DuBois County Council agrees to advertise two sheriff deputy positions amid staffing concerns
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Summary
After a sheriff’s office representative cited a roughly 50% increase in calls for service since 2022 and statutory duties requiring timely response, the council voted to advertise two deputy positions and said funding would come from the general fund and the local income tax fund.
A representative from the sheriff’s office told the DuBois County Council the department had seen a substantial increase in calls for service and that statutory duties—particularly child‑safety investigations and offender‑registry compliance—require timely response and monitoring. The presenter said internal adjustments and overtime were no longer sufficient to meet minimum safe staffing needs and asked the council to allow the sheriff to advertise for two deputy positions.
Council members pressed for budget detail, including equipment and vehicle costs, health‑insurance and pension projections and whether school resource officers or retired deputies could provide partial coverage. The sheriff’s representative said the Southeast DuBois school resource officer is a merit deputy who can assist when off school duty but that other retired or civilian resource officers have limits under law.
After discussion, a council member moved and a second was made to advertise the two positions. Council members agreed the positions would be advertised and that, if filled, wages and FICA could be covered by the general fund with some benefits expected to come from the local income tax fund; the council voted in favor of advertising the positions.
The council did not yet approve final hires or a specific personnel budget amendment; several members asked staff to provide a detailed cost breakdown before hiring decisions are finalized.
