The Pulaski County Council finalized more than $70,000 in additional appropriations this week. A large chunk of that was pension and vehicle funding for the Sheriff’s Department, according to Auditor Laura Wheeler.
“$30,000 was from the money that was paid by the County Garage for the two vehicles, that [the sheriff] now wants in a line item to pay for his new vehicles,” she told council members, “and the $14,000 was his half of that extra pension [cost] out of his Fund 1193.” Council members also agreed to let county officials spend more than $1,400 in DRMO funds for repairs to a five-ton former military truck used during snow emergencies.
They also finalized a $20,000 additional appropriation for Superior Court pauper counsel. When Judge Crystal Brucker Kocher made the request last month, she explained that she still expects to save a significant amount of money due to the switch to contract public defenders, but she’s still paying off the bills from when the attorneys were paid on an hourly basis.
Another additional appropriation officially allows the county’s Emergency Management Agency to use grant funding to pay the consultant that helped update the county’s multi-hazard mitigation plan. A $5,000 additional appropriation related to airport fuel costs was also finalized.
Council members also approved budget transfers for the Health and Maintenance departments, and reappointed Pat Bawcum to the Pulaski County Public Library Board.
