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Kosciusko County Council concluded its 2001 budget hearings Thursday.
A new secretary was approved to be added to the health department's budget. However, the money to pay for the position will come from the health grant fund. Instead of eliminating the money for part-time work as originally decided, the county council approved the part-time funds to be used by the department.
The budget presented to the council for the health department is $541,580, which includes a $10,000 cut from the department's group insurance. The department's budget includes a 6.33 percent salary increase for all the department's employees, but the council approved all county employees to receive a 6 percent salary increase.
The health grant budget for 2001 is $56,000, an increase of $26,000. The money comes from the tobacco settlement, health department administrator Bob Weaver told the council.
Prenatal budget presented for 2001 was $56,057, a 3.44 percent increase.
Down by $62,200 from 2000, the Family and Child's Fund budget for 2001 is $1,264,600. The account for care of wards/institution dropped $190,000, while the therapeutic foster homes account increased $65,000. Peggy Shively, director of Family and Children Services, told the council the money was just being shifted around.
The Kosciusko County Highway Department budget for 2001 presented is $3,652,767, an increase of 6.41 percent. That figure is likely to decrease as the salaries were inflated more than the 6 percent the county council approved for salary wages.
Local Road and Street budget was approved at $1.2 million. Cumulative Bridge budget was approved at $725,000.
A budget of $1.5 million was approved for the county cumulative capital development budget.
County Administrator Ron Robinson said as part of the Justice Building expansion project, the county is required to pay for the remodeling project out of their own funds. Bonds pay for new construction.
The $1.5 million, he said, will help pay the bills as they come in.
Currently, there is approximately $3 million in the cumulative fund, where the money for the CCD budget comes from. The county collects $770,000 a year from the cumulative fund.
"This is spending a part of it," said county auditor Sue Ann Mitchell.
Members of the county council include Jim Tranter, Brad Tandy, Lewis Bertsch, John Kinsey, Tom Anglin, Harold Jones and Kathryn Teel.
