Champ suggests new 'chill' plan

A contentious topic from the end of 2016 has now carried over into a new year.

Jay County Council member Ted Champ on Wednesday reintroduced a modified “hiring chill” plan after council at its December meeting rescinded the chill it had instituted earlier in the year. He did not seek a vote on the idea, instead asking his fellow council members to consider it.

The previous chill required department heads to meet with council for approval to hire new employees if positions became open.

Champ acknowledged that some jobs, including those in law enforcement, need to be filled quickly, a process that could be hampered if department heads had to wait until the next council meeting to gain approval. However, he suggested that a chill go into effect if a position is open for a long period of time, such as three or four months.

“… if a position is open for three months, four months, then is it really needed?” he asked. “Does it take four months to find a qualified person to fill that position? And if it does, then they can bring it before us and explain it and, guess what, we’ll OK it.”



Last month, then-council-president Mike Leonhard suggested something similar, saying that if a position stays open for a long time it should be considered for elimination.

Though Champ was suggesting the chill for all county departments, the discussion stemmed directly from a heated back-and-forth at the previous month’s meeting over a vacant position in the Jay Circuit Court clerk’s office.

Commissioner Doug Inman, who also sits on the county’s personnel committee, had come to council seeking guidance on how to implement the hiring chill. At the time, he said six departments had openings.

Champ then spoke in favor of the the chill, saying “if we went six months without that position, and then someone comes available, then all of sudden, that position has to be filled?”

Then-clerk Ellen Coats took exception, saying she believed Champ was referring to her office. She later characterized the chill as “harassment.”

A position in the clerk’s office became vacant in early November when an employee was fired. Newly-elected clerk John Eads then appointed Coats, who could not run for re-election because of term limits, to that open position earlier this month.

Again Wednesday, Champ said he is not suggesting that council micromanage county departments, but rather wants to ensure that tax dollars are being spent wisely.

“If we set some kind of time limit, that the chill will be in effect … then they have to come before us,” he said. “We’re not saying we’re not going to hire them. We’re just saying explain why it took four months to find a good, qualified person to fill that position.”

Auditor Anna Culy reiterated her concern about the feasibility of such a policy when a given position already exists in the county budget. She suggested asking questions about staffing during the budget process and making decisions at that time.

Champ said he plans to do so.

Council member Jeanne Houchins suggested that the topic be considered by the county’s personnel committee.