Wabash County Commissioners have officially adopted the budget for the new fiscal year that begins tomorrow. During a recessed session Tuesday morning, commissioners heard from county clerk Janet Will who explained a change to the final budget from the proposed spending plan presented earlier this month. Will said since commissioners decided to hire a full-time public defender, some adjustments in a couple of line items had to be made.
The new full-time public defender, who hasn’t been hired yet, will be paid just under $143,000. The salary is set by the state and is 90% of the state’s attorney’s salary. The decision to hire a full-time public defender comes as current public defender James Lane retires from the position effective today.
The budget also contains $2.2 million in American Rescue Plan money that must be spent by 2026. No plans have been announced publicly about how the county intends to spend the ARPA money.