Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@shawanoleader.com
An attempt to cap the amount of money put into the Shawano County Courthouse security fund was referred back to committee Wednesday by the Shawano County Board.
The resolution, which supervisors rejected by a 17-9 vote, sought to cap the amount put into the security fund annually at $6,000 and overall at $50,000. The money comes from criminal bond forfeitures.
The board last month passed a resolution that allowed for half of the bond forfeitures to go to courthouse security and the other half to the county’s general fund. Officials estimated the county receives $13,000 to $15,000 annually in forfeitures.
Some supervisors Wednesday expressed concerns that if bond forfeitures are lower than expected, the security fund might not receive enough money.
They noted that the county’s Courthouse Security Committee was unaware of how much money was available for additional security officers, temporary metal detectors or other measures that might be needed for major cases.
“If we only have $10,000 (in bond forfeitures), then they will only get $5,000,” Supervisor Robert Krause said. “Why don’t we give them $6,000 from the bond money, and then they’ll know how much will be in there.”
Supervisor Deb Noffke saw the effort as a “shell game.”
The problem was that the security committee didn’t know how much money was available, she said.
“This might have made it worse for them,” Noffke said.
Several supervisors said it would be wise to invest in security needs.
“They need the money for security purposes that we don’t need to know about,” Supervisor Bert Huntington said. “I think it’s a good idea.”
Supervisor Richard Ferfecki spoke against delaying the resolution.
“The Public Safety Committee spent a lot of time on this resolution,” Ferfecki said. “You’re going to get into some high profile cases, and they need extra safety at the courthouse. … I really don’t know the sense of postponing this.”
Shawano County Finance Director Diane Rusch said she could make the most recent information available if the security committee wants it on its agenda. As of the end of 2013, $37,677 earmarked for security had been carried over from previous years, according to information from the Finance Department.
The resolution was sent back to the Public Safety Committee, which recommended it by a 4-1 vote Aug. 6. The resolution also received a favorable recommendation from the Finance Committee on Aug. 18.