Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith , left, and matron Michelle Hyden, right, discuss the 2024 budgets for the sheriff’s office with the county council Thursday, Aug. 31. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — A $34,000 bill that wasn’t paid by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office in 2020 will be paid this year with an additional appropriation instead of out of the 2024 budget.

When presenting the 2024 budget for the jail to the County Council Thursday, Aug. 31, Sheriff Jim Smith said medical was raised 16%. He said KCSO bookkeeper Cheryl McGettrick has been working with the accountant from Quality Correctional Care, a medical company the sheriff’s office has contracted with for a number of years. He said McGettrick has always done a great job of paying the KCSO’s monthly bill from QCC, but there was a discrepancy on a $34,000 bill.

“This was just brought to our attention last week. Cheryl was adamant that it wasn’t our issue. She is correct in the fact that it wasn’t our issue. Unfortunately, back in 2020, for some reason, only 11 of the 12 payments were made to QCC. So when they brought the new accountant in February, going through the books … Cheryl and their accountant traced it back” a payment not being made in August 2020, Smith explained, noting that his administration wasn’t in place at that time.

Kyle Dukes was sheriff at that time.

“I feel like we can’t be $34,000 in arrears so I need some guidance on how to adjust this,” Smith told the council.

He said they’ve remained in communication with QCC, who understands that the county is going through the budget process right now and they can’t write a check for funds they don’t have.

Councilwoman Kimberly Cates asked if it was a “legitimate” bill and that the money was actually owed. Smith said it was.

“It’s part of our contract with them. The annual contract we have with QCC is over 12 installments, and just one of those installments in 2020 wasn’t paid,” Smith said.

McGettrick said she ran the ledgers all the way back to the beginning of 2019 to the present. She said in communicating with representatives of QCC, they figured out the sheriff’s office didn’t make a payment in 2020 and every payment since then QCC was applying to the past due instead of toward the invoice indicated on the check from the county. It took several months to sort it out, but McGettrick said she went through the entire ledger and the bill was never paid.

“We didn’t know it until this year,” she said.

Council President Mike Long said he was concerned the unpaid bill didn’t show up before now. He was troubled by the fact that the unpaid amount was three years old. Long asked if there was evidence that the county didn’t pay it. Smith said no check was written for the August 2020 payment.

Smith said the 16% increase in the 2024 budget for jail medical was to cover that $34,000 payment, so the budget amount would be $665,000 instead of $630,000.

Long asked if they wouldn’t have the money in the 2023 budget to cover the overdue bill. Smith said, “That would be quite the strain to be able to do that even out of commissary at this point with other contracts and” other things. He said commissary was probably currently just shy of $200,000 because they just purchased a vehicle out of those funds.

Councilwoman Joni Truex said, “To me it would be cleaner if we kept it this year and you did an additional appropriation request. And then you could back it up with the documentation to be paid as soon as the pay cycle can go through, if it’s approved. That makes much more sense to me than raising budget.”

Smith said that was his original plan but the budget hearing came first. He just wanted some guidance from the council and if that’s what they preferred, he was OK with that.

Long asked if there were any negotiations between the KCSO and QCC “as far as a possible shared responsibility here with them.”

Michelle Hyden, matron, said not as of yet as McGettrick hadn’t confirmed the past due bill until last week. She said QCC made a note on KCSO’s account that QCC wouldn’t expect payment on the past due bill until January, but they haven’t had a chance to sit down and negotiate anything.

Cates said she was surprised QCC didn’t tack a service charge onto the unpaid bill.

Long wondered about a statue of limitations on past due bills.

Smith said the sheriff’s office only paid 11 of 12 installments and that should have been taken care of in 2020, but for whatever reason it was not. He agreed with Cates and was thankful that QCC hadn’t charged interest and late fees on the $34,000 owed. Smith said the sheriff’s office has a good relationship with QCC.

Long asked Smith if he was clear the mistake was on the county’s end and the payment was due and Smith said yes.
“Unfortunate as it is, in 2020, it is all right there,” Smith said, as no 12th payment was made that year.

Councilwoman Sue Ann Mitchell said the quickest they could do the additional appropriation would be in October because it has to be advertised. Smith said his office would make the request to the council at their October meeting then.

Earlier in the budget hearing for the sheriff’s office, Hyden brought up increases for the 2024 budget for items like uniforms because of two additional school resource officers, one each for Tippecanoe Valley and Warsaw Community school corporations. The council and county commissioners in early August approved the two new SROs with the understanding that each of the school corporations would pay for 80% of the SROs.

At Valley’s Aug. 21 school board meeting, the memorandum of understanding between Valley and the county for the SRO was tabled because board member Todd Hoffman wanted more information on the MOU.

Long asked Smith on Thursday if Valley accepted the MOU yet. Smith said it was his understanding that the Valley board member was a little bit behind on the SRO and requested it be tabled for him to learn more.

“I was told and reassured multiple times by Superintendent Blaine Conley that … everybody was on board with it,” Smith said, and the board member just needed to get to the point where he understood it. “I’m still very optimistic. I guess my feelings as far as how this affects us, this starts Oct. 1. As long as that is signed by Oct. 1, as far as I can see, we’re in good shape.”

Long said he spoke to the Valley board member and he believes they’re going to go forward with the SRO MOU at this point.

Smith said he has not heard from Warsaw Community Schools, but they have a September board meeting.

Mitchell pointed out that the budget presented does not include the two officers at all. The budget needs to include 100% of the two SROs salaries, but when the school districts make payments for the SROs, that will reimburse the county.

Hyden apologized as this year is the first year she’s done the annual budget and was told salaries was done separately. She was told that was true, unless they were salaries for new employees.

There also was discussion on vehicles for the SROs, and additional figures were put into the 2024 sheriff’s budget for the two SROs at $40,472 each, vehicles and other equipment.

Other items discussed during the sheriff’s budget presentation included increasing expenses for gas and oil, ammunition, equipment maintenance, drug tests and extraditions.