The Kosciusko Council gathered Thursday night, disagree on a grant for the Child Support Service Department.

WARSAW — With the seats filled and coffee in hand, the Kosciusko County Council was ready to get down to business Thursday night at the courthouse — and business got messy fast.

Prosecuting Attorney Dan Hampton requested a motion to approve the Hub Grant for 2017, seeking the additional money to pay the child support department’s efficiency and additional work. Kosciusko’s child support division is the seventh in the state and has gone completely digital with its paper work. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Bishop stated the department to be “quite efficient” and pointed out a $9,174 profit created by the department in 2015.

Early on however, Councilmember Joni Truex made a motion deny the grant stating, “We don’t offer incentive pay to other county employees when they receive extra work.”

Bishop informed the council, however, that the department works 3,200 cases a year and receives an extra 70 cases as a hub county, which receives the cases other county’s can’t find time to handle. When asked if his team worked all the cases with overtime, he noted that the child support division hasn’t clocked over time in 12 years and all case were handled in each employee’s 37.5 work week.

Councilmember Sue Ann Mitchell seconded the motion to deny. The other five councilmembers voted against the motion to deny.

Councilmember then Ernie Wiggins made a motion to pass the 2017 grant after the council voted down the motion to deny. Councilmember Doug Heinisch second the motion. The council passed the grant 5-2.

The council tabled the request for the 2018 grant request by Hampton after Heinisch questioned why “it needs approved when (they) were voting for 2017 in September of 2017.”

In other news:

• Judge Reed of the Drug Court requested the use of user fees until the Drug Court transitions into the Correctional Facility after losing the renewal of a grant. The motion was approved.
• The council approved the 2018 County Budget Adoption.
• The Kosciusko County Sheriff Department was approved for $28,838.65 in funds for vehicle repairs and replacement as well as for milage.
  

  Sue Ann Mitchell was active in the discussion Thursday night during the Kosciusko Council meeting, seconding the motion to deny the grant to the Child Support Department.