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Council committee advances multiple appropriations, salary amendments and code updates
Summary
At its March 14 committee session the St. Joseph County Council’s committees recommended favorable action on multiple appropriation and salary-amendment bills, forwarded a food-code ordinance update and advanced numerous budget transfers to the full council for final action.
The St. Joseph County Council’s March 14 committee meeting moved a package of appropriations, salary amendments and code updates forward to the full council with favorable committee recommendations.
Council committees considered a series of appropriation and budget-amendment bills that were advanced to the full council with favorable recommendations. Items included three appropriation requests from Department of Infrastructure Planning and Growth, the Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library and the county fleet program; several salary amendments for the prosecutor, health department and probate court; and transfers to cover staffing changes and program operations.
Committee chairs repeatedly told presenters that the committee was forwarding the matters to the full council. For example, Councilman Tanner moved Bill 20-25a — an appropriation of $423,638.34 from a building-department-related fund for Infrastructure, Planning & Growth technology, software and GIS upgrades — and the committee “moved forward with a favorable recommendation.” The library’s request (Bill 20-25b, $145,542) to extend previously approved rainy-day and bond proceeds for a new bookmobile garage and the fleet appropriation (Bill 20-25c, $89,156.50), which used an EECBG grant to buy electric vehicles, were similarly recommended favorably.
Other committee actions included a PSAP appropriation to restore budget authority tied to a previously approved tower project (Bill 20-25d, $506,486.80), and multiple salary amendments and transfers for the prosecutor’s office, health department and probate/JJC operations that were recommended to the full council. A county food-establishment ordinance update (codebook revisions to align with the new state food code) also was advanced from committee with a favorable recommendation.
Several committee votes were unanimous or by voice; committees recorded motions and seconds and then forwarded items to the full council. Where committees discussed additional detail — for instance, the fleet purchase used EECBG grant money to avoid Davis-Bacon prevailing-wage paperwork, according to Bree Roberts, director for physical assets — the discussions were recorded but did not stop committee recommendations.
The meeting included extended discussion on separate items (see other articles). The committee actions listed here are procedural committee recommendations; final appropriations and ordinance adoptions will be taken by the full council on the floor in later meetings.
