Council approves several appropriations, an appointment and hears nonprofit funding requests

The Kosciusko County Council approved several administrative appropriations and an appointment, and heard presentations from local nonprofits requesting operational funding for 2026.

Appropriations and appointments - Bill Holder (auditor/IT representative) requested use of the county's electronic data fund to purchase a large-format printer. He asked for approximately "$3,920.20" from the fund; the council moved and approved the appropriation. The presenter stated the fund balance was about $31,312.49. - The council approved a reappointment: Ben Rice was reappointed as the council’s member on the Warsaw Community Library board. - Jack Birch, incoming chief public defender, requested additional appropriations from the Public Defender Supplemental Fund to cover office construction, computer hardware and office equipment for a new office. Birch said the requested amounts would come from the public defender supplemental fund (fees collected from indigent-defense cases rather than the general fund); the council moved and approved the appropriation. - Bob Weaver requested two transfers and a salary-ordinance amendment to shift two public-health positions to be paid from the Health First Indiana Fund. He said the fund had a balance of roughly $91,700; the council approved the transfers and the salary‑ordinance change to set pay at a part‑time PAT‑6 range ($24.32/hour for one role). Council members confirmed funds are available in the specified restricted funds before approving these items.

Nonprofit presentations Multiple nonprofits presented brief overviews and funding requests for 2026 operations; no formal appropriation votes on these requests were taken at the meeting. Presenters included: - Cardinal Services (Marcia Art), requesting $111,373 to support Head Start, Healthy Families and public transportation (CAVS) services; she said 60% of Cardinal’s service recipients are in Kosciusko County and noted Head Start served 144 children this year with a wait list of 56. - Stillwater Hospice (Leslie Friedel), which requested operational support and summarized 2024 service levels (126 county residents served, nearly 11,000 days of patient care) and new grief‑counseling services in Warsaw. - Kosciusko County Historical Society (representative gave a $24,000 request to cover most of their annual payroll) and listed recent grant successes for preservation projects. - The Beeman Home (April Sloan), the county’s domestic‑violence shelter, requested $40,000 for 2026 operations, citing a possible 40% federal grant cut that could reduce funding by more than $200,000 over two years; the shelter reported 3,764 shelter nights to 118 people in 2024 and said more than 75% of clients were county residents. - Kosciusko County 4‑H (Shannon Shepherd, Hayden Lechleiner, Shana Mesmore) described roughly 630 enrolled youth and volunteer support, requesting a modest increase from the prior year to cover inflation and programming costs.

Why it matters: The appropriations use restricted or fee-supported funds rather than general‑fund dollars in several cases; nonprofit presentations outline community services that the council may consider during upcoming budget deliberations.

What’s next: Staff will record the appropriations and process the appointment; nonprofits will await the county’s 2026 budgeting process for formal funding decisions.