Howard County council approves year-end transfers, salary amendments and appointments; Kinsey Youth Center seeks major roof repairs

Howard County’s council approved a suite of year-end transfers and salary ordinance changes Tuesday that move funds between payroll and repair lines, authorize county staffing adjustments and finalize appointments to local boards.

The transfers resolution (identified in the meeting as Resolution 2024-8CCR-19) listed numerous intra-department reallocations: payroll reclassifications for courts and probation, building-and-structure repairs for the Kinsey Youth Center (KYC), insurance adjustments for health department staff, and reassignments within community-corrections grant accounts. The council approved the transfers by voice vote after presentations from departmental managers.

Amber Toll, highway director, described a $106,263.24 appropriation from the motor vehicle highway fund to cover the highway department’s portion of a new salt barn. “It is fully constructed. We’re waiting on a couple utilities to be hooked up, and then we will move all of our salt into that building,” Toll said, and added that brine equipment will be installed once electricity and water are operational.

Kathy Collison, director for the Kokomo Youth Center, asked the council to transfer $79,120 and $92,880 into building-and-structure repair accounts to address leaks and resurface the parking lot. “I have a very leaky roof,” Collison said, and described a failing gutter system, a fire door shorting out because of roof leaks and a loading-dock area that needs resurfacing. Collison said prior estimates for the broader roofing project ranged widely — she referenced an earlier $172,000 request for short-term work, cited a $250,000 estimate and said some estimates reached as high as $3,000,000 for a full replacement; she said the county had hired an engineer to scope a permanent project for next summer.

Judge Matt Elkins requested a $12,000 transfer from the transcripts line to pay transcriptionists for appeals and other court matters. Dustin Delong, community corrections supervisor, described transfers moving funds from vacant administrative-assistant lines into full-time probation and detention-officer positions to maximize grant spending and avoid negative accounts at year-end. Tori Kelly, county recorder, requested transfers from part-time payroll to PERF and insurance after a part-time staffer moved to full time and enrolled in benefits.

Councilman Faulkner moved to approve the transfers; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The council also approved salary-ordinance amendments (Ordinance 2024-8CCO-48) that codified the staffing and pay-line changes discussed in the transfers package; Councilwoman Lake moved the salary ordinance and Councilman Cuthbert seconded the motion, which passed by voice vote.

Pam Isaac, project manager, presented two appointments for signatures: Beth Harshman to the Alcohol Beverage Commission and the reappointment of Mary Baker to the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library board; the council approved both appointments by voice vote.

What it means: the approvals reallocate existing funds to cover known year-end needs — repair work at KYC, salary lines for probation and community corrections, coverage for transcription services and insurance cost increases — and allow operational projects such as the salt-barn handover to proceed once utilities are connected.