Sheriff requests 16 percent budget increase: New, competitive pay structure requested for deputies

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is asking for a 16 percent increase in its 2019 budget.

A total of $4,378,137 in expenditures — up $615,794 from this year — was proposed by Sheriff Matt Myers as the Bartholomew County Council began its annual budget sessions Monday.

Myers’ request does not include expenditures for the Bartholomew County Jail, which will be presented to the council during a separate meeting at 2:15 p.m. Thursday.

The largest proposed increase reflects a desire to drop the department’s long-held practice of longevity pay, and replace it with established wages for all merit officers that are comparable to what both Columbus Police Department officers and Indiana State Police troopers earn, Myers said.

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For example, the base salary of a full-time deputy with less than 10 years experience who now earns $49,171 annually will rise to $51,719 next year under Myers’ proposal. A city officer with similar experience will earn $51,438 in 2019 and a comparably qualified state trooper will make $52,000 next year, according to documents the sheriff presented to the council.

Wages and overtime make up $406,000, or 65.9 percent of the proposed year-over-year increase in the budget, said Dana Vogt, an Cummins Inc. efficiency expert who handled most of the presentation on behalf of the sheriff’s department.

Although $103,438 is being requested to hire two new school resource officers, much of that money will be reimbursed to the county by the two school corporations in Bartholomew County.

For the resource officer requested for Mt. Healthy, Rockcreek and Taylorsville elementary schools, all wages and benefits totaling $61,350 per individual will be paid by the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., which has a district enrollment of about 11,500.

The only expense to the county will be providing the officer for these schools — which are all located outside the city of Columbus — with a vehicle, training, uniforms and equipment, Myers said.

The much-smaller Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp., with slightly more than 900 students, can only afford to provide $45,000 a year, superintendent Shawn Price told the council. The school district will use a one-year $29,000 grant, and make up the difference with its own funding, he said.

But if the grant isn’t renewed, Price assured the council his school district is willing to use reserve funds if necessary to retain the officer for at least three years.

Price said he is only requesting a deputy to be assigned to the K-12 campus 190 days a year. The officer would be available for traditional duties with the sheriff’s department when school is not in session, Myers said.

Based on a salary and benefit package of $61,530 for the resource officer, that leaves $16,500 that would need to be paid by the county, council member Matt Miller said.

If necessary, Myers said he would be willing to purchase one fewer patrol car next year to create the position. His budget proposal includes eight new vehicles next year to replace those with more than 150,000 miles, as well as two additional vehicles for the school resources officers.

Miller and fellow council member Bill Lentz asked why the Hope Police Department can’t provide the resource for Hauser Jr.-Sr. High and Hope Elementary schools.

In response, Price said his school district considered that an option, and even reached out to the Hope Town Council before approaching Myers.

But after administrators and school board members studied the issue for more than a year, they determined that a partnership with the sheriff’s department was their best choice, Price said.

Earlier this month, both Myers and Flat Rock-Hawcreek school board president Pat Walters told the council they wanted an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy graduate with specialized training in the position. The reserve officer from the Hope Police Department who now spends 29 hours a week providing security at Hauser and the adjacent Hope Elementary has neither of those qualifications, they told the council.

If the school resource officer calls in sick or has to take an unexpected leave of absence, the sheriff’s department has enough personnel to find a substitute deputy to fill in — and Hope Police doesn’t, Myers said.

Finally, Myers reminded the council a sizable amount of Flat Rock-Hawcreek students don’t just live in Hope, but all do reside in Bartholomew County. Therefore, its security should be the county’s responsibility, the sheriff said.

When compared to this year, additional proposed increases for sheriff’s department spending include:

$45,780 more for replacing patrol car radios.

$31,550 more for new vehicles

$21,480 more for payments on purchasing 60 stun guns.

When council member Jorge Morales said at the conclusion of the presentation that he supports the entire proposal, two of his colleagues — Bill Lentz and Chris Ogle — jumped in to say expressing such support before hearing the needs of other departments may be premature.

Through Thursday, the council will be meeting with other county departments to discuss 2019 budget proposals. Reductions in proposed budgets will likely get underway at 1:45 p.m. Friday, with further deliberations continuing Monday and Tuesday if needed.

The first reading of the 2019 budget, which will include a public hearing, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 11. The second and final reading is set for 6 p.m. Oct. 9.

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Strong public interest is anticipated when the proposed 2019 budget for the Bartholomew County Jail is heard by the county council for the first time this week.

The presentation is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Thursday in the fourth floor council chambers in the Bartholomew County Governmental Office Building at the corner of Third and Franklin streets.

Bartholomew County Council member Chris Ogle estimates last month that the county will have to come up with about $2 million more per year just to maintain the jail.

Besides adding additional staff to reopen an older section of jail, more than $1 million will be needed to replace the jail’s heating and air conditioning system, Bartholomew County commissioners said.

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