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County committee reviews several small appropriations: coroner vehicle, planning overtime, jail staffing and Medicaid contract changes
Summary
Committee members heard requests including a $46,000 coroner vehicle purchase, a $2,000 overtime appropriation for the area planning commission, an appropriation request from the sheriff to cover an employee buyout, a clerk training appropriation, and a $15,000 contractual request tied to Pre-3 Medicaid billing.
VANDERBURG COUNTY -- At Wednesday's Personnel Finance Committee meeting, county officials brought multiple small appropriation requests and budget questions to the council, including a coroner request for a 2025 vehicle, an overtime ask for the area planning commission, a sheriff's request to fund an employee buyout and related vacancies, a clerk training appropriation, and a health department adjustment tied to Pre-3 Medicaid billing changes.
Brian (last name not specified), the county coroner, told the committee his fleet is aging and that multiple breakdowns have strained operations. "We have a 2002 pickup... we are in dire need," Brian said, asking the council to approve roughly $46,000 to buy a 2025 vehicle and a work shell. He said the shell for the bed would cost a little over $5,000 and that lighting and signage could add to the total. Brian said he had obtained local dealer bids and expected the vehicle to be purchased off the state's QPA (qualified purchasing agreement) pricing.
Ron London, executive director of the area planning commission, requested $2,000 to cover overtime pay for sheriff's deputies who attend commission meetings that run late. "That wasn't something that we had put into the budget," London said; he told the council he would include the item in the next regular budget cycle.
Sheriff Noah Robinson asked the council for an appropriation to cover accrued payments tied to a departing staff sergeant so that he can immediately fill the vacancy. Robinson said the department uses funds from vacant correctional officer line items to pay overtime and that a transfer for $164,000 from vacant CO line items into overtime is on file for consideration at the next meeting. "I've been using those funds to cover overtime," Robinson said, adding he expected to manage staffing and overtime needs as the vacancies shift.
Dottie Thomas, Vandenberg County Clerk, brought an appropriation request offset by a repeal from the general fund to cover clerk training; she did not elaborate on the dollar amount at the meeting. The clerk said the appropriation would be offset by a repeal from the general fund.
A health department representative identified as Joe described a $15,000 request from the Pre-3 Medicaid fund to cover contractual payments tied to services provided under contract to Du Bois County. Joe said Du Bois County will stop its Pre-3 program, which will reduce the county's billing volume and therefore the associated revenues; he told the council the requested amount may change by the next meeting once final numbers are available.
Council members asked whether the coroner's vehicle purchase could wait until the regular budget, whether departments could consolidate vehicle purchases to obtain better state pricing, and whether grant funding or mayoral initiatives might offset code-enforcement or other requests. Presenters generally said some items could be moved to the next budget cycle but that immediate staffing or equipment shortfalls were driving some requests.
No formal votes were taken on the listed items; several presenters said paperwork or transfers are on file for council consideration at a later meeting.
