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Pacific County adopts FY2025 Supplemental Amendment No. 5, adds jail LPN and creates debt service fund for recent building purchase
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved Supplemental Amendment No. 5 to the FY2025 budget, adding $40,000 for an LPN at the county jail, $40,000 to the Veterans Relief Fund, and appropriations for a new debt service fund tied to a recently purchased building. Officials said payments will be covered by capital/REET funds; the board approved the resolution by voice vote.
Pacific County commissioners on Aug. 26 adopted Supplemental Amendment No. 5 to the fiscal year 2025 budget, approving three funding actions that the finance staff said are intended to clarify accounting and strengthen county services.
The board approved a $40,000 appropriation and a new full-time equivalent LPN position for the Pacific County Jail, which the presenter said covers salary and benefits for the remainder of the calendar year. "This is reflective of salary and benefits simply for the remainder of this calendar year," the presenter said when explaining the request for the Department of Corrections. The board and staff described the addition as a measure to fortify jail medical services.
The board also approved an additional $40,000 for the Veterans Relief Fund (Fund 105) to expand miscellaneous services for veterans. The presenter credited senior veteran service officer Ed Crawford and county staff for years of groundwork to allow these funds to flow to local veterans.
Finally, commissioners approved budget appropriations to populate a newly created FY2025 debt service fund (Fund 225). County staff explained the county closed on a purchase of a parcel at 307 Robert Busch Drive East, South Bend, and that state auditor guidance requires debt-service activity be coded to a 200-level debt-service fund rather than commingling with other capital funds. The presenter said the building purchase was a $2.5 million transaction with payments spread over five years and that the first recorded payment was made from the capital improvements fund and will be moved by journal voucher into Fund 225 for proper accounting.
"Our payments are in the early spring of each year," the presenter said, adding that the funding source for those payments is expected to be real-estate excise tax (REET) transferred through the capital fund. The presenter emphasized the action is largely an accounting step to meet state auditing requirements and that general fund money is not anticipated to be needed for the debt-service payments.
The board voted to adopt the supplement by voice; commissioners indicated support and the motion passed.
What happens next: staff will complete the journal vouchers and implement the budget-code changes so payments related to the 307 property are recorded in Fund 225. Any future staffing or programmatic changes tied to the LPN position will follow normal personnel procedures.
