Most of the nonprofits that requested funding for 2024 from the county will likely receive the same amount as they received for 2023.
During the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting Tuesday, Commissioner Cary Groninger proposed recommending to the county council that the Kosciusko County 4-H Council, Stillwater Hospice and the St. Joe River Basin get the amounts they requested for 2024; while Cardinal Center, Kosciusko County Historical Society, The Beaman Home and Kosciusko County Senior Services receive the same amount as they did last year.
“All four of those had received significant ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds over the last year. So I’m suggesting that we hold the line at the same amount they received last year so there will be no increase for the 2024 budget,” Groninger said, referring to Cardinal Center, Historical Society, Beaman Home and Senior Services.
He made a motion to approve his recommendation, Commissioner Brad Jackson seconded it and it was approved 2-0. Commissioner Bob Conley was absent as he was in the hospital.
According to information provided at the June 6 commissioners meeting, Kosciusko County 4-H Council requested $46,589.91 for 2024, up from the $45,233 approved in 2023; Cardinal Services, $111,373 in 2024, up from $108,129 approved in 2023; Stillwater Hospice, $50,000, the same as 2023; Kosciusko County Historical Society, $25,000 for 2024, up from the $23,230 approved in 2023; Beaman Home, $40,000, up from the $33,425 approved in 2023; Kosciusko County Senior Services, $40,000, up from $33,425 approved in 2023; and St. Joe River Basin, $3,794, up from the $3,705 approved in 2023.
The county council will make the final determination on the funding requests during their budget process in late August.
Part of the county’s Health & Wellness Program with county employees is a Get Walkin’ campaign, Shannon Shepherd, from the Kosciusko County Purdue Extension Office, told the commissioners Tuesday. Several people walked over 1 million steps from March to May, she said.
Groninger passed out certificates for those employees, who included: Ronda Wiesehan, probation department, 1,393,465 steps; Michelle Hyden, sheriff’s office, 1,301,549 steps; Brooke Greer, probation department, 1,295,301 steps; Cheryl McGettrick, sheriff’s office, 1,172,933 steps; Kelly Moorman, clerk’s office, 1,098,325 steps; and Eric Sorenson, IT, 1,067,767 steps.
“So, thank you. Lots of steps and we appreciate all the hard work that went into that,” Groninger told them.
The county also had some top water drinkers. The top three were Ronda Wiesehan, probation, 90,001 ounces of water; Jennifer Day, assessor’s office, 11,343 ounces; and Jessica Schell, dispatch, 10,270 ounces.
Shepherd said they had a total of 80 participants in the program, which she thought was a “pretty good number for us for this year. It went over really well, so thank you all for participating.”
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty’s request to apply for the state’s Community Crossings Matching Grant 2023.
“There will be two applications that we’re going to apply for. One is the replacement of small structure 320, which is on EMS T26, and also the paving of Old 30 from CR 450E to U.S. 30 and then also Ogden Point from Cherokee back to Roswell Drive and then to Sunset Drive,” Moriarty said.
Moriarty also requested a financial commitment letter for both of the projects, which the commissioners also approved.
For the small structure, the county’s portion will be $499,895; for the paving, the county’s portion will be $495,505.40.
The county council approved the same requests at their meeting Thursday.
• Approved Moriarty’s request to apply for an At-Grace Crossings Grant, which is 100% reimburseable through the state. The grant will pay for multiple paint markings at railroad tracks to identify to drivers that a railroad is coming up. The grant is for up to $40,000.
The council approved the request Thursday.
• Approved a stop sign ordinance for 8 Square Road in Plain Township, as requested by Moriarty, where a yield sign is currently.
“That’s making it a three-way stop at CR 250E, Lilly Court and EMS C28 Lane. Currently, it’s a yield sign and I’d like to change it to a stop sign after we’ve done the traffic study and data crash analysis,” he said.
The council approved the request Thursday.
• Approved the addition of a 1986 Fiat Allis Grader and a 1978 Grayson Stacker to the auction list that Moriarty presented and the commissioners approved at the commissioners’ last meeting. The auction list previously approved includes six dump trucks from the highway department.
• Approved a quote from Core Mechanical Services for $10,262 for isolation valves for the domestic side of the water system (the hot and cold) for the Kosciusko County Jail, as presented by County Administrator Marsha McSherry.
“We don’t have isolation valves in two of the blocks, and some of the isolation valves are located in the ceiling behind the unit where you readily can not get to it, so this would be maintenance to shut off each block as they work on things in each block instead of having to shut off multiple blocks of water to there, which is not an ideal situation,” she said.
The other quote was from Flo-Tech Plumbing & Heating Inc. for $14,903.40.
• Was presented with the Kosciusko County Parks and Recreation Board’s logo from Board President Rob Bishop.
• Heard a semi-annual review on the Purdue Extension Office’s activities and events from Shepherd. A similar report was given to the county council Thursday.
• Approved the vacation request by Arthur W. and Priscilla Jasen for a platted right-of-way on Webster Lake within the plat of Roger’s Lake View Park and off the west side of W17 Lane. The Area Plan Commission unanimously recommended the vacation be approved, Area Plan Director Matt Sandy told the commissioners.
• Approved the request by William Rensberger to rezone a tract of ground from agricultural to residential. The property, at 7232 E. CR 650N, is just outside the corporate limits of the town of North Webster. Sandy said the Area Plan Commission voted 9-0 to send a favorable recommendation to the commissioners on the rezoning, and there were no remonstrators at the commissioners meeting Tuesday.
• Announced the next commissioners meeting is at 9 a.m. Aug. 1 in the old courtroom of the county courthouse.