Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stipend Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brown County Council approves first reading of ordinance limiting stipends to statutory authority
Summary
On first reading the council approved an ordinance that would prohibit payment of employee stipends unless expressly authorized by Indiana law, while directing staff to draft an amendment to allow specific law-enforcement incentives and ordering an audit of current stipends.
Brown County Council approved on first reading an ordinance intended to limit county stipends to those expressly required or authorized by Indiana statute and directed staff to refine language addressing law-enforcement incentives.
The ordinance (Council Bill No. 7, ordinance number 2026-06-15-000) states that "no stipend shall be paid to any county employee or officer unless it is expressly required or authorized by any specific provision of the Indiana code." The text cites multiple Indiana Code provisions (for example, IC 36-2-5-3 and related sections) and cites the Indiana State Board of Accounts' oversight as part of the rationale.
Council discussion focused on whether common supplements — such as incentive pay for new hires, training-related incentives for deputies, clothing or uniform allowances, and certifications (for example, field-training officers or breathalyzer operators) — would be covered. Staff told the council it can add a targeted exception in a new section (5.6) to describe allowable incentives for Brown County Law Enforcement Center employees and said it will return an amended version at the next meeting.
Transition language in the ordinance would discontinue stipends that lack statutory authority at the end of the current budget year, subject to any vested contractual rights or collective-bargaining agreements; the county auditor and human-resources (or equivalent) officer were directed to review existing stipends and report findings to the council within 60 days of passage.
The council voted to approve the ordinance on its first reading and will consider the amended text at a future meeting. Staff noted that passing the first reading and returning with the amended language is the pathway to implement the policy without immediate disruption to salary components already incorporated into the annual salary ordinance.
