Kosciusko County Council approved a $32 million budget Thursday evening, with only a slim increase over this year’s total. The $32,317,212 total for 2014 represents a $268,544 increase from this year, or 0.84 percent. Council President Bob Sanders observed that they had gone to all department heads and reduced what they could, and that he felt confident in the budget they approved. Increases such as $88,394 extra in the 911 fund and $856,189 more in motor vehicle highway was offset by reductions including $877,060 less in the Economic Development Income Tax fund and a $479,827 total decrease in commissioners funding. The county auditor fund decreased from $410,691 to $344,640, and the clerk fund from $642,219 to $630,787. County Clerk Ann Torpy told the council during its Aug. 19 budget meeting that the election board increased from $135,070 $205,710 because 2014 is an election year and voting machines will need serviced and repaired. The county jail fund increased slightly from $2,087,735 to $2,106,896, with a $500 to $700 increase for many staff positions offset by decreases such as $3,000 less for prisoner meals. That line item grew from $317,500 expended in 2012 to $350,000 budgeted this year and $347,000 next year. Sheriff Rocky Goshert told the council Aug. 19 that he cut the budget as much as he felt comfortable with the increased number of inmates: an average of 282 this year, much closer to the 326 inmate capacity than last year’s average in the 190-200 range. The county sheriff budget increased from $2,536,852 to $2,585,825, which Goshert told the council is due mainly to increased transports and patrols. He added that he doesn’t expect the situation to improve next year. Council also approved the 2014 salary ordinance, setting pay for elected officials, department heads, appointed positions and salaried and non-salaried county employees. Also during the meeting Thursday, council passed a non-binding resolution recommending that taxing units in the county limit their own budget growth to the 2.6 percent state growth quotient. Councilman Larry Teghtmeyer remarked that the council has a responsibility to review the budget but that “we recognize no one knows their own budget like the elected boards who prepared them.”
