Starke County Prosecutor Nick Bourff approached the Starke County Commissioners at their meeting this week to request reimbursement for his deputy who has been undertaking an extra workload.
Bourff explained that his office has had since 2009 a part-time deputy, funded by grant money, to handle domestic abuse work. Unfortunately, that part-time deputy has since decided to leave the department, and though Bourff has been advertising the position, he needs someone to handle the work in the meantime.
As a result, Deputy Prosecutor Autumn Ferch has been handling the extra work and keeping up with the grant paperwork as well. Bourff said he wanted approval to reimburse her the amount that they would have been paying someone in that position; the money would come entirely from grant funds, and he will soon have the money available. Because Ferch has been handling the extra work on top of her regular duties, he thought it was only fitting that she be paid for her time.
Unfortunately, Bourff did not have the exact paperwork with precise figures present at the meeting. County Attorney Marty Lucas said he was hesitant about approving such a request without specifics, but the commissioners made and passed a motion to approve using grant funds to reimburse Ferch for domestic abuse work if and when the grant is received.
Bourff said he will present the paperwork when the grant goes through.
