Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
All the township budgets before the Kosciusko County Council Tuesday were quickly approved during the council's second night of budget hearings.
Budgets approved last night did not include employee wages and new employees, as those will be addressed Thursday at the council's regular 7 p.m. meeting. The county's wage committee will make a recommendation to the council on wages and new employees. However, the total figures for each budget listed here include the proposed wages and new employee salaries.
The proposed 2003 township budgets are: Clay, $19,609; Etna, $11,440; Franklin, $11,330; Harrison, $22,528; Jackson, $13,195; Jefferson, $11,955; Lake, $17,680; Monroe, $10,656; Prairie, $19,000; Scott, $12,760; Seward, $23,700; Van Buren, $22,725; Washington, $30,050; Plain, $98,006; Tippecanoe, $126,219; Turkey Creek, $136,771; and Wayne, $145,073.
The council also had several other county department budgets to go through, including its own.
The proposed 2003 county council budget is $48,914, an increase of $1,614 over last year.
With an increase of $11,212, the Purdue Cooperative Extension Office's estimated budget is $192,154 for 2003. The budget included $1,500 for meeting room rental because the cooperative is not always able to find a place in the courthouse to meet, but the council deleted that from the budget and said that issue can be addressed later.
Three budgets were presented by the county assessor's office. The assessor's 2003 budget is $188,128, an increase of $6,726; the commercial and industry reassessment budget is proposed at $76,433, a decrease of $1,096; and the reassessment budget is $447,900, an increase of $127,100. The reassessment budget increase includes the assessor's share for the aerial photos of the county of $100,000.
Sue Ann Mitchell, county auditor, presented her proposed 2003 budget, which includes an increase of $38,367. The total of her budget is $410,476.
With more space in the Justice Building to take care of, more money will be needed for maintenance. Don Taylor, maintenance director, presented his 2003 budget at a total of $779,576, an increase of $103,100.
Ellsworth Everest's estimated 2003 budgets for emergency management and emergency planning are $25,354 (an increase of $264) and $8,560 (no change), respectively.
The Kosciusko County Division of Family and Children Services budget was given at $1,168,600.
Members of the council present Tuesday were Jim Tranter, Brad Tandy, John Kinsey, Harold Jones, Tom Anglin and Larry Teghtmeyer. Not present was Maurice Beer.
