Pulaski County Council Finalizes Additional Appropriations, Reappoints Library Board Member

Pulaski County Council: back row: Mike Tiede, Kathi Thompson, Brian Young; front row: Scott Hinkle, Rudy DeSabatine, Jay Sullivan (not pictured: Ken Boswell)

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.

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Pulaski Superior Court Requests More Money for Witness Fees, Examination of Prisoners, Pauper Counsel

Just a few weeks into 2019, Pulaski Superior Court has already used up its annual budget for examination of prisoners and witness fees. Judge Crystal Brucker Kocher told the county council and commissioners Monday that the two line items had a combined $3,000 budgeted for this year. That money is used to hire doctors for the process of determining whether defendants are competent to stand trial.

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Pulaski County Council Considers Budget Transfer, Additional Appropriation Requests

Funding for Pulaski County’s fiscal plan, the courthouse elevator replacement project, and reassessment expenses was among the transfer and additional appropriation requests brought to the county council last week. Community Development Commission Executive Director Nathan Origer explained that he has $50,000 budgeted annually for potential land acquisition. But since the CDC won’t be needing it for that purpose, the county council agreed to let him make $36,000 of that available for the fiscal plan. The county commissioners have since decided to hire Peters Municipal Consultants for a cost not to exceed $24,000.

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Pulaski County Council, Commissioners Approve Vehicle Purchase for Prosecutor’s Office

The Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office is getting a new investigator vehicle. Prosecutor Dan Murphy plans to get a 2019 Dodge Charger from Braun. “We’ll have about a $12,000 discount buying it through that program that the State Police use for vehicles,” Murphy told the county council Monday. Once the discount, trade-in, and the addition of a police package are taken into account, the final cost is around $26,400.

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Pulaski County Council Approves Budget Transfers for Sheriff’s Department Overtime

Making up shortfalls in the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department’s overtime budget was the goal of a couple budget transfers approved by the county council Monday.

More than $18,000 was moved from various line items, at the request of Sheriff Jeff Richwine. “These are all to cover overtime. Well, the part-time clerical’s not, but the other is overtime for deputies,” he explained. “And then one’s overtime for dispatchers.”

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Pulaski County Finalizing Preparations for Veterans Court

Pulaski County is gearing up for the launch of its new veterans court. The county recently got a grant for almost $45,000 for that purpose, according to Superior Court Judge Crystal Brucker Kocher. “There’s a push by the Supreme Court to help us establish these veterans courts to provide services to veterans in our communities who have criminal charges,” she told the county commissioners Monday, “and generally speaking, it’s things like substance use or maybe domestic violence, things like that.”

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Pulaski County Council May Look at Property Taxes to Resolve Budget Shortfalls

The Pulaski County Council is working to make sure the maintenance department has enough money to pay its part-time employees through the end of the year. Maintenance Supervisor Jeff Johnston reminded council members Monday that they’d cut money for part-time pay when they put together this year’s budget. “You guys, at that time, told me to come back halfway through the year and request enough to cover the rest of the year,” he explained. “It’s for $30,016 for Part-Time Help.”

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Pulaski County Council Approves Budget Transfer to Help Cover Circuit Court Overtime Costs

Overtime costs continue to add up for Pulaski Circuit Court. The Pulaski County Council voted Monday to transfer $5,000 into the court’s overtime budget from the law books line item, at the request of Judge Michael Shurn. “Last week, a two-day jury trial morphed into a four-day one,” he explained. “And I was working 16-hour days, and my staff was real close to that.”

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Pulaski County Council to Consider Additional Appropriations for Circuit Court, IT Department

The Pulaski County Council will consider extra funding to cover overtime costs for Circuit Court staff tonight. Judge Michael Shurn is asking for permission to spend another $10,000 for employee overtime. Several cases have been transferred to Circuit Court from Superior Court, following Crystal Brucker Kocher’s appointment as Superior Court judge this past summer. There are many cases she’s not allowed to hear because she worked on them when she was chief deputy prosecutor.

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