Prosecutor Mahoney flags staffing shortfalls; council reviews classification report

Prosecutor Michael Mahoney joined the meeting by Zoom to walk the council through his office's proposed budget changes and staffing concerns. Mahoney said longevity changes reflected employees leaving or running for other offices and highlighted a growing depositions expense tied to case volume.

On staffing, Mahoney and councilors referenced a study from the Indiana Prosecutors Association estimating Henry County is roughly three prosecutors short. "They're recommending an additional 2.9 prosecutors... Henry County is is 2.5 or 3.52 0.5? 2.9, right around 3 people, short," a council speaker summarized after reviewing the study. Speaker 7 (Mahoney) said adding prosecutorial staff could yield "some dividends" in reducing jail population but cautioned other factors are at play. Separately, speaker 8 presented a Wagner, Arun and Shealy classification summary recommending the office investigator be reclassified as a chief office investigator because of 24/7 responsibilities; the council asked that the study be emailed to members and named liaisons (Jay Davis and the Chair) to follow up.

Why it matters: staffing shortages in the prosecutor's office affect case processing and may contribute to higher jail counts; reclassification or hiring choices carry recurring costs that influence the county's budget. The council requested the full classification report and asked the auditor to fold any necessary budget language into the final packet.

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