By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW – There apparently aren’t enough attorneys in Kosciusko County and, as of Thursday, not enough money for court-appointed legal counsel, so Superior Court III Judge Chad Miner requested an additional appropriation from the County Council.

“We’re just asking for a $65,000 additional appropriation for our court-appointed counsel fees. We’ve actually used a little over $460,000 so far this year,” he said. 

Of that $460,000, Miner said $10,000 was encumbered from 2020, so the courts have gone through $450,000 so far this year for public defenders. There are still almost two months to go in this year.

“We’re down to $40.71, and that’s not going to get us there, so that’s why we’re asking for another $65,000,” Miner said.

Councilwoman Kimberly Cates asked if the $65,000 would get the courts to the end of the year.

“I’m hoping it will. I think it probably will. Hopefully,” Miner said. 

Council President Ernie Wiggins said he and Miner had a conversation at noon Thursday about how difficult it is to fInd attorneys to serve as public defenders.

“It is. It would be nice if we had more practicing attorneys in the area, but, unfortunately, at this point in time – we’ve got great attorneys, but it would be nice to have a couple more of them, but we don’t,” Miner said.

He said the $65,000 should get the courts through to the end of the year.

Councilman Jon Garber asked if the pauper counsel was an area of the budget the Council bumped up last year for this year. Miner said he believed it was. 

In recent years, Cates said, the county has “really been struggling with this” and the budget for the pauper counsel has always fallen short. She said they’ve had to add money to the fund by the end of the year. Miner said he believed that to be true.

The Council unanimously approved the $65,000 additional appropriation. 

In other business, the Council approved:

• An additional appropriation of $65,000 for the purchase of real estate, as requested by the Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Public Library. After the meeting, Director Kim Blaha said the real estate – a lot adjacent to the library – already has been purchased and will be used to expand the library.

• A request from Shane Bucher, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office, to apply for grants, including a $322,500 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) to help purchase mobile and portable radios for the new county radio system; a $3,000 Operation Belt Up grant, a $30,000 Program Click It to Live It grant and a $22,500 DUI Task Force Operating While Intoxicated grant for 2022.

• An additional appropriation of $1,489 from the CARES Act through the wage reimbursement the county went through, as requested by County Administrator Marsha McSherry. She said it was for gloves and disinfectant. “I’m happy to say this will be the last additional appropriation that we use from the CARES Act, so this is the last of those dollars to be spent,” McSherry said. 

• An interlocal agreement with the Solid Waste Management District for the county auditor to act as the comptroller for the District. The fee to the District is $6,000 annually. Auditor Michelle Puckett said the fee has been $6,000 since 2000, but it covers the expenses of the auditor’s office.

• An interlocal agreement with the Kosciusko County Convention and Recreation Visitors Commission for the county auditor to act as the comptroller for the KCCRVC. There is no fee attached to that, but Cates suggested the Council in the future should look at adding a fee of about 25% of what the Solid Waste District is charged. Puckett told the Council her office does 70% less for the KCCRVC than it does for the Solid Waste District.