Purdue Extension director seeks to reallocate seasonal funds to retain experienced support staff; council asks for pause

Chelsea Brewer, Dubois County Purdue Extension director, asked the council to reallocate funds so a current full-time employee could move into a part-time support-staff position while preserving key office functions.

What was proposed Brewer asked to move money previously budgeted for a seasonal assistant (typically a short-term summer hire) into a support-staff line so a full-time staffer could transition to part time yet remain available for essential program support year-round. She said the support-staff role provides continuity for fair preparation, animal tagging and online program administration; the seasonal assistant historically covered short-term summer work for fair preparation.

Council questions and decision Commissioners expressed concern about creating recurring positions outside the normal budget cycle and about long-term staffing and benefit implications. Several commissioners suggested delaying action for a month to see how the 20-hour-per-week arrangement performs and to coordinate the payroll/perf (PERF) implications so an employee is not switched between full-time and part-time within a single pay period. The council and the director agreed to a temporary approach: move the employee to the support-staff line-item and, when that funding runs out, revert to the seasonal line-item as needed. County staff asked Brewer to coordinate with payroll (Brooke/Marty) and the county HR/payroll staff to ensure a clean personnel and PERF break when any change occurs.

What happens next Brewer will work with county payroll staff for a clean change in status that avoids PERF/payroll complications and will report back if the office manager—s pending retirement requires a different staffing solution. Commissioners asked the director to bring further changes to a budget hearing if the arrangement becomes permanent.