Council looks at raise options

County employees may be seeing another round of raises next year.

Jay County Council took a look at recommendations for its 2024 budget and made several other decisions during a nearly two-hour meeting Wednesday.

Wage increases recommended by Jay County Personnel Committee mostly range between 2% and 7%, with a few outliers. (Jay County Health Department’s food inspector may get a 25% raise, council could see a 20% raise and Jay County Commissioners, the coroner and veterans affairs officer could all get a 10% raise. Each of those positions’ pay is at least 20% or more — council is 44% — lower than the external midpoint rate for their positions, according to information compiled by consulting firm Waggoner Irwin and Scheele.) The wages plus two new health department jobs funded by the state would add approximately $464,484.49 to the county’s budget next year. 

Council president Jeanne Houchins said the personnel committee had considered increasing the budget by nearly $800,000 for wages in order for all positions to be paid at least the external midpoint rate for their occupation, but they chose to halve that amount in 2024.

Jay County auditor Emily Franks also proposed adjusting local income tax rates allocation categories by adding an emergency medical service rate of 0.15% and reducing the certified shares rate to 1.25%. (As of 2022, it’s a new option for county fiscal bodies to impose.)

“Because of that, we can take all of the property tax money EMS is currently getting and put it back into county general to kind of help that fund,” she explained.

She also shared that the county had about $700,000 more for the current year’s budget than she anticipated — that includes rollover from 2022, interest accrued and additional local income tax distributions.

Council members announced dates for upcoming budget-related meetings, with the first set for 6 p.m. Aug. 23 for council to discuss the budget. Other meetings are: budget review, 5:30 p.m. Sept. 6; budget first reading, 6 p.m. Sept. 27; and budget final reading, 6 p.m. Oct. 11. Council also meets at 6 p.m. Sept. 13 for its regular monthly meeting.

Council reviewed a capital improvement plan approved by Jay County Commissioners on Monday.

Council member Cindy Bracy compared the plan to the five-year economic development income tax (EDIT) capital improvement plan rescinded in February, which included a list of broad categories for Jay County and each municipality to use the funding. The rescinded plan also detailed how EDIT funding would be distributed. 

Commissioners’ plan doesn’t specifically relate to how EDIT funds are spent — those plans still need to be approved in the 2024 budget.

The plan approved Monday lists seven projects the county would like to work toward completing. On the list are creating an initial loop for broadband, or approximately 233 miles of fiber internet, for $10 million with Mainstream Fiber (the county’s match would be $2 million); adding a new garage extension to Jay County Highway Department for $2.2 million; building a new facility for Jay County Solid Waste Management District for $1.6 million; constructing a public safety building for use by Jay Emergency Medical Service, Jay County Health Department and Jay County Coroner’s Office for $3 million; planning development of the 68 acres owned by the county within western Portland city limits along Indiana 67 for $200,000; purchasing new body cameras for law enforcement for $102,000; and investing in new radios for ay Emergency Medical Service and Jay County Sheriff’s Office for $475,000. (Jay County Sheriff Ray Newton explained earlier in the meeting the radios are expected to cost anywhere from $600,000 to $900,000.)

Bracy and council member Matt Minnich expressed a desire to see more public input generated to create the plan, with commissioner Brian McGalliard noting the decision per state statute is up to commissioners. Council took no formal action on the matter.

Council members agreed to rescind the eliminating salary ordinance, also known as a hiring freeze. Rescinded Monday by commissioners, the ordinance was put in place in December and required department heads to seek approval from council to fill positions when an employee retired or left the job. The process required Jay County Personnel Committee to meet with the department head and review the position before making a recommendation to council on whether to fill the open position.

Council also met Nate Kimball, the new community development coordinator for Jay County employed through East Central Indiana Regional Planning District. Per the contract signed by commissioners on Monday, Kimball will be working with local officials to seek information about the county’s needs and look into grants. Kimball previously worked for Montpelier for about a year in a similar capacity.

Bracy questioned the need for a contract with East Central Indiana Regional Planning District to fill the community development coordinator role, which had previously been employed by Jay County Development Corporation. She asked about the two year contract’s cost — it’s about $8,333 monthly for 24 months, or just short of $200,000 — with commissioners explaining JCDC was not given its full funding for the second half of the year. Roughly $64,000 was not granted because the organization has eliminated the community development coordinator position, explained commissioner president Chad Aker.

In other business, council members Harold Towell, Faron Parr, Randy May, Dave Haines, Houchins, Minnich and Bracy:

•Amended the strategic invest plan created through the Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP), an Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs process to help communities plan how to use their federal American Rescue Plan Act allocations. Commissioners and council added the $1.1 million purchase of 68 acres in February, which now count as Jay County’s required match for an additional $1 million through HELP. (The program requires participants to allocate at least a third of their funds toward items in the plan.)

•Approved an ordinance establishing approved usage of jail commissary funds. County attorney Wes Schemenaur explained counties across Indiana have been encouraged to pass an ordinance that provides transparency with the state about the sheriff’s approved avenues for the funding. It lists 19 possible options, including training, operating expenses, equipment, supplies, inmate transit costs and other needs relating to Jay County Jail.

•Heard about a request for $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding from Jay County Baseball Club to convert its new building into a turfed facility.

•Made the following additional appropriations: $21,000 for meals, $6,000 for meat processing and $4,000 for sewage fees at Jay County Country Living, $5,000 for the location of cornerstones through the Jay County surveyor perpetuation fund; $2,657.45 in donations for resident activities at Jay County Country Living; and $50 for pauper counsel.

•Transferred $597.27 and $3,154.91 to close out the multi-hazard mitigation grant fund and coronavirus emergency funds, respectively, and $198.80 in the county corrections fund from training to uniforms.

•Appointed Bracy and Towell to be council’s representatives at the READI 2.0 regional workshops and Parr to Jay County Development Corporation’s executive committee.