From the Muncie Star-Press:
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County officials took turns talking about the preference of their employees and whether they wanted three hours of pay restored in exchange for returning to work on Fridays. Some said their employees wanted the schedule to stay the way it is.
But council member Mike Jones said he had been told the county didn't have the funds to restore the old five-day schedule.
Citing conflicting figures for how much it would cost to restore pay and the old schedule to county employees, council members asked auditor's deputies for figures. The answer: It would cost $562,500 to restore pay and return to the old schedule. That amount only counts pay cuts under the general fund and not departments outside it, such as the health department.
Some officials said they thought having the county building closed on Fridays was a disservice
to the public. Commissioner Todd Donati -- who said the commissioners would open the building on Fridays if council approved the restored pay -- noted that the public overwhelmingly voted to make property tax caps part of the Indiana constitution.
Costs facing the county -- including funding health insurance for county employees -- were also noted, prompting some attending the meeting to wonder why council would consider restoring pay if the county couldn't meet its current obligations.
After council members said there was a "misconception" that the county's financial shape was poor, auditor's deputies noted that the county was operating financially only from tax draw to tax draw.
"We're spending quicker than it's coming in," Deputy Auditor Donna Patterson said.
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http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012205310346
