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On the second night of the Kosciusko County Council budget hearings Tuesday, one theme prevailed during the meeting.
The prosecuting attorney's office and the courts need to increase personnel to handle the workload.
County Prosecutor Chuck Waggoner presented the budget for the Title IV-D office (child support collection). He told the council they are being more aggressive in the budget and asking for more help. The four people in the office now are working about 6,000 cases.
Once a child enters the Title IV-D program, they usually remain in the program until they are 18. "We have those people for a long, long time. We have a lot of maintenance for those files."
Waggoner said he wants to add two caseworkers and an investigator to help with the workload. The investigator would help gather information on a case before it goes to trial. The investigator also would find out if the parent paying child support is receiving income they're not reporting.
"I have a grant application in to cover one of those positions," said Waggoner.
By the county adding a caseworker in 1996, Waggoner said, they increased the amount collected by 15 percent. By adding two caseworkers, they can increase the amount collected by 25 percent. The federal government reimburses the office approximately 66 percent for the services the office provides.
The Title IV-D 2001 budget is $274,923 and includes a salary of $21,000 for each of the two caseworkers and $30,000 for the investigator.
Wages for all county employees will be approved later by the county council and will be based on the recommendation of the wage committee. However, the budget figures listed here include the proposed employee salaries.
The council took no action on approving the new positions.
The prosecuting attorney's 2001 budget is projected at $319,234 and includes $59,760 for a third deputy prosecutor.
Victim Assistance budgets are $36,062 and $28,608. The two victim assistants are paid for by by two separate grants. This year, each victim assistant has their own budget.
Judge James Jarrette asked the county council to add a third court reporter to be shared between Superior Courts II and III. They are not yet ready to hire anyone, but due to the workload of the courts, the current court reporters are overburdened and want the position available. He said they would fill the position only after all other possibilities are exhausted.
"I'm burning up my people just by the paperwork," he said. "I don't want to lose my people simply because they are burning out."
The budget for the two courts includes a base rate pay of $23,666 for the court reporter and an increase for furniture and office equipment for the new position if the council approves it.
Councilman Harold Jones asked if a fifth court would reduce the workload. Jarrette agreed it would, but the only way to get a new court in the county is if the numbers justify it to the state legislature and if the council and commissioners show their support.
The Superior Courts' II and III 2001 projected budget is $387,001.
Jarrette also spoke on the need for an eighth probation officer for Circuit and Superior courts. The new probation officer would help with drug and alcohol assessments and deal more with domestic abuse. Alcoholism and domestic abuse, he said, are two areas where they're not doing the job they would like to do and another probation officer would help in these areas.
Alcoholism, Jarrette said, "is the biggest problem we have in the county. It absolutely is."
He said if the council approved the eighth probation officer, they would not hire one until they come before the council again.
"I'm not doing as good of a job as I can, we can. We need the help," Jarrette said.
The budget for the Circuit and Superior Courts presented is $1,008,239, including a salary of $33,127 for the eighth probation officer.
2001 budgets presented to the council by the township assessors did not change much from the 2000 budgets. However, some were reduced. The township assessors' budgets presented including non-approved salaries were: Clay, $19,123; Etna, $10,959; Franklin, $11,941; Harrison, $21,745; Jackson, $11,181; Jefferson, $11,955; Lake, $16,830; Monroe, $9,211; Prairie, $20,095; Scott, $11,614; Seward, $23,546; Van Buren, $22,204; Washington, $27,250; Plain, $93,604; Tippecanoe, $116,190; Turkey Creek, $126,583; and Wayne, $139,477.
Other budgets presented before the council included: county service officer, $13,865; Soil and Water Conservation, $89,925; county treasurer, $220,594; county council, $47,563.
Members of the county council are president Brad Tandy, vice president Jim Tranter, Tom Anglin, Harold Jones, John Kinsey, Lewis Bertsch and Kathryn Teel.
The next budget hearing is Thursday at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse.
