Whitley County Council approves series of appropriations, equipment payments and new meeting schedule

The Whitley County Council on April 17 approved a series of budget adjustments and equipment payments, authorized an election‑year stipend and adopted a revised council meeting schedule for the remainder of 2024.

At the start of the meeting, the council unanimously approved two short-term additional appropriations to accommodate staffing transitions in juvenile court after longtime juvenile court reporter Janet Carroll announced her retirement and the county proposed promoting the bailiff into the reporter role and backfilling the bailiff position. “We’re hoping for a two‑week overlap period that obviously is not budgeted,” Judge Rentschler said as he outlined the personnel plan.

Council members also approved a transfer of $4,295 in JDAI grant coordination funds into supplies after staff explained partner sites had exhausted some coordination funding. The council approved the request unanimously.

Sheriff Spencer clarified an existing special fund for the sheriff’s drone program and asked for formal appropriation of the balance. The council approved the request unanimously; Spencer said the account contains donor payments and is not drawn from county general funds.

Public works and maintenance requests accounted for much of the financial business. Mark Sternaman told the council his department was running a small overtime deficit primarily from storm and detention‑center work; the department sought $5,000 but the council approved a smaller $2,500 supplemental overtime appropriation after members said they preferred to monitor further needs and return if necessary. “We’re already 10 and a half hours in the red,” Sternaman said while describing the overtime drivers.

Sternaman also reported an emergency replacement of two work‑release hot‑water heaters. After soliciting three quotes, commissioners authorized the work and the county presented an invoice of $24,524 for the two 199,000‑BTU units. “It really blew my mind when I saw that email come through…there’s no way that two water heaters are $24,000,” Sternaman said; council members approved payment from the county’s Q‑cap fund.

Highway staff requested and received a $61,500 appropriation from the MVH (fund 1176) balance to pay an invoice for a truck body and related equipment; Ryan Getz said the request covers the body for a recently purchased chassis and that remaining truck body purchases would be returned to the council in May. The motion passed unanimously.

On personnel and small reimbursements, Ed Scott received approval to move a $1,975.30 training reimbursement back to his training account after timing of credit‑card processing placed the expense into 2026 budgets. Cindy Doolittle asked the council to pay a $1,000 stipend to a local election supervisor for the primary rather than hire a $2,600 MicroVote representative; the council approved the $1,000 stipend 6–1, with Councilman Jared recorded in opposition.

The council also formally adopted an updated meeting schedule that adds a second monthly meeting, with the evening meeting time set at 6:00 p.m. for the remainder of the year. Council members debated the change — proponents said the extra meeting improves responsiveness and public access; opponents cited staff compensation and questioned likely public attendance — and the schedule passed 4–3.

What’s next: several matters remain subject to future follow‑up. Highway staff indicated they will return in May for remaining truck body appropriations; maintenance said it will continue to track overtime tied to detention‑center HVAC work; and staff will implement the new meeting schedule and publicize the dates.

Votes at a glance: juvenile court appropriations (unanimous approval); JDAI coordination transfer (unanimous); sheriff drone fund appropriation (unanimous); overtime supplemental $2,500 (unanimous); payment of $24,524 for two work‑release water heaters from Q‑cap (unanimous); truck body appropriation $61,500 (unanimous); training reimbursement transfer $1,975.30 (unanimous); election supervisor stipend $1,000 (passed 6–1); meeting schedule adoption (passed 4–3).