Latest news with #DaviessCountyCouncil
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Council approves hime in pauper attorney funding
The Daviess County Council approved a hefty increase in funding for pauper attorneys in the Daviess Circuit Court. Just six months into the year Daviess Circuit Court Judge Greg Smith went before the council looking for an increase of $150,000 to cover pauper attorney fees for defendants in his court. Council President Marilyn McCullough says there are several reasons for the increase. 'They have had more cases than expected this year,' she said. 'They have been through about 240 cases so far this year and they still have a large number to go through.' Among the issues in circuit court is the change of judge in Daviess Superior Court to former prosecutor Dan Murrie. That has resulted in a slate of cases being kicked to other judges and courts. 'Part of that is that we had a backlog of cases and we are getting caught up on those. Some of those had to be transferred over to Judge Smith because Judge Murrie had been the prosecutor when the cases were filed,' said McCullough. 'Some of those he cannot preside over. We might wind up saving money out of superior court pauper fees.' Courts around the country and in Daviess County fell behind on many of their cases during the COVID outbreak. While there has been a concerted effort to catch those up, that time is still impacting the courts. 'The judges and prosecutor have done a great job,' said McCullough. 'They are trying to streamline processes and try new things to try and clear the backlog created by COVID.' McCullough says she feels the county is approaching the end of the backed up cases. 'We expect this additional appropriation to cover the rest of this year,' she said. 'The courts are clearing out these cases and the end appears to be in sight.' In other business, the council approved a change in the language for the Daviess County Visitor's Bureau form to include questions on number of rooms available and the average daily rate on those rooms. The council tabled taking any action on the CF-1 reports from businesses that are currently holding tax abatements from the county. Council members were wanting more information to see if the companies are complying with the promises they made to receive those tax breaks. The council received an update on a plan to use a kiosk to help probationers during the regular check-ins. They also denied a request for $2,800 in additional funding for inmate needs at the county jail. Daviess County Sheriff Gary Allison said he was hesitant to spend money out of the commissary fund, but will do it that way. The council also accepted a $28,000 grant from the state of Indiana. Central Dispatch Director Julie Riker said the grant would cover 100% of the cost to upgrade the emergency services mapping system. 'It's not going to cost us any money, so that is great,' said McCullough. 'We do need the update.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
County workers looking at pay raise
Daviess County employees will apparently get a 3% pay raise next year. The Daviess County Council gave tentative approval to the increase following a recommendation from the county wage committee. President of the county council and wage committee member Marilyn McCullough says the decision came after discussions with department heads and elected officials. 'We invited the department heads to come talk with the committee. There we get insight into each department. We gather information on the staff and insight on purchases or expenditures that are coming,' she said. 'We also look at economic factors. The trends over the last four years, unemployment rate, cost of living, federal income increase.' McCullough says the council also looks at its income projections, something that will apparently change considerably as a result of the most recent legislative session. 'We look at what we think our maximum levy will be,' she said. 'This year is a little different because now we are dealing with SB-1. We are uncertain on the impact it will have for our county. As it appears now we will have an estimated $1 million in reduced funds.' The wage committee is also looking at some specific departments that may need increases above 3% to keep employees. 'We feel we have a lot of employees who are not at the level they need to be. So, we decided to look at specific departments and see who may need more of a raise,' said McCullough. "This year we are looking at the IT Department, the prosecutor's office and the courts. We cannot compete with the private sector, but we can try to get salaries in the same ballpark.' County officials say the wage increase will extend part-time and seasonal employees as well. 'We have great employees and we want to keep them,' said McCullough. 'We really value them." As it stands the county will spend an additional $328,000 in salaries with the increase, but the wage hike is only advisory at this point so that office holders and department heads can build their budgets. 'Everything will be final when we do the budgets in September,' she said. 'By then we will have much better information on what the impact of SB-1 will be and what our income level will look like. That number could be adjusted depending on the final numbers.' The council received an update on the Uplands Land Bank. Bobbi Abel informed the county that the land bank has finally begun acquiring properties and the first was in Daviess County. The purpose of the organization is to get rundown properties and turn them into something that can sold. The council approved a $4,000 appropriation for furniture, a $50,000 appropriation for insurance on new equipment and $20,000 for expert fees for the courts.
