Marshall County moves to bring CASA coordinator on county payroll, plans ordinance and budget steps

Marshall County commissioners voted to begin the process of creating a county department for the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program and to make the program lead a county employee.

Sean (county staff) said the CASA program — volunteers who act as advocates for children in court proceedings — had for years been run as a nonprofit and funded in part by grants. He told the board that the program’s volunteer-managed nonprofit has struggled with fundraising and that the county’s one staff person already running the program would become a county employee under the proposed change. "Having her as a county employee with the benefits and stuff that goes along is more fair to her," Sean said, adding it would strengthen the program’s continuity.

Commissioners discussed statutory requirements that courts provide either a CASA volunteer or a guardian ad litem for children and noted that counties use different administration models: some run CASA as a nonprofit, others house it within county government. Several commissioners said bringing the program in-house recognizes its statutory importance and reduces the fundraising burden on a single staff person.

The board voted to move forward with an ordinance and to coordinate with the county council on fund creation and funding lines. Staff said grant funding from state sources (including the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute) will continue where available, and that donations will remain tracked in a separate fund if the county proceeds.

Why it matters: The change affects how the county recruits, manages and compensates the staff who coordinate volunteers assigned to protect the interests of children in court. Commissioners described the move as intended to strengthen the program, stabilize staffing and reduce administrative overload on its prior nonprofit structure.

The motion to proceed passed by voice vote; transcript did not record a roll-call tally.