Kosciusko County Council approves stipends, multiple grant appropriations and salary adjustments during Jan. 9 meeting

Kosciusko County Council members on Jan. 9 elected new officers and approved a slate of routine fiscal and personnel items, including a one-time stipend and per‑meeting pay for the county’s public defender board and multiple grant appropriations.

The council opened by introducing new council members Dylan Geiger and Rachel Rhodes and then elected Tony as council president and Kathy Groninger as vice president (motion carried). The body then approved the December minutes and proceeded through a series of appropriations, grant acceptances and salary‑related ordinances that council members described as routine.

Judge Matt Buehler requested council approval to pay members of the county’s public defender board for work done in 2024 and for future quarterly meetings. He said the board is required to meet quarterly under “state statute” to maintain compliance and the county’s 40% reimbursement for public defender fees. The council approved a one‑time stipend of $250 per board member for 2024 and a per‑meeting payment of $109.67 for each quarterly meeting going forward. The current board members named in the meeting were Kevin Dierdorf (chair), Paul Stolting and John Hall.

The council approved an appropriation of $50,153 for the VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) grant to fund the prosecutor’s victim assistance program; the grant is reimbursable and on a two‑year cycle, the presenters said. The council also granted permission to apply for a JDAI (Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative) grant for $60,000, described by Judd McGrath as the only juvenile funding source this year for local programs such as team court.

Sheriff Chris McCann presented a salary ordinance amendment to shift pay between two dispatch positions — moving a dispatcher from a supervisory post to a day shift and backfilling the supervisor role — for a total of $66,420; council members approved the change. Public works/engineering staff reported acceptance of several HSIP (Highway Safety Improvement Program) and Community Crossings grants totaling $4,221,153 (as reported in the meeting) and the council appropriated those funds.

The council approved a temporary assistant administrative manager position (two months) with a salary of $53,975 and a part‑time assistant position to provide overlap and training as two longtime employees plan to retire. To cover that hiring the council approved a $15,000 transfer from a Highway overtime line rather than asking for additional appropriations.

County staff also reported award of an HMEP (Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness) grant for $15,950 and a State Homeland Security grant for $149,481; both were described as reimbursement grants with no local match, and the council approved appropriation of those funds.

Marcia (county official) presented moves to carry forward opioid‑related restricted funds ($95,000) and opioid unrestricted funds ($52,500) into 2025 for spending, which the council approved. She also summarized ARPA appropriations previously approved by the ARPA committee, commissioners and council; the meeting transcript recorded a total figure that appears garbled ($400,001,212,113 as read aloud). The council moved those ARPA appropriations into 2025 as described by Marcia.

The community corrections director (identified in the meeting as Alexa/Alyssa) requested and received approval for a salary ordinance amendment totaling $87,839 to reflect 2025 wage settings and a separate correction to a part‑time dollar amount (a small reduction noted as 5¢ in the record). Those items were approved with routine motions and seconding.

Other procedural items included approvals to accept previously awarded grants and a note that the council will suspend pre‑meeting sessions going forward and stick to the regular second‑Thursday monthly meeting schedule; council members said pre‑meetings had not demonstrated expected productivity.

Votes at a glance (motions recorded in meeting): - Election of officers: Nomination of Tony for president and Kathy Groninger for vice president (motion carried by voice/sign). - Approval of December minutes (motion carried). - Public defender board compensation: One‑time stipend of $250 per member for 2024 and $109.67 per quarterly meeting (motion carried). Mover: Judge Matt Buehler requested; motion moved by Kim, second by Kathy (as recorded). - VOCA grant appropriation: $50,153 for prosecutor victim assistance program; reimbursable, two‑year cycle (motion carried). Mover: Kathy; second: Dylan. - JDAI grant application: Permission to apply for $60,000 (motion carried). Mover and seconder recorded in meeting. - Sheriff dispatch salary ordinance amendment: $66,420 to reassign two dispatch positions (motion carried). Mover: Mike; second: Rachel. - HSIP and Community Crossings grant appropriations: Total reported in meeting $4,221,153 (as read) (motion carried). - Assistant administrative manager hiring: Two‑month appointment at $53,975 and part‑time assistant position (motion carried). - Transfer of $15,000 from Highway overtime to assistant/admin part‑time fund (motion carried). - HMEP grant appropriation: $15,950 and State Homeland Security grant: $149,481; no local match (motion carried). - Opioid funds moved into 2025: restricted $95,000; unrestricted $52,500 (motion carried). - ARPA funds: Various previously approved appropriations moved into 2025 (total figure read aloud in meeting; transcript appears to contain a numeric error) (motion carried). - Community corrections salary ordinance amendment: $87,839 (motion carried); part‑time dollar correction (motion carried).

Discussion vs. decisions: Most items were introduced by staff or department heads, described as previously awarded grants or routine salary adjustments, and approved after brief clarification questions. The only substantive discussion recorded was Judge Buehler’s explanation of the public defender board’s statutory requirement to meet quarterly and the justification for retrospective and per‑meeting compensation. Several council members asked for clarifications on math or on forthcoming presentations (for example, a future presentation from a contractor/consultant named Reedy was scheduled for February). Council members asked that additional documentation or a report be provided to inform upcoming decisions.

The meeting concluded with routine closing remarks and an adjournment.