Gibson County council to advertise part-time veteran service hire and approve short-term prosecutor funding moves

George Vickers, the county veteran service officer, asked the Gibson County Council for a short-term appropriation to hire a part-time worker after recent state property-tax changes require disabled veterans to refile for credits.

"I'm here to ask you this morning for an additional appropriation to fund a part-time hire to assist me," Vickers told the council, saying the six-month cost for the immediate workload was about $10,747 (rounded to $10,800) and that the temporary hire could later help digitize roughly 10,000 veteran records.

The request followed questions from council members about the likely number of affected veterans; Vickers estimated the pool at "somewhere between 500 and a thousand" who may need to reapply. The council discussed funding logistics — creating a new line in the general fund and whether to use rainy-day or general-fund dollars — and moved to advertise the part-time position.

Council members voted to advertise the $10,800 part-time veteran service position for the remainder of the fiscal year; one member voiced opposition during the roll call to advertise. The council indicated it would present a salary ordinance at the next meeting for a final vote.

Separately, Michael Cochran, the county prosecuting attorney, said his office is in "dire straits" after a paralegal required emergency surgery and asked permission to add staff to handle rising discovery demands and case volume. Cochran cited caseload figures for the year and a departmental deferral fund balance.

Council members agreed to a short-term budget solution and approved a transfer of $4,000 from the prosecutor's deferral fund (series 3) to series 1 to cover immediate hiring needs. The transfer motion passed by voice vote as recorded in the meeting.

Members also authorized advertising for a prosecuting-office position with an upper advertising salary bound discussed at $60,000, pending county-commissioner approval and finalization of a salary ordinance.

What happens next: the advertised veteran-service and prosecutor positions will return with salary ordinances or formal appropriation requests for a final vote at a subsequent council meeting. The temporary transfers are intended to allow hiring or advertising to proceed without delay.