that,” McKeand explained.
• Heard the annual report on the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board from Board President Rob Bishop.
• Approved the encumbrance report of appropriations moved from 2024 to 2025, provided by County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker. She said as of Thursday, they totaled $2,054,027.94.
• Heard from Council President Tony Ciriello that with the Feb. 27 death of Councilman Mike Long, that left a void in five committees that Long served on. Councilman DeLynn Geiger will serve on the abatement committee; Irwin will serve on the Area Plan Commission and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) committee; Ciriello, Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation; and Cates, strategic planning committee.
A number of recommendations from the county wage committee were presented to and approved by the Kosciusko County Council Thursday, including the new position of a garage mechanic to be shared by at least two county departments.
Cathy Reed, county human resource director, on behalf of the wage committee, said the mechanic would be shared between the Kosciusko County Highway Department (KCHD) and the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department (KCSD).
“The first responsibility would be for the squad cars, to do all the maintenance repairs on the squad cars, so we can have an in-house mechanic,” she said.
Council Vice President Kathy Groninger said the two departments will be splitting the mechanic’s wage and it will save the county a “substantial” amount of money “because they’re going to be familiar with the cars, they’re going to be able to work together to do all the maintenance for both departments, and we just thought this was a really good idea and it’ll save us quite a bit of money.”
Councilwoman Kimberly Cates asked if the mechanic would run through the highway department and billed to the sheriff’s department or vice versa.
Sheriff Jim Smith said they talked about what that would look like at the wage committee meeting and decided to lean on the council for guidance. The funds for the position will be there either way.
“To your point, yes, it’s going to be a money saver, I have no doubt,” Smith said. “The sheriff’s office has over 75 vehicles in their fleet. Quite frankly, I’m surprised this hasn’t been done many years ago. I’m excited about the possibilities and the opportunities this is going to present. I’m super excited about the fact that you’re going to have - barring anything major wrong with a vehicle - essentially one mechanic that has their eyes and hands on our vehicles, to tell us where we have a series of issues or a problematic vehicle that we can kind of address that issue rather than trying to dig through our paperwork and that sort of thing.”
He said the new position was not a reflection on any of the body shops the county currently uses for mechanical work as they’ve been “awesome” to work with.
“I just think, fiscally conservative mindset, this is something that needs to be done for the taxpayers, to save money where we can,” Smith said.
Responding to a question from Councilman Joe Irwin, Smith said the mechanic will be KCHD Superintendent Steve Moriarty’s employee but the primary focus will be on the sheriff’s department vehicles.
Smith also pointed out that the highway department already uses a reporting system for their vehicles, and the KCSD will tap into that for theirs. Cates asked KCHD Assistant Superintendent Troy Kintzel if that’s a state software program that they have, and he said it was.
“Our program that we have now, we can tap into it. It’ll tell us what we spent for the vehicle, how much we spend every month on that vehicle, how much per parts. So it gives you basically a cost analysis for each vehicle you have, so you basically know, ‘hey, we’re spending more than we need to, this money isn’t worth putting any more money into,’ or stuff like that. It’s a really, really good program,” Kintzel stated.
Irwin asked Smith if his department keeps track of things like oil changes for their vehicles now. Smith said they do, but it’s not as sophisticated as the highway department’s.
Councilwoman Rachael Rhoades asked if the mechanic could be used for the coroner’s office as well. Smith said that’s been mentioned.
He said the possibilities are endless. They already have a place for the mechanic to set up shop, and while they’ll need tools and such, they’re ready to get the mechanic position going.
Groninger mentioned that the starting wage for the mechanic will be $49,423 annually. They will also get their CDL license so they can test the trucks, and then they’ll be an additional stipend of $5,000 for getting that license.
Irwin made a motion to approve the position; approve the salary ordinance for $27,028 coming from each of the two departments; a transfer from the highway department for $22,500; and a transfer from the KCSD for $21,021.97. It passed 7-0.
Other KCSD Positions
Reed then presented a title change for a Central Dispatch employee.
“They’re developing a new position, it’s called dispatch training coordinator. This person would be in charge of all the trainings for the dispatchers, keeping track of all that, probably organizing them,” she said, and other duties. “So, basically, we just want to change the title for this individual from dispatcher to dispatch training coordinator.”
The person will still be a dispatcher, but have the additional training responsibilities. The council approved the title change; the salary ordinance for $69,406 annually; and a transfer of $2,350.
