Relief Funds, Paving Work

By Larry Bemis

Sentinel Editor

The Parke County Council adopted a 2021 budget proposal and salary ordinance at their October 8 meeting, and passed resolutions to provide training incentive stipends to Sheriff’s Deputies and hazard pay stipends to first responders for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The budget proposal is still subject to approval by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance and pending final revenue numbers for 2020, but the local adoption has survived relatively unscathed the past few years.

“We crafted this budget with a scalpel instead of an axe,” said council president John Pratt, noting major changes that included more local option income tax revenue to the County Highway Department, longevity pay changes and sweeping changes to the pay scale for Emergency Medical Technicians. The hazard pay bonus provides a $1,000 stipend to 52 county employees while the deputy stipend provides a $1,000 stipend for certain additional training certifications that can be earned by members of the department. A maximum of 23 such awards can be granted.

For the full article, see this week’s edition of the Parke County Sentinel.