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Clinton County council re-adopts salary ordinance, approves $364,377 in encumbrances and multiple additional appropriations
Summary
The council re-adopted a corrected 2026 salary ordinance, approved $364,377.39 in 2025 encumbrances, and approved a package of additional appropriations and transfers including $30,000 for courthouse furniture storage and $45,000 for inmate medical costs.
The Clinton County council re-adopted the 2026 salary ordinance with non-material corrections, approved year-end encumbrances charged to the 2025 budget totaling $364,377.39, and approved a package of additional appropriations and transfers during its February meeting.
On the salary ordinance, Unidentified Speaker 1 said staff corrected roughly nine or 10 items — chiefly job-description wording and hourly-rate splits where a position is funded from two sources — and characterized the changes as non-material clarifications of previously approved policy.
Speaking about encumbrances, Unidentified Speaker 1 explained that February is the month the council records encumbrances to apply bills received at the end of 2025 against the 2025 budget. The total encumbrances summarized by staff were $364,377.39, with line items including the sheriff's department ($24,009.80), jail budget ($24,004.14), IT ($13,737), local public health services ($11,900), EMA ($5,400) and various smaller amounts. The council voted to approve the encumbrances; the presiding member recorded the motion as carried 4-0.
The council also approved a series of additional appropriations for 2026. Highlights recorded in the meeting include:
- $30,000 from the general fund for temporary storage of courthouse furniture during remodeling (part of a $30,319.87 general-fund package that included a $270 EMA equipment appropriation and a $49.87 Parkview Home rebate). - Parkview Home donations: two gifts totaling $560 to the county home gift fund. - LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Committee) annual budget line items, including $5,000 for emergency planning, $1,500 in meeting stipends, training and equipment lines, and $1,000 for computers/personal devices. - Reappropriation to cover Bridge 60 repairs from highway/bridges funds (details in county packets). - $45,000 to a dedicated inmate medical fund to cover claims and reruns of Medicare/Medicaid-denied charges. - $3,280.99 for probation drug testing and a $25,000 appropriation from the jury fund requested by Judge Mueller for jury expenses. - Wildcat solid waste district payroll processed through the county ($73,354.01) and $5,604 for child-support office rent at Old Stoney while courthouse renovations continue.
Unidentified Speaker 1 moved approval of the listed additional appropriations and transfers; the motion was seconded by Jeff and the meeting record shows the motion carried 4-0. The council also recorded receipt of financial and budget status reports from the auditor into the meeting record.
In council reports, the presiding member said commissioners signed an interlocal agreement with the city to share the cost of upgrading a dispatch server (city to pay half) and that repayment timing may be deferred pending any special public-safety tax distributions later in the spring. Council members also heard brief reports about jail maintenance needs (several chiller coils failing) and a generator service agreement mentioned by Speaker 3; commissioners will determine next steps.
What happens next: the auditor will implement approved transfers and appropriations and attach the encumbrance and appropriation approvals to the county fiscal records; facilities and public-safety follow-ups (jail maintenance, generator service) will return to commissioners for action as needed.
