Vigo County Council hears multiple appropriation requests and 2026 salary ordinance updates; Sealyville budget approved

The Vigo County Council voted 6-0 to approve the Sealyville 2026 town budget and spent the remainder of the session taking and hearing several appropriation and salary matters that will affect the county’s 2026 budget cycle.

Sealyville budget: Counsel told the council it had no discretion to modify the town-adopted budget; Councilman Brad Anderson moved to approve the Sealyville 2026 budget and Councilwoman Vicky Wager seconded. President Thompson called for the ayes and the motion passed 6-0.

Jail medical costs: Sheriff Derek Fell asked the council to approve an advertised additional appropriation of $190,000 to cover jail medical costs through November, noting year-end medical expenses could be substantially higher (he estimated the eventual total could approach $315,000). Counsel told the body that the request had been advertised across three separate budget lines of $190,000 each — providing theoretical appropriation authority of up to $570,000 — and said the council could approve the full needed amount out of those advertised lines; Sheriff Fell said he preferred not to rely on repeatedly paying invoices late and would rather have funds available this year.

Road maintenance and equipment repairs: Larry Allen, county engineer and highway director, requested $140,000 to replenish road salt inventory purchased early because of weather and $50,000 for equipment repairs (he cited a $52,000 transmission rebuild and two Kubota transmissions at about $14,000 each). Allen said local road-and-street revenue is up about 2.3% year over year but cautioned state revenue forecasts likely decline in the future and said keeping an adequate cash balance is important for winter operations.

Probation equipment: Leanne Riesenbeck, chief probation officer, requested a line-item transfer within her budget to purchase a commercial-grade shredder to handle confidential probation records; she said juvenile court’s shredder has lasted 10 years.

Salary ordinances: Counsel reviewed a suite of 2026 salary ordinances and compensation policies prepared by the budget committee and the auditor’s office covering general employees, merit officers in the sheriff’s office, prosecutors and public defenders, highway employees, dispatch/911 staffing (with a proposed probationary period for dispatch hires), correctional detention security officers, parks, the health department, elected officials and court personnel. Counsel said most changes are date updates and adjustments approved by the budget committee; Rob Roberts, chief deputy prosecutor, had earlier asked why one high-felony deputy prosecutor position appeared changed to a lower classification in the draft and why some trial deputy positions were not getting the same 3% base increase as others.

What happened and what’s next: Aside from the Sealyville budget, the meeting record shows presentation and discussion on appropriation requests and salary ordinance language, but no final vote on the sheriff’s advertised jail medical appropriation, road salt/equipment supplemental requests, or the requested $100,000 oversight-board appropriation. Council members asked staff to research funding lines and options (encumbrance versus paying in 2026), and counsel noted specific advertised lines for the jail medical ask that could be acted on in this or a subsequent meeting.

Provenance: Sealyville approval and related counsel remarks begin near SEG 131; the sheriff’s jail medical presentation begins at SEG 448; the engineering salt/equipment presentations at SEG 597; and the salary ordinances overview begins near SEG 176.

Speakers referenced: Sheriff Derek Fell; Larry Allen, county engineer; Leanne Riesenbeck, chief probation officer; Rob Roberts, chief deputy prosecutor; counsel presenting salary ordinances; Councilman Brad Anderson; Councilwoman Vicky Wager.