Pike County commissioners approve payments, correctional hires and a slate of county contracts

Pike County commissioners voted to approve routine business, a series of personnel moves at the county correctional facility and several county contracts and grant payments during their meeting.

The board approved payment of county bills from the general fund totaling $499,992.95, and separate payments from the debt service fund ($2,810.24), the Act 8 fund ($2,184) and the liquid fuels fund ($2,800). The motions were moved, seconded and approved by voice votes.

Under personnel items the board acknowledged a letter from Warden Morton Lowe creating an additional full-time sergeant position at the correctional facility with prison-board approval and approved promotions of Brent Shorter and Kyler/Kyla Renee (transcript spelling varies) to sergeant retroactive to March 1, 2026. The commission also acknowledged hires of multiple full-time correctional officers effective March 16, 2026, with benefits after a 90-day probationary period; names listed in the meeting notice included Patrick Kalawalewski, Ray Paul Hill (transcript variants), Luis Torres, Antonio Valle, Jaden Rivera and Nicholas McKee. The board also approved hiring Angela (transcript: Angela Derova/de Groba) as a full-time food production supervisor at the correctional facility, effective March 16, 2026.

At the reconvened salary board, commissioners set the annual salary for promoted sergeants Brent Shorter and Kyla/Kyler Renee at $89,536.79 (retroactive to March 1) and approved hourly-rate adjustments for correctional staff under an agreement with AFSCME District Council 87. The board recorded step increases including $29.26/hour after one year of service and $32.64/hour after two years for specified officers; a separate motion raised Preston Haskaden’s hourly rate to $34.89 effective March 28, 2026.

In new-business votes the commission approved a battery-replacement quote from Kingsley Power Systems, authorized execution of a grant agreement (transcript reference unclear on full title), and authorized the chairman to sign a SCRAM master-agency agreement for juvenile probation. The board also approved an Act certification statement for children and youth services, a Core Pro annual service agreement for the correctional facility (recommended by the prison board), Biopath amendment No. 9 related to inmate telephone/vending services, and a Woodworks construction agreement for facility repairs.

The commissioners approved human-services vouchers for the Office of Human Services (homeless assistance: $847; other human-services-funded vouchers: $1,230; fair-related voucher: $993.16) and two community development block grant (CDBG) payments — a $50,000 2024 CDBG voucher payable to Silver Purchase Resort / Silver Settlers Hospitality and a 2023 CDBG voucher for $1,222.50 to the same payee.

Finally, the board approved FY2025 fourth-quarter Pike County EMS matching grants to multiple townships with itemized amounts listed in the meeting (examples: Delaware Township $53,750; Lehman Township $89,180.46; Halmyra Township $64,508.77). The chair summarized the quarter’s distributions as approximately $470,000 and said the county matches township contributions to sustain local ambulance services.

The commission took each item by motion and voice vote; where transcript wording or name spellings were unclear, the meeting notice’s text was followed and variations are noted above. The meeting adjourned following public comment.