Bartholomew County will divert an estimated $4.8 million in Local Income Tax money originally planned for other taxing units to pay for county jail upgrades.
An ordinance approved unanimously Tuesday night by the Bartholomew County Council will place that tax revenue in the county’s Correctional and Rehabilitation Facilities fund.
State law allows counties to set aside a percentage of Local Income Tax revenue to be used for building or renovating jails before the tax proceeds are dispersed to cities, towns, townships, school districts and libraries. The new law limits the amount taken off the top and retained for jails not to exceed 0.2 percent of total tax revenue.
Sheriff Matt Myers is proposing to renovate and reopen an older, unused part of the Bartholomew County Jail capable of holding up to 100 inmates, alleviating crowding in the newer section of the jail.
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The city of Columbus will lose the most money next year from the council’s action, about $2.7 million less than would have come in.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop said he is sure the money being moved out of the city budget back to the county will be well spent.
Other local government entities losing income tax revenue from the county council’s decision include about $118,000 that was to go to Edinburgh and $28,000 designated for Hope.
The money is projected to be used for jail improvements including cell block upgrades, a new audio/visual surveillance system and other renovations.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department budget, estimated at $4.3 million for next year, will be moved out of the county general fund and will be separated into a new fund supported by the Local Income Tax money, Bartholomew County Auditor Barb Hackman said.
The council held a public hearing Tuesday but did not vote on the nearly $46 million overall county budget, which includes $21 million for the county’s general fund.
Resource officer debate
During discussion, two at-large county council members, Matt Miller and Bill Lentz, voted against a proposal for a school resource officer for Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. after questioning the county’s plans to help fund the position.
The two county council members questioned how the county could financially support a school resource officer at Flat Rock-Hawcreek when there might be private schools that could then approach the county wanting the same support and police protection, and that Hope already has police officers.
The current proposal within the budget calls for the county to assist in paying for the resource officer, chipping in $45,000 in addition to a contribution from Flat Rock-Hawcreek, which is to come from a grant, Hackman said.
The plan is being proposed as a one-year pilot program for Flat Rock-Hawcreek, she said.
A memo of understanding on how much will be paid by the county and the school corporation is still being worked out, Hackman said.
“I just want a school resource officer in that high school (Hauser),” Myers said.
“As far as the county having to pay $45,000, in the great scheme of things, this is for the children to feel safe and the teachers feel safe, and for that, it’s money well spent,” Myers said. “We’ve got to start someplace and the majority of shootings are happening at the junior high and high schools.”
Myers said if private schools want to consider some type of security for their buildings, the sheriff’s department would work with them to help them hire private security.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek administrators and the Hope Town Board have approached the council seeking the county’s support for the school resource officer.
The deputy would be a school resource officer while school is in session at Flat Rock-Hawcreek, and would work for the sheriff’s department as a deputy the remainder of the year, according to the sheriff’s department. The county would also provide a car, uniform and other equipment needed for the officer, according to the proposal.
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., a much larger public school district, has reimbursed the full salaries of resource officers to the local police agencies that provide them.
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The Bartholomew County Council will vote on the county’s 2019 budget at 6 p.m. Oct. 9 at the County Council Chambers, 440 Third St.
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