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County approves short-term funding to bridge Adult Protective Services shift to new contractor
Summary
The county approved two measures to cover PTO and short-term staffing to bridge a June 13 grant end and a July 1 transition to a new APS contractor; the prosecutor requested $5,399 for PTO and $39,952 to retain investigators and advocates during the gap, and the council approved the requests unanimously.
The St. Joseph County Council unanimously approved two ordinances Tuesday to provide short-term funding to maintain Adult Protective Services (APS) functions while the state moves to a new statewide contractor.
Prosecutor Ken Cotter told the council the grant that funded the county’s APS hub runs out June 13 and the new contractor will not start work until July 1. Cotter asked the council to approve $5,399 to pay earned paid time off for APS staff and $39,952 to retain three county APS workers and to fund additional workload in the prosecutor’s office while the state contractor transitions.
Cotter described the change as a statewide consolidation that will reduce local hubs from 16 to five; Saint Joseph County, which currently serves as a hub for four counties, will continue certain criminal investigations and legal work under county supervision. He said the county would temporarily pay salary costs using savings from reduced PERF and FICA obligations and that the requests were budget neutral based on those offsets.
Council members raised no substantive objections. Councilman Catanzarite and others noted the APS team’s long record of local service; several members said they regretted the state-driven change. The council approved the measures by roll call votes of 9–0.
Cotter told the council the funding will allow APS staff, an advocate and a financial-fraud investigator to maintain services, respond to referrals and transfer information to the new statewide provider without a service gap. He said the move will increase the prosecutor’s office workload because county staff will handle criminal elements of APS investigations that the statewide contractor will no longer pursue.
The measures passed as the council heard public comments and thanked APS staff for their work; commissioners and park and public-safety advocates also expressed support for continuing local services during the transition.
