Vigo County budget committee tables several pay requests, approves $5,000 magistrate supplements

The Vigo County budget committee met in a special session to consider items the council president referred under Rule 7 and moved to table several requested salary and appropriation changes while preparing corrected ordinance language for the full council meeting later the same day.

Committee leadership introduced multiple items carried over from the sunshine meeting: amended salary ordinance 2026-1 (community corrections pretrial screener) and additional appropriations 2026-5 (community corrections), 2026-7 (family court project), 2026-8 (veterans court) and 2026-9 (prosecutor's office adjustments). Unidentified Speaker 2 moved repeatedly to table those items; each motion was put to voice vote and carried with the committee answering "Aye." "Do I have a motion from either member?" the chair asked before tabling the first item, and later announced, "Motion carries," after each vote.

The committee then reviewed the sunshine packet and highlighted lines that staff said represent newly added items ("ads") versus items the council previously approved that must be included in the ordinance. The auditor/staff told the committee the packet contains a mix of corrections for omissions and new edits added for clarity.

A contested passage in section 7 drew focused attention. The committee read language referencing "Circuit courts pretrial screeners $242,020" and the treatment of two grant-funded positions. Staff said the line could be reverted to the prior wording and rephrased so the grant-funded positions are shown separately. Unidentified Speaker 1 said striking the section would defer to what the council previously voted. The committee voted to strike section 7 of the amended salary ordinance as presented, placing the item back for revision before the full council vote.

Committee members also flagged section 10(c), which addresses the coroner's pay language. Members expressed concern about transparency and whether the wording had actually been approved previously by the council; Councilwoman Weger moved to table line c of section 10 for additional information and the motion carried.

Section 13, which sets stipends for the Vigo County Election Board, prompted questions about how the new wording would affect annual pay. Unidentified Speaker 1 warned the draft language looked like it would pay stipulated amounts on each of two pay dates and could double annual pay (for example, turning an $8,000 clerk stipend into $16,000). The auditor recommended tabling section 13 for clarification; the committee voted to remove section 13 from the amended ordinance and revisit it at a future budget committee meeting.

The committee approved the edited language in section 15 changing building inspector compensation from an hourly phrasing to a per-meeting basis ($25 per meeting, estimated four meetings per year) and forwarded that language to the full council.

On compensation for judges, staff clarified that the $5,000 supplements for eligible judges in divisions 1–6 are paid through the state (county pays, then is reimbursed). Two magistrate judges added last year are not covered by state reimbursement and would require county general funds to provide the same $5,000 supplement. Payroll staff (Autumn) and Judge Reddy provided mechanics and context for how those payments are processed. Unidentified Speaker 2 moved that the magistrates be paid $5,000 each, "same as the regular judges," and the committee approved the motion.

Before adjourning, the auditor/staff confirmed that several corrected items will appear on the full council's 5:00 p.m. agenda (including prosecutor and public defender salary items) and that the committee had acted on the referrals it received. The committee then voted to adjourn.

Votes at a glance: - Tabled: Amended salary ordinance 2026-1 (community corrections pretrial screener) — motion to table carried (voice vote). - Tabled: Additional appropriation 2026-5 (community corrections) — motion carried (voice vote). - Tabled: Additional appropriation 2026-7 (family court project) — motion carried (voice vote). - Tabled: Additional appropriation 2026-8 (veterans court) and 2026-9 (prosecutor's office victim-assistant) — motions carried (voice votes). - Struck from amended ordinance: Section 7 (pretrial screener compensation language) — motion carried. - Tabled for clarification: Section 10(c) (coroner pay wording) — motion carried. - Tabled/removed: Section 13 (Vigo County Election Board stipends) — motion carried; to be revisited. - Approved (forwarded to council): Section 15 (building inspector pay, $25 per meeting, four meetings/year) — motion carried. - Approved: Section 3 (pay supplements) — two magistrate judges to receive $5,000 supplements paid from county general funds — motion carried.

The committee did not adopt substantive new appropriations at this special session; it primarily tabled or clarified referred items so staff can prepare corrected ordinance language for the full council meeting later that day.