Council sets budget hearing dates

Thursday, June 23, 2011

With 2011 not yet half over, plans are already being laid for the 2012 Putnam County budget. The Putnam County Council will begin formally discussing the upcoming year with budget hearings in late August.

At its Tuesday meeting, the council set Aug. 22 and 23 as dates to plan the 2012 budget. Commencing at 9 a.m. each day, this will be a pair of all-day meetings in which the council meets with each department head and reviews the entire county budget.

Along with the budget hearings, the council also voted to move its regular August meeting to coincide with the budget hearings. The council will have its regular session at 4 p.m. Aug. 23, following the completion of the budget hearings.

A question over the part-time pay rate for Putnam County Jail officers was resolved at Tuesday's meeting. The problem arose when it was discovered that some part-time jailers, because of their years of service, were being paid $11 an hour. The limit for part-time county employees is normally $10.50.

Auditor Stephanie Campbell reported her payroll deputy thought the wages were exempt from the cap because they are paid from Department of Correction money, not County General.

Due to the source of the money and the desire not to cut the employees' wages, the council voted to keep the employees already making $11 at the same wage. The salary ordinance will be amended to reflect the decision.

The council also approved the hiring of one full-time jailer, two part-time jailers and one part-time process server. All four are existing, budgeted positions that need to be filled.

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