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Along with budget approval, several county departments Thursday requested that the Kosciusko County Council add new employees to their staffs.
Most of the requests were denied.
Kosciusko County Clerk Marsha McSherry asked for an additional full-time clerk. However, councilman Jim Tranter, who spoke to the other councilmen on behalf of the wage committee, said the wage committee is not recommending a new clerk's office position at this time. Since there will be a new county clerk next year, Tranter said, the committee wants to give the new clerk time to adjust to her position and give her input as to whether a new employee is needed or not.
No action was taken and therefore the request was denied.
Superior Courts II and III requested an additional probation officer capable of handling a drug and alcohol program, and a new court reporter. Tranter said the committee felt more information was needed for both positions and they were not recommending the positions at this time. No action was taken.
A full-time secretary for the health department was approved, but not the funding. The council recommended that the position be paid for partly out of the health department's grant money. The council also said the health department's part-time wages the council originally eliminated could be used for the department's own budget.
Four new positions were requested to be added to the prosecuting attorney's office by county prosecutor Chuck Waggoner - an additional deputy prosecutor, two Title IV-D case workers and one Title IV-D investigator. All four were denied.
"We wrestled with this quite a bit," said Tranter. However, according to Tranter, there seems to be complaints coming from many angles concerning the cooperation and attitude of the workers in the Title IV-D office. The wage committee, he said, believes lost time and efficiency can prevail when morale is low and that "there should be an exerted effort to convey better public relations and cooperation from the office before more monies are budgeted for additional personnel."
All requests by the county sheriff's department were unanimously approved.
Four new jailers will be added to the department. Two full-time jailers will be added Jan. 1 and two more July 1.
Additional pay of $1,000 was granted for a jailer who will become a jail supervisor.
Three grants for three deputies expire this year, including the grant for the DARE officer. The council approved for all three officers to be put on the county sheriff's department payroll, effective in January.
"If (DARE) is so important," asked councilman John Kinsey, "why are they dropping it?"
"You'd have to ask the state," replied Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine.
Councilman Harold Jones recommended DARE be closely monitored since the county will now be funding the officer.
The council denied approving County Coroner Larry Ladd's request for a truck for the coroner's office. Currently, Ladd transports deceased people in his own vehicle. The council did approve $2,000 to have funeral homes or ambulances transport bodies, though Ladd said that would not be enough.
They recommended he keep track of his mileage in 2001 and then if he still feels he needs a truck, the council will look at the purchase of a new truck at next year's budget hearings.
