The Porter County
Council will begin its yearly budget hearings starting next week with a
first reading and public hearing on Monday at 5 p.m. inside Room 205 of the
County Administration Building, 155 Indiana Ave. in Valparaiso.
First reading will
include budgets for all departments in Porter County Government, including
the General Fund which is the County’s main tax-levied fund, along with the
Porter County Recycling and Waste District, the Porter County Airport
Authority and the West Porter Township Fire District.
This will be the
only time for public input on the budgets. The Council will begin second
readings and overall reviews of budgets the following day on Tuesday at 4:30
p.m.
County Auditor
Vicki Urbanik will give the Council the highlights of the proposed budgets
for 2018 turned in by department heads. Urbanik told the Chesterton
Tribune earlier this week that she estimates the General Fund will be
levied at $39.5 million for 2018. That’s more than $1 million above what
2017’s levy was -- $38.2 million.
For all General
Fund budgets, the overall total requested the Council will start with is
$45,056,245, Urbanik said. The Council will likely work to whittle that
figure down to the $39.5 million figure to not go over the tax levy.
All budgets in the
general fund are advertised at 15 percent higher than what is requested so
the County can receive the maximum amount of funds in the levy, said Urbanik.
For instance, the General Fund’s advertised budget amount is $51.8 million.
All budgets under
County Government Departments are advertised at a total of $105 million. A
few of the major budgets outside of the General Fund include the Highway
Department at $7.5 million, Local Income Tax Funds at $6 million, Stormwater
Management User Fee at $4.5 million, the Jail Lease Rental at $3 million,
the Cumulative Capital Development Fund at $2.7 million, the Emergency
Telephone System at $2.5 million, the Hospital Interest fund at $2.4
million, the Convention, Recreation and Visitors Commission at $2.2 million,
the Health Department at $2.2 million and the Cumulative Bridge Fund at $2.1
million.
Urbanik said that
in the County’s general fund, there are 12 departments requesting special
raises for next year, three of which are within the County Sheriff’s Police
and Jail. There are four new full-time positions proposed in the General
Fund, including new jailers and a public outreach coordinator for the County
Animal Shelter, she said.
Other special
requests include an allocation of $3 million requested by the Parks
Department to develop Aukiki Park in Pleasant Twp. and $465,000 for ADA
upgrades in other park properties. The County is also seeking $1 million for
new Information Technology equipment.
Urbanik said that
there will be a small reduction in the general fund for County employee
health insurance, which is supported by a number of other funds.
The non-profit
community groups Opportunity Enterprises, Family and Youth Services Bureau
and the Porter County Council on Aging and Community Services also submitted
requests for use of County Hospital sale interest funds again for 2018,
Urbanik said.
Next week’s second
readings
Meanwhile, the
Council will begin second readings Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. with review of the
following budgets:
Sheriff’s Police,
Jail, Sheriff’s Garage, Federal/DOC Prisoners, Accidents, Community
Corrections, Extradition Fund, Firearms, Inmate Healthcare Fund, Riverboat
Fund, Sex Offender Fee, Sheriff Pension Fund, VIN Inspection, Continuing Ed,
Civil Fee Fund, Drug Task Force, Charitable Donations, Overweight Vehicle
Fund, Public Safety/Data Tech, Videotape Reproduction, Photo Fund, Inmate
Processing Fees, SCAAP Grant, DEA Proceeds Grant, Sheriff Adult Community
Corrections, Prosecutor, Prosecutor Deferral, Prosecutor Pre-Trial,
Prosecutor IV-D, Domestic Violence Grant, Stop Grant, General IV-D Incentive
and State/Local Grant 9114.
Then on Thursday,
the Council will hold second readings at 5:30 p.m. on the following budgets:
Airport, Airport
Cumulative Building, Opportunity Enterprises, Porter-Starke, Family and
Youth Services Bureau, Porter County Aging & Community Services, Coroner,
Weights & Measures, Veterans Services, Extension Office, Soil & Water,
Treasurer, Recreation and Visitors Commission (Tourism Bureau), Assessor,
Reassessment, Portage Assessor, Portage Reassessment, Recorder, Recorder
Perpetuation, Recorder Redaction, ITS, ITS Print Shop, Auditor, GIS/Mapping,
Auditor Non-Reverting Fund, Jail Lease/Rental, Health Department, Antabuse,
Health Maintenance and Health Tobacco.