Left is Stan Brown of McCready & Keene. Speaking to the right is Ron Truex, while County Administrator Marsha McSherry looks on.

WARSAW — During a lengthy presentation on Wednesday, June 12, to the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Merit Board, it was learned that insurance coverage was boosted — but not officially.

The board heard from Stan Brown of McCready & Keene, a benefits consulting firm, who told the board that one coverage of the department’s overall plan was increased to $50,000, but that the amendment the board agreed on last year had never been signed and had not been officially approved by the Kosciusko County Council.

“That needs adopted,” said Brown. “Evidently the county council didn’t get it either last year. We did the plan amendment in late August, and we were under the impression that it got adopted.”

Brown told the board that the newly-formed entity agreed on the boost at its meeting in August and that the change was made. He said his company got word of the decision through a letter from the former sheriff.

“The sheriff (Rocky Goshert) sent us a letter, to provide to Standard Life, last November, that the plan had been amended to go to $50,000,” said Brown. “So, Standard Life processed the premiums this year under that assumption.”

“How did we do that without council approval?” asked Board President Ron Truex.

Truex ordered previous minutes to be collected to confirm the board had approved the change to the plan. The change was discovered in the minutes and Truex assured Brown a signed (and council approved) amendment would be forthcoming.

Truex said, prior to the meeting, the board was responsible for overseeing how the department’s money is used, particularly in regard to the department’s benefits package.

“Program management is one of the primary concerns of the merit board and, as you all know, the merit board is 100 percent brand new,” he said. “We’ve talked to the different institutions that are holding the money and we’re trying to understand everything we can about the retirement plan — where the money’s at, how it’s invested and things like that.”

Currently, three financial institutions — Horizon Bank, First Source Bank and Lake City Bank — hold the retirement plan’s funds.