Martin County Council Adjusts for Staff Shortage

The agenda for Martin County’s Council meeting was largely focused on budgets and building maintenance on Monday night. 

The board heard that the Highway Department staff is currently down by three full-time employees. To maintain adequate coverage, the department has been supplementing with part-time staff. The Salary and Wage Ordinance currently lists the maximum payment for these employees at a yearly total of $14,500. The Council voted to amend the ordinance by removing the salary cap, as it will not affect the budget. 

The Prosecutor’s Office building loan will be due December 7. $100,000 has already been sent, so the total due is $280,000, plus interest. A decision regarding the source and timing of the payment will be made in the next two weeks. 

In the last meeting, the County Prosecutor explained that she is eliminating her office’s bad check account. Those funds have been deposited into the county’s bad check fund, and the Prosecutor’s Office would like access to those funds this year. The issue was tabled at the last meeting until the deposits of $49.10 and $1165.52 posted to the account. Now that the full amount is available in the account, the Council granted authorization for her to spend the funds deposited. 

In building maintenance, repairs are needed for the flooring under a newly-installed desk. A quote was obtained for that area, at which time the flooring representative said that the floor was not installed properly. He indicated that the existing floor is not commercial and should have been glued down. As a result, parts of it are raising up. The Council approved funding to support the repairs in all affected areas, but also suggested that the original contractor that installed the floor should be contacted. 

State Representative Shane Lindauer has announced that he will not be seeking re-election when his term ends in 2026. Amy Kippenbrock attended this week’s meeting to learn more about Martin County’s government, explaining that she will be running for Lindauer’s spot on the ballot. 

For more information on these and other updates, visit the Martin County Indiana Courthouse Facebook page. 

 - Drew Hasselbring