Prosecutor outlines higher litigation costs, staffing gaps; council to review investigator classification

Prosecutor Mahoney joined the meeting by Zoom and walked the council through changes in his office's personnel and expense lines. He said a deputy prosecutor who had been long-tenured is a judicial candidate and an investigator (Ed Manning) recently retired; a returning investigator (Scott Pinkerton) is expected to fill the role in the short term. "We had our investigator, Ed Manning, he recently retired," the prosecutor said, noting the office now faces higher deposition- and litigation-related costs and that those miscellaneous/deposition expenses have increased significantly.

A presenter who reviewed a job-classification study from Wagner, Arun and Shealy recommended the county examine the investigator's classification, saying the position functions as a chief investigator and may warrant a different salary range. "I put together some information about the office investigator... I think that the office investigator's position may be somewhat misclassified," the presenter said, offering to email the full report to countycouncil@henrycounty.in.gov. Councilmembers asked that the auditor scan and circulate the report, and several asked legal counsel (Joel) to review classification steps and any contract/bylaw implications if reclassification is pursued.

Why it matters: The prosecutor's staffing and litigation costs intersect with county budget choices and jail management. Council asked staff liaisons to review the Wagner study and flagged that classification changes would follow the county's job-classification committee process before any budget lines are increased.