Kosciusko County Council held its 2011 budget hearing Monday night in the old courtroom at the county courthouse.
The council went over the projected 2011 budgets for all county offices and programs.
While the projected 2011 budgets showed pay increases for county employees of varying percentages, the council proposed a 2-percent across-the-board pay increase for part-time, part-time experienced, elected and full-time employees.
Sitting in with the county council were Doug Heinisch and James Moyer. Heinisch won the republican nomination for the county council's District 1 seat in May.
Moyer defeated outgoing councilman and council president Harold Jones in the May primary for the republican nod in District 2.
Moyer is running unopposed in the November general election, while Heinisch is taking on recently disavowed democrat Larry Rensberger.
Heinisch and Moyer were asked to sit in on the budget hearing.
Jones told both Heinisch and Moyer not to expect as quick a budget hearing as the one Monday night.
"We did it different than we normally do," said Jones of the budget hearing. "Since most of (the budgets) have flatlined we breezed through them."
One issue the board discussed was to increase the cumulative bridge fund to allow for more bridge and small structure projects per the suggestion of County Highway Superintendent Dennis Pletcher.
Jones asked, if the council could stay under the levy and add to the rate of the bridge fund, would they do that? Councilmen Tom Anglin and Larry Teghtmeyer both agreed with that.
The council will not hold a meeting tonight, which differs from years past where two nights of budget hearings would take place on a Monday and Tuesday before another council meeting Thursday.
The council will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the old courtroom.
The budget will then appear before the council during its regular meeting Sept. 9.
