Chesterton Tribune                                                                                   Adv.

Judges make pitch for higher pay for their staff

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By VICKI URBANIK

Porter County’s judges are seeking higher pay for their court workers, in part because the salaries and perks for other county government employees outweigh those of court personnel.

Porter County Superior Court Judge Julia Jent told the Porter County Council at budget hearings Tuesday that unlike other county employees, court workers do not get breaks built into their work day. They must stay at work for as long as court proceedings take, sometimes working late into the night, she said.

“Our staff is lucky to take a lunch break,” she said.

Also speaking in support for higher court worker pay was Porter County Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper, who said that taking into account vacation, sick days and personal days, county employees actually get up to five more paid days off than court staff.

By the time the county budget hearings conclude in the coming weeks, the Porter County Council is expected to grant across-the-board raises to county employees for 2009. But whether it will agree to give court workers an additional pay hike remains to be seen. The council took Jent’s request under advisement Tuesday.

On behalf of all the county’s judges, Jent requested raises ranging from 2.3 percent to 3.9 percent for court staff, in addition to whatever raise is given to all county employees.

Under the request, the pay for a court executive assistant would go from $27,895 to up to $28,983, while the pay for court secretaries would climb from $26,250 to up to $27,273. The pay for a court reporter would go from $34,881 to $35,701 and for a bailiff, from $31,845 to $33,128. The salary amounts are somewhat different for the employees in the magistrate courts.

Jent’s report compared the pay for other secretaries elsewhere in county government and found that several other departments pay their employees several thousands of dollars more than the courts do.

Her report also noted that the county council earlier this year approved two new positions in the clerk’s office, both at a higher pay than what’s currently paid to court secretaries, even those who are veteran county employees.

The plea for higher court worker pay seemed to win some support from the council.

“We have some terribly, terribly underpaid” positions in county government, said council member Karen Conover, R-3rd.

If the pay can’t be adjusted during the current budget hearings, Conover said the council should consider bringing in a consultant to review pay levels in an attempt at finding fairness.

Council member Jim Burge, R-at large, said instead of a consultant, the county needs a human resources director to ensure that salaries are equitable among various county departments.

Council President Robert Poparad, D-1st, issued a warning of sorts: The court budgets are the first to be reviewed at this year’s budget hearings. Other departments are also likely to put in a plug for higher pay for their staff as well, he said.

Accordingly, later at Tuesday’s budget hearing, Porter County Chief Adult Probation Officer Neil Hannon pointed out to the council that a secretary who has been in his department for 11.5 years now makes $2,000 less than an entry-level deputy in the county clerk’s office.

Jail Team Proposed

One of Hannon’s budgets includes a $45,870 increase for the toxicology lab; when added to his other budget, the total cost for drug screenings for adult probation next year will be $185,870.

Hannon said that the county can do presumptive screenings in-house, but that if the results come back positive, the county incurs greater costs by sending the results to a lab for final confirmation.

The high cost of drug testing prompted Poparad to question if the county could cut expenses by making a concerted effort to reduce the jail prisoner population. He suggested putting together a team, with representatives from the sheriff’s department, the courts, and probation, to identify alternatives to sending people to jail.

Superior Court Judge Jeff Thode noted that the county courts already have a variety of programs that are used as jail alternatives. “The key is putting the right people in the right program,” he said.

Council members also took note of another increase in one of Hannon’s budgets: A $50,000 boost in the cost of Antabuse, which is used in an anti-alcohol program. Hannon said one company has control of the Antabuse market, and that efforts to use an alternative product failed after lobbyists successfully blocked the product in Indiana.

 

Posted 8/13/2008

 

 

 

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