[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6462105,"mediaKeyId","5811947-448892fa9c03910e3f577ab4302a2021","parentId",5811947,"title","Council approves budget actions: 9‑1‑1 loan payoff steps, correctional facility appropriation planning and to explore in‑house economic development","audioSeconds",1584,"startMs",3648000,"endMs",5232000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5811947-448892fa9c03910e3f577ab4302a2021&start=3648&end=5232","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5811947-448892fa9c03910e3f577ab4302a2021/thumbnail_3648000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6462105/Owen-County/Indiana/Council-approves-budget-actions-911-loan-payoff-steps-correctional-facility-appropriation-planning-and-to-explore-inhouse-economic-development","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6462105-6c6343348b55075652efda87648d813a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775687284&Signature=PV-Wbdk7IP8iH2tHQb8YvrVechpsbZnJKH~Sl~86a03sGF3ywH8L0YSjKuCn9G3ZtNE~xVIkxaFGlv5b-dZ0oHzWc6So7A4jaU0IhNuLx3-WCGckgkV8VjyrCH4h4BsiG~xZ3OmZUSaHtqml-Wjz2T-58hdBECgHQiPDivPxFvhaL0dqTkkX3cA~IkTdPNgNe7IOm2rr1GfjhAULINzGXj2eXaq-ZCF57MOO04D6XeIBqW7xNWBLBQMVcs8hk7shP61IcIVCJpjyMLuLCJFbFnQ2gSISMuXG48YZjFUgh7ECUayE8-~fzVWJkCgRYv0z~kONYHBPSW6nCGKzToPTgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Owen County, IN","date","2025-09-22T00:00:00Z","article","Owen County Council took several budget and operations actions during a working meeting, directing staff and the commissioners to advance items the council said must be resolved before finalizing the 2026 budget.

9‑1‑1 loan payoff and fund split: Staff reported the loan for 9‑1‑1 build‑out and equipment is effectively paid off but that a formal resolution from the commissioners will be required to record the payoff. The council approved recalibration of two 9‑1‑1 funds (described in the meeting as the “12/22” and “12/35” funds) so regular wages, appointed pay and associated FICA/PERF are grouped consistently and to zero out debt service in the operating line for next year because the loan payoff will remove the annual payment. Staff provided a proposed split of line items to keep both funds balanced and said projected revenues would support the plan.

Correctional facility/bond planning: The council directed staff to create explicit line items for loan/bond payments related to the county’s jail project in the correctional facility fund and, if necessary, in the subsequent fund (11/70). Members said the county expects to use unspent cash from current years and proceeds from selling an older property to meet near‑term payments, and instructed the auditor to work with the sheriff to confirm exact dollar amounts. The council voted to appropriate the necessary amounts in the budget documents so bond underwriters will see a committed payment plan.

Advertisement and additional appropriations: The council voted to proceed with advertising additional appropriation requests so those items can be heard at the Oct. 14 public hearing; staff were told to prepare detailed explanations and line items for the advertised items.

Economic development: Council members discussed the county’s current contract with the separate Economic Development Corporation (EDC/ADC) and concern about accountability and lack of an up‑to‑date contract. Members said the county currently budgets $75,000 toward economic development; they voted to explore an in‑house alternative that could include a county‑paid director or grant‑writing capacity if the commissioners choose not to enter a contract with the external EDC. The council kept the $75,000 in the budget for now and asked staff to bring options and job descriptions back for review.

The council also approved a motion allowing the auditor’s office to work with the council to finalize all budget numbers before the public hearing. Multiple motions on these operational items passed by voice vote; staff were directed to return updated budgets and supporting documents for the Oct. 14 meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Owen County Council September 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Owen County Council voted to recalibrate 9‑1‑1 fund line items and requested a formal resolution from the commissioners to record a 9‑1‑1 loan payoff; it also directed staff to add correctional facility loan‑payment line items, to advertise additional appropriation requests, and to explore an in‑house economic‑development option.","taxTitle","Owen County, Indiana","taxId",53880,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6462111,"Council refers building‑department funding, sets new low‑point wage for building administrator",1128,840000,1968000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5811947-448892fa9c03910e3f577ab4302a2021&start=840&end=1968","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5811947-448892fa9c03910e3f577ab4302a2021/thumbnail_840000.jpg","/articles/6462111/Owen-County/Indiana/Council-refers-buildingdepartment-funding-sets-new-lowpoint-wage-for-building-administrator","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6462111-97a30738ff902b290a276f1563365966/orig.mp4?Expires=1775687284&Signature=Mm5NmLKveZhEWKQp-nT2035Hz-vPyH8euAUamEPu2PmXHps13By8ouf8bwLNtfcZs9~R27k2QkmYBbqrIVfJ1n3gBGoz81g4i~l3RC3N8HaV1ftuRpoeh~iM01p42jBuF0S1Z0OHbMVHSAyW9nHv8Dus4NlLWziRt3MagidXL6Jj38ywx-FHPESC7g3bozZTOheQgNo8u37rvJGVMBYwHO4t6EeOhTKMrpdCUIWk2o-eKrA95tsSS8bTCKU61RQcNt2uhFObZRab5s~Tzbv1TUAf36VlEgsqkV5QluQy3SDHM~~EdP9qZG0bZFxMqzsqXxPidYzTUKWszZNFqihllg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During the 2026 budget review, Owen County Council set the building department administrative position’s wage to the wage‑study low point and voted to refer a broader question about the department’s funding structure to the county commissioners.

