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As Kosciusko County Councilman Tom Anglin sees it, if the Warsaw police dispatchers and the sheriff's department dispatchers are doing the same job sitting next to each other at the Central Dispatch Center, they should get the same pay.
Dispatcher salaries were discussed Monday at the first of three county council 2002 budget meetings. While budgets were approved at the meeting, no payroll decisions were made - those will be discussed at Thursday's 7 p.m. meeting. Budget figures presented here do include estimated salary increases, however.
"I want equal salary (for the dispatchers). They do the same work," Anglin said.
"I agree," said Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine.
Asked what the disparity between the Warsaw and county dispatchers is, dispatch supervisor Tom Brindle said Warsaw dispatchers get approximately $30,000 per year plus longevity pay. County dispatchers make approximately $28,000 plus longevity. He said Warsaw dispatchers may get a 3 to 4 percent increase from the city for 2002.
For vacations, Brindle said, the county dispatchers fill in for Warsaw dispatchers when they go on vacation and vice versa. Rovenstine said Warsaw has decided to adopt the county's vacation/holiday policy so there will be no discrepancy there.
Insurance, Kosciusko County Administrator Ron Robinson said, is also different between the two sets of dispatchers. Warsaw employees pay only $1 per year for insurance, but that may change as Warsaw is reviewing its insurance.
The difference in pay between dispatchers, Robinson said, is approximately $2,019. If the council approves the salary increases by the requested amount of $2,808, he said, that will take the county dispatchers to the city's current level.
In two to three years, Robinson said, dispatcher pay will come from 911 funding so there will not be a pay discrepancy. He said all dispatchers will then become county employees.
Councilman John Kinsey said they need to find out what Warsaw plans to pay their dispatchers for 2002 before they approve the county's dispatcher salaries.
"The people in Warsaw don't care what their tax rate is, John," said Anglin, smiling.
The E911 budget request for 2002 totals $528,635, including unapproved salary increases.
Part of the 2002 jail budget includes salaries for four new jailers; two for the full year and two for half of the year. Rovenstine said the new employees will be for the jail expansion. A number of other sheriffs, he said, told him they should expect an increase in jail population once they have more jail cells.
"We're kind of going into new territory with the new jail," Rovenstine said.
Tranter asked why they should expect a jail population increase. Rovenstine replied that with more jail cells, it's anticipated that judges will put more people in jail rather than on probation or work release. "That's the theory behind that," he said.
Rovenstine also said there will be new sections in the justice building to monitor and the jail has been understaffed for a number of years. "... It's been long overdue," said Rovenstine.
The total 2002 jail budget, including unapproved salary increases, is $1,410,428. The sheriff's 2002 budget totals $2,033,822, including unapproved salary increases; the law enforcement forfeitures budget totals $22,500; county correction budget totals $55,718; anti-drug grant fund totals $97,996; and Cops In School grant fund totals $87,334.
Other budgets presented Monday, including salaries not approved, included:
• Kosciusko County prosecutor, $298,212. The budget includes a request for a new paralegal assistant to help with cases of murder, attempted murder, battery and A felony cases.
"One day," said prosectuor Chuck Waggoner, "we might have to add a prosecutor to meet that need."
• Title IV-D (child support enforcement) grant fund, $215,256.
• Victim's Assistance Stop Grant, $32,591.
• Victim's Assistance Victims of Crimes Assistance grant, $36,594.
• Kosciusko County Highway Department, motor vehicle highway fund, $3,698,679.
• Kosciusko County Highway Department, local road and street, $1 million.
• Kosciusko County Cumulative Bridge Fund, $960,000.
• Kosciusko County Health Department, $501,225.
• Kosciusko County Health Department, HEA grant, $6,000.
• Kosciusko County Health Department, prenatal grant, $53,926.
• Kosciusko County Family & Children, $1,263,600.
• Kosciusko County recorder, $177,391.
• Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation, $132,237. The council denied a request for a new conservation technician for the department but approved the program assistant to be full time.
• Kosciusko County treasurer, $200,387.
• Kosciusko County coroner, $54,565. The council denied coroner Larry Ladd's request for money to lease a vehicle to transport bodies. Last year, Ladd requested money to buy a new vehicle for the coroner's office, but the council also denied that request.
• Kosciusko County Surveyor, $113,650.
• Kosciusko County Drainage Board, $135,206.
• Kosciusko County Council, $47,321.
• Kosciusko County Maintenance Department, $679,959.
