The Starke County Council discussed discrepancies between different versions of the county’s proposed 2027 budget during a meeting Friday.
Council members had originally planned to adopt the budget during the meeting, but officials said the adoption could not take place Friday. The council instead plans to consider adoption during its upcoming October 19th meeting.
Later in Friday’s meeting, council members questioned which version of the proposed budget would ultimately be considered for adoption. Officials discussed several different budget totals and said at least one discrepancy was related to an issue with Indiana’s Gateway system. The source of the other discrepancies was not clearly verified during the discussion, which became heated at multiple points, with council members interrupting and speaking over one another.
Much of the discussion centered on proposed salary increases for several county positions. Council members disagreed over whether previous discussions had resulted in an agreement to limit raises to three percent across the board and questioned why some salary figures had been changed. During the discussion, officials said some changes had been made at the direction of two council members, while others questioned whether those members had the authority to direct the changes without action from the full council.
Direct quotes shared from previous meetings regarding the budget confirmed that proposed increases for the county surveyor, planning commission director, and park superintendent had not received a formal council vote. Council members discussed whether funding for those proposed increases should remain in the budget, while noting that salaries would ultimately be established separately through the county’s salary ordinance.
The council did not take action Friday to settle the disputed salary amounts.
Officials plan to continue working through the budget figures before the council considers adoption October 19th.