Staff presented updated targets for the building department administrator: a reported midpoint near $48,004.62 and a low point near $43,616 (figures presented in the meeting packet). The council voted to adopt the low point as the budgeted amount for that position and asked staff to double‑check job descriptions with the consultant to confirm the targets.

Council members also discussed long‑standing practice that the building/billing department has been run as a self‑supporting fund since 1992, with revenue derived from fees and ancillary sources such as storage unit rental and mapping fees. Several members said those revenues have declined or been reallocated and expressed concern the department may not be self‑sustaining. The auditor noted an approximate average annual revenue of about $52,000 from the former storage and mapping sources, but staff said that revenue may not be available next year.

Because of those concerns, the council voted to refer to the county commissioners the question of converting the building department to a department within the general fund (which would change how revenues and insurance costs are accounted for). The council also voted to follow up with the wage‑study consultant to confirm the job description and pay target calculations before finalizing the payroll figures.

The council directed staff to update the building‑department line items in the budget to match the adopted low point and to provide corrected totals for the public hearing materials.","Council voted to set the building department administrator’s wage to the consultant’s low point and to refer a proposal to move the building department into the county general fund to the county commissioners for review.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6462115,"Owen County approves 1.5% COLA for employees; orders wage‑study follow-up on EMS pay",597,108000,705000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5811947-448892fa9c03910e3f577ab4302a2021&start=108&end=705","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5811947-448892fa9c03910e3f577ab4302a2021/thumbnail_108000.jpg","/articles/6462115/Owen-County/Indiana/Owen-County-approves-15-COLA-for-employees-orders-wagestudy-follow-up-on-EMS-pay","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6462115-1fc74cc7197ddda79f04b0883f652ad6/orig.mp4?Expires=1775687284&Signature=hEz~31n31ZoYwwwTLpHBUcusegSDn~U2UiVfN97wfdlImOGbz7m~8~fO6uvbndSg08mCer4HDMw2dvEm61p8Xd6TJwZcZMn3BOY9hHikYc-0IM-IESId2iIYZRoOVtc4I5gWx2xgCK0oRlOCO~IHFmd9acoRNiU~OkvZL4jeiyw79Vtb0fjptFqcPNofBmCvhKcTH1ePWjZlDDGh7oz2EKZO1CifsnVx5nL1mlexSQs3nO-FpHLTAr6EaCd3Bsu7uFZVKf~K7njoxSaFbC002PBz~kgNa66MJNAst0x7YBRY8PWn-o80YgoTjj4RBunAbbobj0PvUgksYybaqnn32w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Owen County Council voted to give county employees a 1.5% cost‑of‑living adjustment for the 2026 budget year and directed staff to pursue follow‑up work on the county wage study, including adding private emergency medical services data.

The raise — described during the meeting as a systemwide minimum COLA intended to give some increase to employees who otherwise would get no adjustment under the wage study — was estimated by county staff to cost about $55,000 annually. A separate proposal for a 2% COLA was discussed but not adopted; council members repeatedly raised the budgetary tradeoffs of a larger, across‑the‑board increase.

Council members and staff debated the larger structure of the county wage study: whether to hold employees at the study’s low point, which the council has largely adopted so far, or move toward midpoints or select higher pay for public‑safety roles. Staff said moving every position to the study midpoint would cost roughly $700,000 in the near term, a sum council members said the county could not absorb in a single year.

The wage‑study discussion also focused on emergency services. Staff reported paramedic pay ranges from a low of about $22.814 per hour to a midpoint of $25.349 and a high near $27.884 in the consultant’s dataset. Council members said they want the consultant to include private EMS providers in future comparisons so the county can better understand local labor market competition; the council approved a motion to have the wage study reexamine EMS classifications and include private providers.

Council members emphasized that the county’s pay policy will continue to use the consultant’s targets and that any COLA would be granted as the greater of the COLA or the move toward a wage target, so employees already above their target would not necessarily receive a COLA on top of a target increase. Direction was given to the auditor’s office and staff to recalculate budget numbers to reflect the adopted COLA and to present updated figures for the public hearing schedule.

Discussion points recorded included concerns about retention and hiring in public‑safety roles; whether the county can selectively prioritize raises for essential positions without destabilizing the overall pay structure; and requests from multiple council members for the consultant to justify data sources and comparisons. Council members also voted to hold off on recommended FLSA/exempt/nonexempt status changes until a broader personnel‑policy revision is completed.

The council’s adoption of the 1.5% COLA will be reflected in the 2026 budget materials presented at the public hearing scheduled for October 14, 2025.","The council approved a 1.5% cost‑of‑living adjustment for county employees and directed staff to ask the wage‑study consultant to include private EMS data and reexamine paramedic/EMT pay differences.","actionData","errors"]

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Council approves budget actions: 9‑1‑1 loan payoff steps, correctional facility appropriation planning and to explore in‑house economic development

Council refers building‑department funding, sets new low‑point wage for building administrator

Owen County approves 1.5% COLA for employees; orders wage‑study follow-up on EMS pay