Initiative is defined as the ability to assess and initiate things independently.
At Thursday’s Kosciusko County Council meeting, Sheriff Jim Smith and Chief Deputy Chris McKeand recognized 911 Communications Director Amanda See for having the initiative to get her Emergency Number Professional (ENP) certification through National Emergency Number Association (NENA).
“This week, one of our leaders in the department - Amanda See, who oversees our dispatch center - did something that only 2,000 people in the United States and Canada since the early ’90s have completed. And the funny part is, we didn’t even know she was even doing this, but she took it upon herself and took the ENP course, and it took her some time, and she told us it was probably the absolute hardest thing she’s ever done in terms of the test, but she was committed to do it,” Smith said.
He happened to stop in her office one day and See got emotional but Smith didn’t know what was going on at that point.
“She was just happy that was behind her and she did this,” he said. “She’s very humble about it. Would never come up here and probably tell you about it.”
He said he was telling the council about it for her because it only makes the department look better and he is super proud of See, who was not at the meeting.
“Very proud of the hard work of all of our leaders, but that’s something that stands out,” Smith stated.
Asked for more information about the ENP program by Council Vice President Kathy Groninger, McKeand said, “The way it’s been explained to us is that it not just encompasses being a dispatcher, it encompasses the dispatch side of it; the 911 side of it, which is understanding the technical side of the telephone - trunking system, how the 911 calls in, things like that. How it’s routed. The fact that we’re an overflow site for our region. She has to understand all those technical aspects of how that works, not to mention 911 now has the texting and also has a Skype function that it’s moving toward, and you have to show proficiency there. Professionals can handle all those different areas and problem solve to make sure it works.”
McKeand said Kosciusko County and its management team now have someone with that certification, which “makes us proud.”
Smith said, “We’re very fortunate to have the leadership that we have. It makes my job easier than it could be.”
“Great people,” agreed McKeand.
For more information about the certification, visit the website at www.nena.org/page/ENP_Certification
In other business, the council:
• Approved a 2025 salary ordinance amendment for the Reentry Court coordinator salary at $58,473 annually, as requested by Superior Court I Judge Karin McGrath, as well as additional appropriations for the Reentry Court grant received through the Office of Supreme Court Support Services.
The additional appropriations from the grant include the $58,473 for the coordinator; $4,473, coordinator social security/Medicare; $6,549, coordinator retirement (PERF); $13,978, coordinator group health insurance; $5,000, participant needs; $1,000, graduation supplies; $3,500, incentives; $500, court drug testing supplies; $5,000, staff training; and $12,000, drug testing contracts.
• Approved an additional appropriation for $22,500 for family counseling and $30,000 for jail counseling in the county’s national opioid settlement funds, as requested by County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker on behalf of County Administrator Marsha McSherry, who was not present. Schmucker said the money didn’t get spent in 2024 and the additional appropriations will allow the funds to be spent in 2025.
Two transfers of the money also were approved for bookkeeping purposes. The $22,500 was moved from peer recovery to a family counseling new account, while the $30,000 was moved from peer recovery to a jail counseling new account.
• Approved a budget reduction request for $30,289 from American Rescue Plan Act funds for the CR 1300N project, as presented by Schmucker on behalf of the county highway department.
She said the reduction was a result of the bid amount for the project being lower than expected.
• Approved Community Corrections Director Barry Andrew’s request for an additional appropriation of a $5,000 grant awarded for 2025. He said the money will go toward staff registration for the National Drug Court Conference in a few months.
• Authorized Andrew to apply for Indiana Department of Correction grants - one for $350,755 and the other for $85,000.
• Approved Emergency Management Director Kip Shuter’s request for an additional appropriation to move $3,899 from the 2024 Multi-Hazard Mitigation grant that was unspent to 2025.
• Reviewed the sheriff’s commissary report for the last half of 2024.
• Approved McKeand’s request for the KCSO to participate in the 2025 Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant program, which the county has participated in for many years.
If received, the $15,000 grant will help supplement the boat patrol on the lakes in the county, along with boater education and dock fees.
• Heard the 2024 fourth quarter report from Stacey Leek, Stillwater Hospice hospice care consultant. The commissioners heard the report at their last meeting.