Jackson Jennings Community Corrections will add a new field officer to the department.
Director J.L. Brewer recently made the request to members of the Jackson County Council and said he included the position in this year’s budget and it was time to move forward with the new position.
The position will pay a starting rate of $14.43 per hour and is budgeted for $45,000. Brewer said the employee likely will not make the full $45,000, but it was budgeted at that amount because of overtime needs.
“Field officers are out and get a lot of overtime,” he said.
The position also will come with benefits.
“I don’t know when we will hire for the position,” Brewer said.
A field officer will check in on those sentenced to home detention and community service.
The department is an alternative to incarceration and offers programs in home detention, community service, inmate work crew and a community transition program. The department has an average of 180 people in the programs at a time.
The department has served both Jackson and Jennings counties since a merger in 2012. The new position will bring the staff to 14 at the department. Four of those positions are part time.
During a meeting in November, the Jackson County Commissioners approved a lease agreement for additional office space at the department’s existing office at 211 E. Carter St. in Seymour in anticipation of the new position.
The department is partially funded from a grant from the Indiana Department of Correction and user fees collected from those in the program.
The new position was approved on a 5-0 vote by the council. Councilman Brian Thompson and Councilwoman Ann Cain were not present for the meeting.