St. Joseph County Council adopts multiple budget, salary and administrative ordinances and honors museum director

The St. Joseph County Council on Feb. 11 passed a package of routine fiscal and personnel measures and approved a resolution recognizing Marilyn Thompson for her 28 years at the St. Joseph County History Museum.

The council approved a resolution (Bill 10‑25) honoring Marilyn Thompson’s service; the resolution passed by a roll-call vote of 9–0. Brian Harding, director of the History Museum, accepted the resolution on Thompson’s behalf and said the museum would present the award at a retirement event later in the week.

On fiscal matters the council passed a resolution (Bill 9‑25) to apply certain remaining 2024 encumbrances to the 2025 fiscal budget. County staff told the council that the encumbrances totaled $17,559,005.44 at the end of 2024 and that an embedded American Rescue Plan (ARP) amount was a significant component of that total. The auditor explained that carryover of encumbered purchase orders preserves funding for projects that continue into the next fiscal year. The bill passed 9–0.

The council also approved a series of salary and appropriation ordinances for the health department and other county functions (Bills 3‑25, 4‑25, 5‑25, 6‑25, 7‑25 and 2‑25). Those measures moved existing fund balances or legacy account balances to support programs including vector control, a school-health liaison, community health workers and a countywide lead initiative. Roll-call votes recorded each of these bills as passing 9–0.

Other business included an ordinance to vacate an unimproved right-of-way in Penn Township (Bill 120‑3‑24), which passed 9–0, and the council’s routine approval of budget adjustments and appropriations discussed at the January committee meeting (Bill 2‑25), also passed 9–0.

Votes at a glance - Resolution: Bill 10‑25 — Recognizing Marilyn Thompson, passed 9–0. - Bill 9‑25 — Apply remaining 2024 encumbrances to 2025 budget (staff reported $17,559,005.44 in encumbrances), passed 9–0. - Bill 3‑25 — Salary amendment reallocating funds for two environmental health supervisory staff (increase totaling $2,205), passed 9–0. - Bill 4‑25 — Appropriation from health trust fund to fund vector program (2025), passed 9–0. - Bill 5‑25 — Additional appropriation from legacy account to fund vector program (2025), passed 9–0. - Bill 6‑25 — Establish salary for school-health liaison; appropriate unused funds, passed 9–0. - Bill 7‑25 — Appropriate fund balance for countywide lead initiative and establish community health worker salaries for 2025, passed 9–0. - Bill 120‑3‑24 — Vacate unimproved right-of-way in Penn Township (Kazmierczak petition), passed 9–0. - Bill 2‑25 — Ordinance appropriating and transferring monies for several county departments (public comment heard at January committee meeting), passed 9–0.

Where the record noted specific numbers, the council’s staff testimony is reflected above. No public opposition was recorded on these items during the Feb. 11 meeting; roll-call votes were recorded for each measure.