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Marshall County approves sheriff's budget shifts, moves two dispatchers to 911 fund
Summary
The Marshall County Council accepted several sheriff proposals Wednesday, approving commissary reporting, the sheriff's 2025 commissary budget and a plan to move two dispatchers into the 911 fund; members also approved a personnel reclassification shifting a process-server position toward dispatcher duties.
The Marshall County Council accepted Sheriff Hassell’s biannual commissary report, approved his 2025 jail commissary budget and approved staffing changes that shift two turnkey dispatchers into the county 911 fund and reclassify a vacant process-server position into a dispatcher role.
The sheriff presented the commissary report and said the jail fund has “been running right around $90,000 for the last couple of years,” and that revenue from commissary sales, tablets and phone time rose when the jail population was higher. He then asked the council to accept the biannual report, as required by state statute; the council voted to accept it.
Sheriff Hassell asked the council to approve a 2025 commissary budget; the council voted to approve that budget as presented.
The sheriff described pressure on 911 funding and dispatch staffing, saying the county’s 911 fund showed a beginning balance of $298,832 and 2024 revenue of $588,500, for roughly $887,332 in resources. He told council members his proposal was to move two turnkey dispatchers back from the local income tax (LIT) fund into the 911 fund, which he estimated would increase 911 fund expenditures by $158,438 but still leave a projected surplus. The council voted to approve moving the two dispatchers into the 911 fund; Commissioner Masterson made the motion and Commissioner Shattuck seconded it.
The sheriff also recommended converting a filled or budgeted civil process-server position into an additional turnkey dispatcher in the LIT fund to address mounting transportation needs: emergency detention orders and juvenile transports increasingly require long trips to Fort Wayne, Lafayette and Indianapolis. He estimated that reclassifying the process-server position would cost the LIT fund an additional $5,873. The council voted to direct the personnel process to consider the job-description change and proceed with the amendment to the salary ordinance.
Sheriff Hassell told the council he will submit an additional appropriation request and that the personnel committee will review requested salary-ordinance changes before the next meeting.
The council’s votes on the sheriff’s reports and proposals were unanimous as recorded on the meeting floor.
