Elkhart County Council narrows potential cuts, weighs freezing new positions

Elkhart County Councilors continued work on the 2026 budget Wednesday, narrowing a slate of proposed reductions and debating whether to remove several new positions and unspent line items to close an estimated $2.9 million gap in levy‑driven funds.

Council members discussed removing two proposed positions in the clerk’s office, cutting a $95,000 data‑processing line in the public defender budget and reducing group insurance and other lines across departments. “I would think that we'll come close to finishing up this afternoon if we keep our noses to the grindstone,” said Commissioner Bielski during roll call and the opening discussion about scheduling and next steps.

Why it matters: Councilors said they need to find near‑term savings before finalizing personnel requests that remain in the packet, and they repeatedly flagged part‑time and unspent budget lines as quick levers. Several members urged caution about cutting all part‑time lines because departments sometimes rely on short‑term help to meet statutory deadlines.

Most important facts: The packet includes a $95,000 line (account 43050) budgeted in the public defender’s office for data processing services that staff said had not been used in 2024 and was again included for 2026. Council staff put the pool of levy‑driven potential reductions at roughly $2,900,000. Removing two clerk positions would reduce salary costs; staff later calculated the two jobs’ combined salary as about $135,801 with associated benefit splits across funds.

Council debate focused on tradeoffs between leaving small amounts in part‑time lines to handle short, urgent needs and cutting large sums that have not been spent in recent years. One member summarized the dilemma: if the council wants to prevent departments from hiring new part‑time staff, “we have to cut the money out. We can’t just leave it in there because we want to leave it in there just in case.”

Several specific items discussed: - Public defender: $95,000 for data processing services that staff said was not used in 2024 and again budgeted for 2026 (account 43050). - Clerk/elections: a request to reduce poll‑book funding from $290,000 down to $40,000 and to move $57,000 in benefits for positions; the clerk’s two positions were estimated at about $135,801 in salaries with benefits split across funds. - Group insurance: councilors discussed reducing the county’s group insurance appropriation by $1,000,000 and an additional $435,000 tied to rate increases employees would absorb. - Part‑time lines: members proposed trimming part‑time budgets that historically returned unused money at year end; some recommended cutting those budgets in half rather than to zero to retain emergency flexibility.

Councilors repeatedly said that if cuts prove to be premature, departments could request additional appropriations later. “I’d almost rather mass cut it and then bring it back,” one member said, saying an additional appropriation would force a conversation and transparency.

Public schedule: Councilors confirmed a follow‑up work session the next day to hear the Convention and Visitors Bureau and additional department requests. The meeting adjourned by motion and voice vote.

Ending: Councilors said they expect to finalize several remaining personnel and budget decisions at the follow‑up session and in a Friday personnel meeting, with further cuts or restorations handled by additional appropriations if needed.