Council adopts ordinance defining approved uses for sheriff’s jail commissary fund
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Summary
The Vanderburgh County Council unanimously waived a second reading and adopted an ordinance that codifies permissible expenditures from the sheriff’s jail commissary fund, following state attention to commissary accounts elsewhere in Indiana.
The Vanderburgh County Council unanimously approved an ordinance establishing permissible uses for the Vanderburgh County Jail Commissary Fund, and the council waived the ordinance’s second reading in the same session.
Sheriff Noah Robinson told the council the ordinance responds to guidance from the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association and increased scrutiny from the state board of accounts after high‑profile incidents elsewhere in Indiana. “This establishes a set of clear … guardrails before me and future sheriffs to ensure that the money is spent in a way that is conducive to past practices,” Robinson said.
Council members voted first to waive the second reading, which required a unanimous vote; roll call showed six votes in favor and no nays. The council then voted to adopt ordinance C006‑25‑010 (as read in the meeting), again recording six ayes and no nay votes. The sheriff said the measure is intended to prevent problems and to make the council’s expectations clear for current and future sheriffs.
No specific expenditures were approved at the meeting under the ordinance; the vote codifies an approvals framework and will require future spending to conform to the newly adopted local rules.