Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
In their second evening of budget hearings Tuesday, the county council reviewed and approved budgets totaling approximately $16.9 million, an increase over last year of 4.56 percent.
During Monday's budget hearing, more than $15 million in expenditures was approved.
The commissioners' budget, as presented by Commissioner Brad Jackson, generated the most discussion mainly over the auditor-elect proposed salary of $35,000. The position was approved Monday without setting a salary.
Marsha McSherry, former county clerk and current Warsaw sewage collections manager, is slated to be the next auditor. Her term begins in 2008. She is unopposed in the November primary.
Newly elected auditors don't take office for one year following their election. State laws recently removed this "holdover" status. In the future, new auditors will take office the year following their election.
McSherry was present at Tuesday's meeting.
Council members Harold Jones, Tom Anglin, Charlene Knispel and Bob Sanders voted against the proposed wage during the first round of votes.
County Commissioner Brad Jackson said the post was essential and it is essential that the incoming person be trained.
Councilwoman Charlene Knispel, the county auditor prior to Sue Ann Mitchell, said she wasn't trained prior to taking office (1996-2000).
Mitchell was county assessor prior to taking the auditor's office. During Mitchell's holdover year she served as the county Y2K coordinator.
The commissioners' $6.1 million budget was approved (with Tom Anglin voting against and Sanders abstaining) with the stipulation that the auditor-elect's salary be set at a later date.
The document also includes grants to non-profit organizations. With the exception to Home Care and Hospice, funds for the non-profits were set at a 3-percent increase over last year or the amount requested by the organization, whichever is the lesser amount.
Home Care and Hospice will receive $47,000, the same amount as 2005, $7,000 more than 2006.
Other non-profits' stipends will be: Animal Shelter, $69,044; St. Joe River Basin, $500; Kosciusko County Fair and 4-H, $45,114; Arrow Head RC&D, $500; Kosciusko County Development, $33,250; Cardinal Learning Center, $103,700; Bowen Center, $430,437; Kosciusko County Historical Society for building maintenance, $22,514; Beaman Home, $31,747; and Kosciusko County Council on Aging and Aged, $31,747.
The commissioners' budget also took on the animal control officer's salary as well as the wages for the Geographical Imaging System coordinator.
When the new telephone system was installed the county expected to see a savings. The commissioners' budget shows an additional $75,000 for "telephone" expenditures in 2007.
Mitchell said the phone bills were showing a great savings, but the cell phone bills were running $2,500 to $3,000 per month.
The council asked for a list of people who had a cell phone to make a determination about whether or not they needed it.
The commissioners also determine expenditures of the county cumulative capital development funds and have earmarked $800,000 for the Troyer Group. The engineering company will begin engineering and environmental studies for what has been called "the western bypass", taking traffic off of Ind. 15 through Warsaw.
Federal funds will be lost for the project if it isn't started by Dec. 1.
The cumulative jail budget was approved at $150,000, which will be applied to the purchase of vehicles for the sheriff's department. The sheriff must present his fleet inventory and ask for replacements before the expenditure is approved.
Also approved was the $200,000 economic development income tax fund budget for outstanding bond payment.
County council members are John Kinsey, Harold Jones, Charlene Knispel, Tom Anglin, Larry Teghtmeyer, Bob Sanders and Brad Tandy.
County commissioners are Jackson, Avis Gunter and Ron Truex.
