By VICKI URBANIK

The Porter County Council on Monday granted three new full-time employees for juvenile court departments in 2006, but left the prosecutor and adult probation out in the cold with their staffing requests.

A comment intended as a joke that went awry was at least part of the reason why Chief Adult Probation Officer Neil Hannon was shot down when he requested a new probation officer to supervise sex offenders.

A few bitter words were exchanged near the end of Monday’s budget hearing in response to a letter that Hannon sent to council members.

The letter ended with a joke-like comment about a William Carmichael, a Robert Harper and a Larry Rogers who are, or have been, sex offenders under his department’s watch.

The three names mentioned are not County Council member William Carmichael, R-at large, County Commissioner President Robert Harper or Harper’s law partner and defense attorney, Larry Rogers.

Hannon said his comment was meant to be light-hearted in the otherwise mundane budgetary talks.

At least two council members clearly didn’t see it that way.

Council President Robert Poparad, D-1st, said Hannon’s comment was in poor taste and that it’s fortunate that he wasn’t the brunt of the comment.

Carmichael said he doesn’t believe the probation department is doing all it can to implement alternative programs and called on the county’s judges to take appropriate measures after reviewing Hannon’s performance.

“I think it’s very poor,” Carmichael said.

But Carmichael’s comment prompted a rebuttal from Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford, who cited a case involving an apparent friend of Carmichael’s and questioned if that person should have had the probationary status revoked.

For his part, Hannon publicly apologized, telling Carmichael that he never meant to harm him, his family, or his reputation and that he was only trying to infuse some humor in the budget talks. Carmichael went on to vote against several of Hannon’s budget requests.

Hannon had sought a new probation officer at a $32,387 salary to supervise the 85 sex offenders now on probation.

As it is now, sex offenders are handled by all the probation officers, though Hannon pointed out that the nature of their crime requires more supervision involving where they live and who they associate with.

Hannon said his request was a matter of public safety, but it was quickly rejected unanimously.

Hannon’s budget was further altered when the council shifted the cost for three home detention officers out of the general fund, as Hannon proposed.

The funding used to come from a $38,000 state grant; the council decided instead that the money should come from the department’s self-generated user’s fees.

Juvenile Court

Porter County Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper and two juvenile court departments had a much better experience during their budget hearing Monday.

The council unanimously granted Harper’s request for a new executive assistant/assistant court reporter at a $25,113 salary and boosted the pay for Juvenile Court Judge Ed Nemeth by $5,000, bringing him in line with the adult magistrates.

Further, the council approved a new juvenile probation officer at a $27,047 salary and a new juvenile detention officer, at $25,307.

Harper argued that the added staff is needed due to an increasing caseload, innovative new programs aimed at reaching at-risk youth earlier, and intensified efforts at keeping juvenile offenders closer to home rather than the much more costly out-of-county institutions.

Juvenile Chief Probation Officer Amy Beier outlined a variety of new programs aimed in part at decreasing the number of juveniles sent to the Department of Corrections. Similarly, Juvenile Detention Center Director Ken Perkins said the JDC is seeing more offenders for longer periods of time, with significant increases in mental health problems.

Beier’s request for a new probation officer passed unanimously, but Perkins‚ request for a new officer passed 5-2, with council members Jim Burge, R-at large, and Al Steele, R-3rd, voting no.

Prosecutor

County Prosecutor James Douglas didn’t have a particularly easy time at his budget hearing.

Douglas asked to establish a new county employee post of child support director at a $40,000 pay, the same pay that director Bruce Dumas is now making under contract.

Douglas said the move would allow Dumas to avoid paying self-employment tax.

He would still work part-time—he now works 3 1/2 to four days a week—and wouldn’t get benefits.

The vote to establish the post was 4-3 against, with Poparad, Steele, Dan Whitten, D-at large, and Rita Stevenson, D-2nd, voting no and Carmichael, Burge, and Laura Blaney, D-4th, voting yes.

Poparad said Dumas was hired on a contractual basis and that it’s not the county’s fault that Dumas now wants to avoid paying the self-employment tax.

That issue, along with Douglas’ request for raises totaling $8,450 for two domestic violence prosecutors, might be revisited on the final budget hearing on Thursday.

Posted 8/23/2005