Another wage committee recommendation for the sheriff’s office was a title change from deputy to detective sergeant. The individual has been working in the detective division for coming up on six months on July 1, Reed said. The title change will be effective on his six-month anniversary. The council approved the change; the salary ordinance for $69,740; and a transfer of $3,700.
The last recommendation for the sheriff’s office was also a title change. Reed said KCSD Public Information Officer Sgt. Doug Light is currently called a sergeant, but the department only has a road sergeant and detective sergeant. Light works in administration and is not on the road or in the detective division.
“So, if we call it an administrative sergeant/PIO and then the pay would be the same as a detective sergeant,” Reed explained.
Smith said this was his request to the wage committee. He says a lot is asked of Light, who does a “fantastic” job for the sheriff’s office, handling the department’s social media and media requests.
“He doesn’t always get to pick and choose when media is going to call him, and when he has different events going on in the community, it kind of mirrors more of a detective sergeant in that he can get called at any time,” Smith said.
Light also oversees all of the KCSD school resource officers.
The council approved the position change; the salary ordinance at $69,740; and a transfer for $1,475.
Health Department
For the Health Department, Reed presented a recommendation to add a part-time secretary for Health First Indiana. The position was approved, as well as the salary ordinance and a transfer for $19,731.60.
Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver said the position is needed because there’s a lot of data required by the state. The position will help with the data reporting, as well as keeping track of funds. He said the interim director has been putting in 12-hour days and it’s “too much.”
The position will be no more than 29 hours per week and be paid $21.42 per hour.
The next thing for the Health Department was for a wage increase for the part-time immunization nurse/coordinator from $24.32 to $30 per hour. Reed said they’re having trouble finding someone to work as a nurse for the current wage.
Weaver said they’ve had the position advertised for almost a year. It’s believed they can find someone at $30 per hour.
4-H & Maintenance
Reed’s next recommendation was for the Purdue Extension Office. They have an office manager/4-H administration assistant, who handles “a lot,” she said. The committee recommended moving the office manager up on the salary scale. The salary ordinance for $43,418 and transfer of $1,158 were approved.
The last recommendation was for a county maintenance position change, from maintenance tech to the new position of a lead maintenance tech. The council approved the position change, as well as the salary ordinance for $59,738 and a transfer of $2,555. County Administrator Marsha McSherry said they have two maintenance employees currently and they’re trying to hire a third.
In other business, the council:
• Approved Chief Probation Officer Tammy Johnston’s request for an additional appropriation for opioid settlement funds granted by the city of Warsaw for the new Reentry Court. The $30,000 includes $20,000 for personnel expenses, $5,500 for operating supplies, $2,500 for telephone and $2,000 for mileage/travel. Johnston said the Reentry Court has two participants currently and they’ve hired a full-time coordinator to begin May 5.
• Approved KCSD Lt. Mike Mulligan’s request to participate in the 2025 Comprehensive Hoosier Highway’s Injury Reduction Program (CHHIRP) grant. The program includes Click it to Live it Project, Driving Under the Influence Task Force Project and Stop Arm Violation Enforcement (SAVE) Project.
The additional appropriation requests for the 2025 CHHIRP and Indiana Department of Natural Resources grants were approved along with that, including $8,000 for Click it, $6,000 for SAVE, $3,500 for the Task Force; $133.50 for a DNR federal grant and $178.50 for a DNR state grant.
Mulligan also was given permission by the council to apply for 2026 CHHIRP grants.
• Approved KCSO Chief Deputy Chris McKeand’s request to apply for a $10,000 non-matching grant from the 1st Source Foundation. The commissioners approved the request at their March 25 meeting.
The funds will be used for the Kosciusko Community Recovery Program (KCRP) in the jail.
“It would supply radio equipment for our peer recovery coaches that we have put in place this year, and it also would allow for KCRP to put together release packages for the inmates that are leaving incarceration from us with whatever they would need - hygiene products, clothing, things like that,” McKeand explained.
• Heard the annual report on the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board from Board President Rob Bishop.
• Approved the encumbrance report of appropriations moved from 2024 to 2025, provided by County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker. She said as of Thursday, they totaled $2,054,027.94.
• Heard from Council President Tony Ciriello that with the Feb. 27 death of Councilman Mike Long, that left a void in five committees that Long served on. Councilman DeLynn Geiger will serve on the abatement committee; Irwin will serve on the Area Plan Commission and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) committee; Ciriello, Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation; and Cates, strategic planning committee.