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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Ind. Courts - "Lake officials discuss probe of bonus scandal "; new court created
Bill Dolan reports today in the NWI Times:
CROWN POINT | Lake County Council President Thomas O'Donnell said he is hearing public calls for a probe of past unauthorized bonuses within the county clerk's office."My constituents are asking for a criminal investigation," O'Donnell said Tuesday during a council discussion of how to spend federal grant money meant to improve the collection of court-ordered child support payments.
He said he recently passed those concerns on to county Prosecutor Bernard Carter, who didn't return telephone calls Tuesday by The Times seeking comment.
Auditor's records show former county Clerk Thomas Philpot, now the county coroner and a candidate for sheriff, distributed $111,236 in annual supplemental payments to himself and his employees beginning in 2004.
Philpot repaid the county $24,000 in bonuses after receiving a legal opinion last month from County Attorney John Dull, who said Philpot needed -- but never received -- permission from the County Council to increase his salary.
Dull also said the council should tighten spending controls on $2 million in supplemental money paid to hundreds of county and township government employees out of as many as 15 funds and 97 line items. O'Donnell said the council is working to identify and take control of those funds.
"It is hard to figure out who is grabbing this money," tax activist James Premeske, who attended the council meeting, said Tuesday, * * *
O'Donnell said Thursday the scandal regarding the clerk's IV-D money is completely unrelated to the council's vote Tuesday that approved $172,759 to create a new court to speed the retrieval of uncollected child support.
The court, which may begin operating as early as next month, will employ a judicial magistrate, a bailiff and court reporter using a federal IV-D grant awarded to the county prosecutor's office, not local tax dollars.
The court is expected to collect $2 million a year in additional child support to be paid to custodial parents and to reimburse the government for welfare benefits paid to low-income families.
Lake Juvenile Court Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura, who will oversee the new court, said none of the money can be used to give bonuses to court employees.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 10, 2010 07:49 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts