Kosciusko County Council approves probation wage schedule retroactive to Jan. 1

Kosciusko County Council on Monday approved a new pay schedule for county probation officers, adopting recommendations from a market-rate study and making the increase retroactive to Jan. 1, 2025.

The change follows a presentation by county probation staff and supporters who said current mandated-minimum pay has made hiring and retention difficult. Council member Rachel moved to approve the recommended schedule from the consulting engagement known in the meeting as the Popeye schedule; Kim seconded the motion and the council approved it by voice vote.

Supporters, including local judges and representatives from the prosecutor’s office, told the council the change was needed to avoid understaffing that can push more people into county jail rather than supervised probation. A judge speaking at the meeting said well-staffed probation is central to local case management and public-safety outcomes and asked the council to “give this some serious thought and consideration.”

Probation leaders said the department will cover the entire cost of the raises for calendar-year 2025 from probation user fees it collects. County staff and probation representatives estimated the additional county cost in 2026 would be about $159,000, depending on revenues and final budget decisions; probation said it plans to contribute roughly $140,000 of its fees to offset future county exposure.

The consulting firm's recommended average increase across the probation department was described in the meeting materials as about 19.2 percent, though council discussion focused on the dollar impact to the county and a compromise implementation timetable. The wage committee had identified options ranging from a smaller county cost for 2026 to fully adopting the consultant’s recommendations; the council ultimately voted to adopt the consultant schedule for 2025 and plan for budget discussions for 2026.

Council members and probation staff said the changes are intended to improve recruitment of candidates with college degrees and to reduce turnover. Probation staff reported large caseloads—roughly 1,682 people on probation countywide at the time of the meeting—and said the department had been operating short-staffed.

The council recorded no roll-call tally in the transcript excerpt; the motion passed by the council’s customary voice vote.