Council refers building‑department funding, sets new low‑point wage for building administrator

During the 2026 budget review, Owen County Council set the building department administrative position’s wage to the wage‑study low point and voted to refer a broader question about the department’s funding structure to the county commissioners.

Staff presented updated targets for the building department administrator: a reported midpoint near $48,004.62 and a low point near $43,616 (figures presented in the meeting packet). The council voted to adopt the low point as the budgeted amount for that position and asked staff to double‑check job descriptions with the consultant to confirm the targets.

Council members also discussed long‑standing practice that the building/billing department has been run as a self‑supporting fund since 1992, with revenue derived from fees and ancillary sources such as storage unit rental and mapping fees. Several members said those revenues have declined or been reallocated and expressed concern the department may not be self‑sustaining. The auditor noted an approximate average annual revenue of about $52,000 from the former storage and mapping sources, but staff said that revenue may not be available next year.

Because of those concerns, the council voted to refer to the county commissioners the question of converting the building department to a department within the general fund (which would change how revenues and insurance costs are accounted for). The council also voted to follow up with the wage‑study consultant to confirm the job description and pay target calculations before finalizing the payroll figures.

The council directed staff to update the building‑department line items in the budget to match the adopted low point and to provide corrected totals for the public hearing materials.