Local growth is affecting the office of Warren County Clerk Lynette Yates, who was approved Friday by Warren County Fiscal Court for a budget increase that will allow renovations at her courthouse offices and an addition to her staff.

The budget of $1,932,731.19 for the 2018 calendar year is an increase of 6 percent over 2017 and includes a 2 percent cost-of-living pay increase for the county clerk staff.

“It’s a little bit more,” Yates said of her 2018 budget. “Payroll went up a bit, and we’re going to do some renovations in the office and add another employee. We’ve also had increases in our insurance costs.”

Yates’ budget request document also included purchasing a vehicle for her office to accommodate increased travel needs.

The renovations and the extra employee are needed to meet the growth in the motor vehicle department, Yates said.

“It will be mid- to late summer before we start the renovation,” she said. “Then we’ll add the new employee. We need that in our motor vehicle department.”

Yates said her office will work with the Housing Authority of Bowling Green’s cabinetry program on getting some of the furnishings for the renovation. She also plans to utilize the Warren County Regional Jail’s work release program for some of the labor on the project.

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is also getting a budget increase for 2018. Fiscal court approved an increase in the WCSO’s operating budget from $4,492,375 in 2017 to $4,624,000 for 2018.

The 2.9 percent increase allows Warren County Sheriff Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines to give a 2 percent pay increase to his staff, but he said an “excessive increase” in retirement contributions is forcing him to cut staff.

According to the document Gaines presented to fiscal court, his office will not fill one full-time captain position, one full-time deputy position and two full-time and one part-time court security positions.

“We can’t fill the spots,” Gaines said. “In the courtrooms, we’ll have to switch people around. We had 33 bailiffs and now we’ll have 30.”

In other action Friday, magistrates approved a request from Warren County Jailer Stephen Harmon for a one-year extension of a health services agreement with Southern Health Partners in the amount of $855,679.32.

That represents a 3 percent increase in the agreement from 2017, and Harmon explained that the increase is due to greater demand for health services for inmates.

“We had four or five trips to the hospital this week,” Harmon said. “While they’re in custody, we have to provide health care. Those costs are out of our control.”

The jailer said about 60 percent of the inmate health issues are drug-related.

“They may not have had treatment when they were on the street, but we have to provide that treatment,” he said.

The magistrates also approved two expenditures by the Warren County Road Department, one for $14,500 to Diamond Equipment for repairs to a 1978 D6 Cat Dozer and one for $16,500 to JB Truck Repairs for purchase of a 2006 Volvo truck.

Magistrates approved the purchase of a $9,085 “Cellebrite” cellular mobile forensic device to be used for forensic examination of cellular and other mobile data equipment by the drug task force and the sheriff’s office. The cost of the device will be reimbursed through the federal High Density Drug Trafficking Areas program.

In his report to the magistrates, Warren County Parks and Recreation Department Director Chris Kummer said the new Ephram White Park gymnasium opened this week and the new Buchanon Park gym is scheduled to open Jan. 13. Grand opening ceremonies for both gyms are scheduled for Jan. 19.

Other fiscal court approvals Friday:

• An expenditure of $1,105.97 for repairs to a fire engine used by the Plano Volunteer Fire Department.
• An expenditure of $6,640 to Diesel Works for Department of Transportation inspections and weighing of 80 fire apparatus used by the county’s volunteer fire departments.
• Expenditures of $1,225.11 and $1,819.81 to Dwight Embry Garage for repairs to fire engines used by the Richardsville and Alvaton volunteer fire departments.
• A change order of $1,732.50 to Scott, Murphy & Daniel for work in the parking lot of the Buchanon Park gymnasium.
• An expenditure of $1,674.87 to Martin Body Shop for repairs to a Dodge Ram truck that is the stormwater inspection vehicle.
• An expenditure of $8,841 for air conditioning and heating at the C and D dorms of the Warren County Regional Jail.