Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin asked the Starke County Council members for permission to apply for a 1006 grant that would provide funds for a full-time mental health counselor at the Starke County Justice Center.
The county has gotten the grant over the last few years which enabled Porter-Starke Services to provide services for the past few years, but this would allow a mental health counselor to be employed full-time with grant funds. The counselor would be available to provide programs for 40 hours a week where Porter-Starke currently provides only nine-and-a-half hours of program assistance a week.
The commissioners approved the position in July.
If the grant does not continue, the program would not be able to be supported with funding from the county.
Starke County Council President Dave Pearman expressed concerns about allowing the hire simply because of the annual availability of the grant, but Sheriff Bill Dulin and Justice Center Office Manager Pam McDonald assured the council members that it is an annual grant that they anticipate will be available for several years. They will revisit the position if the grant is no longer available.
Pearman noted that the county is under a hiring freeze. Dulin and McDonald commented that the position would be grant funded with no local funds to be contributed toward the position.
The council members approved the request with a unanimous vote.
Pearman asked that the commissioners and the council discuss employment opportunities, grant funded or not, in joint sessions so both entities can discuss the topic in the same meeting.
