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Transfers and additional appropriations were tightly scrutinized by the Kosciusko County Council Thursday.
In fact, after motions were made on all those presented before the council, the council determined that in the future, if a request for a transfer or additional appropriation didn't include more detailed documented reasoning for the request or the department head was not present to answer questions, the council will table the request or deny it.
Two requests in particular were closely examined.
The county Extension office requested a transfer of $2,000 from its "other educational" account to mileage.
"I'd like to have accountability from there for their mileage," councilman Tom Anglin said after reviewing the list. He said he has a problem with it and that some of the names of people seeking reimbursement for mileage from the department were not even in the Extension department. "I'm not in favor of it until we have more information. I don't even know who some of the people are."
Council president Jim Tranter said the council needed a breakdown of who the people are and how they are connected to the county. The council tabled the transfer request.
Two additional appropriations were requested by the Jackson Township Trustee. One was for $2,600 for the trustee's salary and the other was for $4,590 for part-time help. Tranter said elected officials' salaries cannot be raised within the year so the council took no action on that matter. As for the part-time help, he said, it seemed like a "sizeable request" and "out of the ordinary." Tom Anglin, councilman, said the part-time was double the other township trustees' part-time and he made a motion to table the additional appropriation request until the council has more information. The motion was approved unanimously.
Transfers approved by the council Thursday included: county surveyor, $1,875.51; county auditor, two transfers of $1,200 and $1,000; county prosecutor, $1,200; county commissioners, $100,000 from the juvenile justice shelter account to group insurance; county sheriff, $6,842.36 from an insurance check back into an account; election board, three transfers of $6,040, $180, and $2,339; county clerk, three transfers of $5,118.73, $300 and $100.
Additional appropriations approved by the council included: election board, $4,848 for operating supplies; judges, from adult probation user fees, $50,000, from other equipment to purchase new recording equipment for the two older courtrooms; and county prosecutor, $1,000 for court reporter services.
The county council also:
• Reappointed councilman Harold Jones to Kosciusko Development Inc..
• Heard from county administrator Ron Robinson the actual completion date of the Justice Building renovation project is scheduled for March 2003. The project is going well and "cost-wise, it's not been pretty bad."
• Approved to change their October and November meeting dates to the first Thursday of the month instead of the second Thursday. The meeting dates will be Oct. 3 and Nov. 7.
Members of the Kosciusko County Council are chairman Jim Tranter, vice chairman Brad Tandy, Tom Anglin, Harold Jones, Maurice Beer, John Kinsey and Larry Teghtmeyer.
