The exterior of Bartholomew County Courthouse in Columbus, Ind., pictured, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. Mike Wolanin | The Republic
The Bartholomew County Council gave its initial first-reading approval to a $71.8 million budget for county government in 2025.
That’s 6% higher than the $67.8 million approved for this year, and nearly 25% higher than the 2023 spending plan of $57.5 million.
A 4% pay hike for most of the more than 400 county employees is included in next year’s budget. While that is the same increase provided for this year, a 6.5% hike was allocated to most county employees in 2023. Advocates say higher wages are needed to compete with salaries and benefits in the private sector.
Next year’s budget includes $38.42 million from the property tax-supported county general fund – a nearly 10% increase from the $34.97 million approved for this year.
The spending plan also includes $33.4 million in home-ruled funds generated by local income tax (LIT) revenue, grants, fees and other miscellaneous forms of income. That’s about 2% higher than the $32.8 million for 2024.
In recent years, some higher spending can be attributed to the $16.4 million in COVID-19 relief funds received through the federal American Rescue Plan. While ARP dollars can only be used for specific purposes, local officials say the federal money did free up a considerable amount of conventional funding.
All ARP funds have already been earmarked for specific purposes, and must be spent by the end of 2026.
Among the big-ticket items in the 2025 budget are $996,476 to provide round-the-clock medical care at the Bartholomew County Jail. The county has outsourced their medical services to Quality Correction Care of Carmel.
The sheriff’s office has also outsourced food service at the jail to Trinity Service Group of Florida. While the county will pay $650,000 next year for food, labor, maintenance and supplies in the jail’s kitchen, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Maj. Brandon Slate estimates that up to $50,000 will be saved annually because food service workers are no longer county employees.
An additional $315,000 is included in the budget for new patrol vehicles, as well as a $213,000 hike in employer contributions to the pensions of retired sheriffs personnel.
The only major cut in the proposed budget was a $1.5 million reduction in a fund for future projects, Bartholomew County auditor Pia O’Connor described that fund as a placeholder.
While council president Jorge Morales said this fund is not for any specific future project, the county commissioners have enlisted a design firm to analyze needs and options regarding a Youth Services Center. The current facility on Illinois Avenue is more than 40 years old, but estimates indicate a new center will cost in the $15 million to $17 million range, commissioners’ Chairman Larry Kleinhenz said. An option would be to outsource the care of juvenile offenders to an out-of-county facility.
The Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District (SWMD) has a budget separate from the rest of the county. The SWMD is requesting $5.48 million next year, compared to $4.01 million approved a year ago for 2024. Additional funding is necessary to construct a new cell at the county landfill near Walesboro, SWMD director Heather Siesel said.
The final vote and adoption of the 2025 budget is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 14.
