Porter County
Government’s chances for having a balanced budget next year are looking good
as the County Council is just a few dollars away from meeting the goal of
$36.5 million for the general fund.
After working
through the Board of Commissioners’ budgets at the close of Tuesday’s budget
hearing, the Council’s Budget and Financial Specialist Vicki Urbanik said
the total in the fund stood at $36,544,303.
“It’s really close
to that (desired) number,” said Urbanik. “There’s been a lot of work between
the Council, the Commissioners, the Auditor’s office and myself.”
Another highlight
of Tuesday’s hearings was news that the County will also be in within reach
of fully funding health insurance for County employees next year, a task
that has not been accomplished in the last two years.
Before tackling the
Commissioners’ budgets, the Council estimated the insurance fund needed to
be at $9 million, based on input from representatives of Apex Benefits group
and Stephen Brady of Heritage Advisory Group, if the County takes steps to
renegotiate rates.
Funding the
insurance is a combination of different sources. As one component, the
Commissioners offered $1 million in unallocated county economic development
income tax dollars and decided to approve an additional $327,000 from the
CEDIT fund to cover drainage improvements. Commis-sioner President John
Evans, R-North, said that as his board offers the funds he hopes Council
members will consider enacting the fee structure proposed by the Stormwater
Management Board to provide an income source for county drainage projects.
Roughly $2 million
will be taken from miscellaneous non-general funds to pay for insurance.
Another $4.2 million will come from the general fund itself, with some
additional funding from the IV-D courts.
The last bit for
the health insurance will be $1.32 million taken from what had been
advertised for hospital sale interest money for the 2015 budgets.
The sum of all the
parts puts the allocations for insurance at a total of $8,914,220, just
under the $9 million goal.
Urbanik said the
Council did not budget for employee raises for next year but workers can
take comfort in the fact their insurance will be funded.
Last year, the
Council passed the 2014 budgets with only $4.5 earmarked for insurance.
Insurance costs are expected to peak at about $12 million by the end of the
year.
Hospital interest
tapped
Meanwhile, the
Council voted on second reading in favor of using $1.1 million in hospital
sale interest funds to provide subsidies to public service non-profit groups
in the county next year, in the same manner as for 2014.
The total includes
$600,000 to the Family and Youth Services Bureau, $450,000 to the Porter
County Council on Aging and Community Services, and $50,000 to Opportunity
Enterprises.
The amount for
PCCACS is an increase of $80,000. Its director Bruce Lindner said the
organization took four buses out of service due to cuts from the state and
stood to lose more buses had the extra money not been allocated.
Council President
Dan Whitten, D-at large, echoed comments about the “urgent” need to start a
County Foundation endowment fund to generate additional interest from the
hospital sale principal to sustain services of County government.
Human Resources
Dept.
gets favorable vote
In other action,
the Council split 4-3 in approving the Commissioner’s proposal for a County
Human Resources Department on second reading.
Council member Jim
Biggs, R-1st, said it’s a “disservice” for County government not to have
some form of human resources available to its many workers.
Biggs has
traditionally been averse to creating new positions because of the new costs
incurred, but is open to an HR department because it has the potential to
make changes in the County’s work rules and bring savings that way.
Council member
Robert Poparad, D-at large, voiced his support as well. “I think we all feel
the need to do something,” he said.
Biggs had floated
the idea of setting up an HR committee or using a consultant for the time
being, but ultimately supported the Commissioner’s proposal as it was with a
full-time director at a $72,000 salary, a full-time assistant at a $41,000
salary, and another $14,000 for training and supplies.
Other Council
members who agreed on a motion to approve the department were Poparad,
Sylvia Graham, D-at large, and Karen Conover, R-3rd.
Dissenting were
Whitten, Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, and Jim Polarek, R-4th.
GIS in tug-of-war
Also on Tuesday,
Evans proposed moving the County’s GIS department out of the Auditor’s
office and into the Plan Commission office, and give oversight
responsibilities to the Plan Commission’s Executive Director Robert
Thompson.
This will better
serve the intended purpose of the GIS system to generate maps and be
accessible to those who want to use it, he said.
County Auditor
Robert Wichlinski argued it would make more sense for the system to stay in
his office because workers and the public would have to travel up a flight
of stairs to the Plan Commission office to use it. He added that the
equipment being used was purchased out of the Auditor’s non-reverting fund
and can generate information specific on a property, such as deeds.
Whitten said he
“could care less” about where the system is, but would like to talk to those
who regularly use the system and get their opinion.
Final reading
tonight
The Council will
meet at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the County Administration Building, 155 Indiana
Ave., Valparaiso, Room 205, for the third and final reading of all budgets.
According to the
state’s deadline, the County is to have its budgets submitted by Friday,
Oct. 31.