By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — The first half of Thursday’s Kosciusko County Council meeting was about wages, including Sheriff Jim Smith’s contract for 2023 and a stipend for some of the Kosciusko County Highway Department’s employees.

Smith will receive $115,515 plus 12 years of longevity at $6,035 for a total of $121,550.

During his election campaign in 2022 against then-Sheriff Kyle Dukes, part of Smith’s campaign was on the sheriff’s salary and that Smith would have a contract for his services with the county and not receive tax warrants. Dukes’ overall salary was north of $162,000 in 2021, according to openpayrolls.com.

Councilwoman Sue Ann Mitchell explained the council will sign the contract and then it will go to the county commissioners for their approval. She said Smith has agreed to a contractual amount of $115,514 (later corrected to $115,515). The 2018 budgeted amount for the Kosciusko County sheriff was $116,441 plus longevity, she stated.

“With the percentages of increases that have been granted over the years, 2018 to current, the wage would be close to $133,000 before adding longevity,” Mitchell said.

She then read an email Smith had sent, which stated, “After some careful consideration and researching, I have decided I would like to propose my annual salary for 2023 in the amount of $115,514.07. I obtained this number from calculating the projected 2023 average salary for sheriffs across the state on Gateway. The most recent year I am able to see is 2021, but I applied 2.4% increase each year. This amount that I’m proposing is what I came up with to be the average salary for the current year. I would prefer to keep the language in the contract of paragraph eight, which also includes the longevity.”

Mitchell then made a “personal” comment. “Because Jim is a man of his word, as he campaigned for sheriff, he has agreed to accept the wage he proposed, even though he has been encouraged to take a higher figure,” she said, noting the commissioners and council president and vice president have spoken with him about the salary he proposed not being a high enough wage. It is for those reasons, she said, that she made a motion to approve Smith’s salary at $115,514 plus longevity as presented.

Councilwoman Joni Truex seconded the motion, adding that she was “very proud” that Smith was a man of his word. “And even though several people — Sue Ann and I and Commissioners —- explained to you that the job is worth more, we have to say thank you for being willing to have it as a job of service and not requesting the maximum you could have requested. Thank you.”

A round of applause by those attending the meeting was then given to Smith. Councilmen Tony Ciriello and Mike Long also thanked Smith for being a man of his word and sticking to his campaign promise.

The council also accepted the sheriff’s commissary report for July through December 2022 as presented by Smith. Dukes was still sheriff during that time frame.

The wage discussions started earlier in the meeting with Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty asking for an additional appropriation of $190,000 to provide $5,000 stipends to each of his full-time employees who have their commercial driver’s license. The stipends will be divided over 26 pays each year. The council approved the additional appropriation, as well as a salary ordinance amendment, which will be signed at the council’s February meeting.

Mitchell said the stipends were discussed in 2022 by the wage committee, but they decided to wait until the first of 2023 with two new council members coming on board.

Moriarty provided the council with wages of surrounding counties. Mitchell said the stipends will bring Kosciusko County more in line with the surrounding counties, and Moriarty believes he has the money in his budget to cover the stipends.

“With looking through this, it’s not just us that has this issue. It’s been multiple counties throughout the state level, let alone private entities and open road. Since the (Department of Transportation) has raised their stakes on how to get a CDL, CDL drivers have become so important,” Moriarty stated.

He said other counties have done something similar, but Kosciusko County couldn’t pay what the private sector offers.

“We’ve lost quite a few drivers this year,” he said, and at one point the KCHD was down four or five drivers. “We’ve picked up a little bit here, but we’re still down.”

Moriarty said he hopes the stipend will bring in newcomers and keep the old-timers from transferring to new jobs.

“I’m very proud of them and I want to keep them,” he said, adding that they do their job to serve the people.

Other items approved by the council related to wages included:

• Smith requested a salary ordinance amendment for $57,596 for Michelle Hyden to serve as the jail matron and a transfer of $2,621 from sheriff paid holidays to matron to help pay for the salary.

• Assessor Gail Chapman requested a $39,605 additional appropriation to move funding from the general fund to the sales disclosure analyst fund.

• Chapman requested a $41,691 salary ordinance amendment for a residential property analyst, and a $2,086 transfer from part-time to residential property analyst fund to pay for an employee in the assessor’s office who left and then came back.

• Treasurer Michelle Puckett requested a salary ordinance amendment for a part-time deputy treasurer at $21.72 per hour.

• Recorder Deb Wright requested a salary ordinance amendment for a part-time recorder deputy at $18.79 per hour and a transfer of $3,600 from recorder deputy to part-time recorder to pay for the part-time help.

• Prosecutor Brad Voelz requested additional appropriations from the Victims of Crime Act grant for the VOCA caseworker at $36,467; part-time VOCA assistant, $13,831; Social Security, $3,958; $4,117, retirement contributions; $8,187, group health insurance; $1,182, office supplies; and $1,569 for mileage, fuel and travel. He also requested a salary ordinance amendment for the part-time VOCA assistant at $18 per hour.

Mitchell told the council it is a reimbursable grant, so the prosecuting attorney’s office spends the money first and then the grant reimburses the office.

• County Administrator Marsha McSherry’s request for a salary ordinance amendment for housekeeping at $15.60 per hour and a transfer of $30,420 from part-time housekeeping to full-time housekeeping.

In other business, the council:

• Elected Mike Long as council president by a vote of 4-3 and Kathleen Groninger as vice president unanimously.

Voting for Long were Long, Dave Wolkins, Groninger and Tony Ciriello. Sue Ann Mitchell, Joni Truex and Kimberly Cates had voted for Truex for president, who Mitchell nominated for president. Wolkins nominated Long.

• Approved the board appointments as presented at their December meeting.

• Heard a quarterly update from Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation CEO Alan Tio.