The Kosciusko County Council voted 4-3 to approve a one-time, non–base-building retention stipend of $5,000 for the county’s probation officers, to be paid from the probation user-fee account and paid in the last payroll of the year.

The vote followed more than an hour of discussion between county judges, council members and staff about fairness to other county employees, the county’s legal authority to pay the stipend and the funding source. Council member Rachel moved the stipend motion; Council member Kim seconded.

Council members and judges said the stipend is intended to help retain experienced probation officers who, they said, have proven valuable to the courts. A judge representing the county’s judiciary described the probation department as “one of the finest” and urged the council to act to prevent turnover. The judge told the council many officers work second jobs and that the department has had long-standing vacancies.

Supporters noted guidance from the State Board of Accounts that a one-time payment may be classified as a stipend or bonus that does not add to base wages if handled properly; staff said the payment could be taken away after one year and would not be included in 2027 base wages if treated as a non base-building stipend. Staff also said the payment must come from the probation user-fee fund, not from general county tax dollars.

Opponents said the council should treat county employees equitably. Council member Kathy argued many of the county’s other employees — including jailers and deputies — earn less and that giving probation officers a larger one-time payment than other county employees could create morale problems. Kathy and other opponents recommended a 2% retention payment for county employees instead of the $5,000 stipend for probation officers.

The council’s motion specified eligibility and timing: the stipend is a one-time payment to probation officers who have been continuously employed as full-time probation officers in the county from Jan. 6 through Dec. 1, 2026, with the payment to be made out of the user-fee account in the last paycheck of the year. The motion also stated the stipend will be revisited annually; council staff said a salary-ordinance amendment will be adopted in January to reflect the change.

The motion passed 4 to 3. Council members did not read an individual roll-call vote into the record; the clerk announced the result as 4–3. The council and judges reiterated the stipend is not paid from county tax dollars but from the probation user-fee fund.

Council members and staff indicated the council retains authority to revisit or discontinue the stipend in subsequent years, and that the county will follow State Board of Accounts procedures for classifying and auditing the payment.

Outcome-related steps: staff said the salary ordinance will be amended in January to reflect the stipend treatment and the payment will be processed from the user-fee account.