By HOLLY GASKILL
Preparation of the 2025 Wells County budget has begun, and members of the Wells County Council will meet with department leaders about changes and requests next week.
Copies of the budget proposals from each department were provided to The News-Banner, and below are a few of the notable changes and requests.
Health First Indiana
hits the budget
Wells County Commissioners opted to join Health First Indiana in May, bringing in $551,202.90 from the state. The Wells County Health Department was receiving just $51,777.15 from the state in previous years.
Subsequently, there are quite a few changes to the Health Department’s budget in 2025.
Notably, the department has opted to cover some positions with HFI funding — the health officer, environmental sanitarian and public health nurse. Multiple other line items for supplies and services have also moved under the HFI umbrella.
The second environmental sanitarian, which is vacant, and the administrator remain separate. The county’s contribution to the Health Department is proposed to be $158,130.
A large portion of HFI funds are allocated for grants to local organizations addressing health needs. The proposed budget identifies $135,000 in total for grants — $35,000 of which will be for community-based organizations, $25,000 for faith-based organizations, $25,000 for non-hospital clinical services, and $50,000 for other organizations. Grant applications have not yet opened.
The budget also includes $54,951 for a department vehicle and $55,000 for a generator.
Flock cameras
join Sheriff’s budget
The Wells County Sheriff’s Department introduced license plate reading cameras earlier this year and has requested to continue the software license with Flock Safety.
The cameras were originally purchased and installed out of Wells County Jail’s commissary fund, which was permitted by the Indiana Code. Sheriff Scott Holliday told The News-Banner that he did not want to use taxpayer money to test out the new equipment but believes they’re valuable tools to continue to use.
The license will cost $18,900 for 2025.
Six Flock cameras are positioned to capture vehicles entering the county at State Road 1, S.R. 224, and S.R. 124. The cameras register vehicles’ make, model and general characteristics, as well as recognize plate numbers reported as stolen or registered to an individual with a warrant for their arrest. Law enforcement is unable to search for license plates without a case number.
The cameras and the use of commissary funds were met with some criticism from the council members. However, Holliday has continued to present the benefits, particularly in time-sensitive cases. When a child was abducted from Zanesville last December, law enforcement was able to locate the vehicle in Wisconsin through the Flock database.
Holliday told The News-Banner that nearby Adams County, the city of Decatur and the town of Markle are also seeking license plate-reading cameras.
In addition to renewing the Flock cameras, Holliday requested two additional jail staff to “help reach the state requirements”. These positions have also been requested in previous years.
Commissioners add
new position, nix PIO
The Wells County Commissioners are seeking to add a new full-time building inspector to their budget.
A job description for the position was included with the budget proposal, stating that the building inspector would be “responsible for the day-to-day activities of the department by overseeing and coordinating all operations.” These essential day-to-day activities include overseeing the finances and budget for the county buildings, inspecting county buildings, receiving complaints and investigating building violations, and approving building permits. A four-year degree and Certified Building Official certification is required.
The position is budgeted at a $70,000 salary.
Meanwhile, the commissioners have eliminated the budget for their public information officer, a part-time role held by Leann Wyss. The position was first approved in 2022 to help facilitate communication between departments and with the public.
At the time, it was met by disagreement between the council members about the necessity for the position, and approved 4-3. The position was met by a similar skepticism in 2023, but the council ultimately decided to give it another year to gauge the impact.
The proposed budget also sees significant increases in building insurance and liability. The commissioners increased insurance coverage with WalkerHughes Insurance after several discussions about building values with a new building and recent renovations, as well as inflation. The building insurance line item jumped from $46,000 to $74,000 in 2025 and liability from $120,000 to $140,000.
The commissioners also increased funding for bridge inspections from $124,241 to $174,000 and Economic Development from $110,000 to $150,000. The county and city of Bluffton have not yet filled the vacancy for a director of economic development.
Prosecutor requests child
support program increase
The Prosecutor’s Office requested the county’s support for two paralegals who work predominantly with child support issues. The office currently has four full-time paralegals in this particular division.
In a letter with his request, Prosecutor Colin Andrews indicated state and federal funding for these positions has not matched the cost of living nor the increasing demand. He wrote, “The four paralegals are intimately involved with daily operations from fielding phone calls to preparing cases for court … This is a deep concern for me and frankly this should have been brought to your attention years ago.”
The proposed budget increases the county’s match for two positions from $22,240 and $20,740 to $45,814 and $42,888. The county will receive a 66% refund from the state on the salaries, Andrews stated.
New software
needed for IT
Wells County’s IT Department requested a $27,095 increase in computer hardware and software to upgrade its Microsoft Office subscriptions and replace another host server.
In a letter with his request, IT Director Roger Richardson wrote, “We try to space these replacements out so that we do one about every other year. We have three hosts, so this means the one to be replaced is 6-7 years old.”
The request is a 46% increase for the line item.
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The council will begin their appointments at 8 a.m. on Tuesday at the Wells County Annex. A schedule of appointments is listed in the Local Roundup.
holly@news-banner.com
