Bartholomew County will pay more this year to several agencies and individuals who provide county services.
The Bartholomew County Commissioners on Wednesday unanimously renewed an agreement with the Bartholomew County Humane Society, which will be paid $84,350 to work with the county’s animal control officer.
Commissioners also approved a new agreement with Bartholomew County Highway Engineer Danny Hollander.
The agreements with the humane society and Hollander reflect a 3 percent increase over what they were paid in 2018, Bartholomew County administrator Tina Douglas said.
Hollander’s salary of $84,136 reflects a 3 percent raise that was earlier given to county employees, Douglas said.
Officials also renewed an agreement with county attorney J. Grant Tucker to provide legal services on behalf of the county. Tucker will be paid $65,766, an increase of $1,916 over what he was paid in 2018.
A separate agreement with nurse practitioner Brenda Korte to provide medical services for the Bartholomew County Youth Services Center in the amount of $10,710 was also approved and remains unchanged from a year ago, county officials said.
Three nonprofit agencies will also be paid more for their services this year.
Among them is Centerstone, which provides mental health and substance abuse services. Centerstone will receive $616,157 this year, an amount that Bartholomew County Commissioner Carl Lienhoop said is mandated by state statute. Centerstone provides counseling, inpatient, primary and psychiatric services, addiction recovery, among other needs.
Centerstone served more than 3,000 Bartholomew County residents in 2017, most for locally-provided mental health services for low-income residents. In 2018, the county paid Centerstone $613,641, Bartholomew County Auditor Pia O’Connor said.
The county’s contribution is paid out of property taxes based on a percentage of a property’s assessed value, Bartholomew County Commissioner Rick Flohr said.
The county’s share of funding is required to be given to Centerstone under state statute since it serves indigent people and others who may need the agency’s services, Bartholomew County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said.
A $110,000 agreement with Developmental Services Inc., an agency that employs individuals with disabilities, reflects a $10,000 increase compared to what it was paid in 2018, according to Douglas. The agency provides job training for individuals with disabilities, respite care, family support and other services.
Mill Race Center will also be paid $5,000 this year, up from the $3,000 that commissioners approved last year. That expense will allow the agency, which works with the elderly, to purchase gasoline, Flohr said.
The money will be used to provide transportation so clients can get to medical appointments, said Dan Mustard, executive director of Mill Race Center. The funding will also be used to transport individuals to and from the center, Mustard said.
An agreement with the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp. stipulates it will be paid $15,000 to be paid in two installments and remains unchanged, Flohr said.
A separate agreement with the Bartholomew County Soil and Water Conservation District for $60,700 to provide education and technical services in Bartholomew County also remains unchanged compared to 2018, according to county officials.
Funding for all of the agreements approved by the county come directly out of its general fund, Flohr said.
