By VICKI URBANIK

The Porter County Council on Tuesday reaffirmed its support to expand the undercover narcotics drug unit overseen by the Porter County Prosecutor’s office.

The council voted unanimously in support of tapping $250,000 from the county’s share of casino revenue funds to double the drug unit staffing. The council endorsed the idea at the recent budget hearings but finalized the move Tuesday, contingent upon agreements to be worked out with municipal police departments.

County Prosecutor Brian Gensel said the drug unit now has one corrdinator and three agents. The additional funding will allow the unit to have two coordinators and six agents, he said.

The plans, still subject to change, call for the county to work out agreements with the Portage and Valpariaso police departments, which would each provide one officer toward the drug unit, with the county funds covering the costs of the officers’ salaries and the two cities picking up the costs for all benefits. An agreement might also be worked out with the Chesterton Police Department to provide a part-time officer.

Porter County Sheriff Dave Lain said his department supports the expanded drug unit, though he noted that the sheriff’s dpeartment already has more personnel committed to the war on drugs than any other department in Porter County.

County Council member Robert Poparad, D-1st, urged that the council consider rolling the funding for the drug unit in the county’s regular general fund, rather than depending solely on the casino funds. He said he fears that state lawmakers may one day eliminate the casino revenue-sharing program, in which all Indiana counties, even those without casinos, get a share of the casino revenues.

“I don’t want to get the ball rolling and then the ball stops,” Poparad said.

Council President Dan Whitten, D-at large, said he anticipates that the council will consider a variety of budgetary needs next year, citing in particular expanded staff for the sheriff’s department.

During the recent budget hearings, Lain sought funding to hire three additional jailers and four more patrol officers, among other personnel changes. He was largely rejected, though the council did express support for hiring at least one new patrol officer at the start of the year, in part by using funds shifted from two sheriff-controlled funds into the county’s general fund.

The council agreed to set up a joint meeting between the council and the prosecutor’s office to finetune the details. The funding will be released in January, when the council will need to act again on an additional appropriation.

In another matter Tuesday, the council approved additional appropriations for the sheriff’s department totaling $40,000 for gas, $80,000 for contractual services at the jail and $55,000 for medical expenses at the jail.

Also, the council set its year-end meeting for 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 3.

Posted 10/24/2007