County employee bonuses, tax funding for a new halfway house, and continued discussion over a jail fund that’s operating at a deficit are all topics in store for the Porter County Council’s next meeting.

The council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the County Administration Center, Valparaiso.

The council will consider approval of $160,000 from its casino revenue fund to award the first half of this year’s longevity bonuses for employees. The bonus package kicks in after employees work at least three years for county government. The amount of the bonus starts off at $250 and increases based on length of service.

Also on the agenda is a request for $458,665 in county economic development income tax funds toward a non-profit organization’s purchase of a new halfway house in Valparaiso for men recovering from addiction. The Porter County Commissioners this week endorsed the funding, but the money must still be appropriated by the county council.

The agenda also includes a continuation of the discussion from last month, when council members grappled with the longstanding problem of a jail fund that’s operating at a shortfall. Last month, the deficit in this fund stood at $143,000. The fund is offset by fees paid by the state and federal governments for Porter County to house their prisoners, but with fewer state prisoners at the jail, the revenue has not kept up with expenses.

Sheriff Dave Lain will request an additional appropriation from the general fund estimated at a total of $647,439 for jail food expenses, salaries, and benefits through the end of this year. In a separate but related move, the council will also consider both a reduction and an additional appropriation for the jail fund; the reduction totals $404,729, which would be offset by the increased funding from the general fund, while the additional would be for $242,652 for inmate food.

Other agenda items include a report from the county auditor, treasurer, assessor and Information Technologies Services department regarding progress on the 2009 property tax bills; a board appointment and bond refinancing for the Porter County Library Board; review of compliance of a tax abatement for Family Express; additional appropriations totaling $35,572 toward an additional patrol officer for the prosecutor’s drug unit; and $50,000 in overtime for the sheriff’s department.

The council is also expected to consider a contract for legal representation dealing with the council’s 4-3 decision to withdraw from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. Last month, the council agreed to retain an independent law firm for legal advice on the RDA issue.

Posted 5/22/2009