The Kosciusko County Highway Department will get through this year OK financially, but with road and bridge project costs going up and less revenue coming in, something will need to be done.
Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty asked the Kosciusko County Council at their informational meeting Wednesday morning for an additional appropriation of $1.4 million for bridge replacement in the cumulative bridge fund. The council will vote on the request at their regular meeting Thursday, July 11.
“We normally try to bank our budget to make sure we can pay for all the projects we have. On these financial commitment letters that we’ve done for the past, with these bridges you have to pay upfront. So our portion - normally, it’s broken out 80/20 - it is 80/20 but our 20% for construction always hits at the beginning,” Moriarty explained. “Now this has changed a little bit from the past for federal aid, like for Community Crossings it’s a little bit different and other projects for federal funding, it’s a little bit different when it comes to inspection and construction inspection. But for construction, you gotta pay upfront.”
With the additional $1.4 million, he said his department has been holding back money for projects, trying to spread it out over two years, but it’s hitting all at once.
“At the end of the year, we’ll be down to $45,000 in cash in (cumulative) bridge total, and this is after we pay these bridges off for this year. Our expenditures for next year, we raised it up to try to make sure we hold some of that money back each year so that when they hit like this, that we can pay for them,” he said.
The highway department just got its tax draw in June for $505,000, which is still less than they got last year, Moriarty said.
“The overall picture this year coming in, we’ll have less than we did last year,” he stated. “So our money is going down, bridges are going up, but that still, overall, picture we should be OK for this year. Next year, we’ll have to discuss a little bit.”
As of Wednesday, Moriarty said their cash balance was $1.8 million.
Councilwoman Sue Ann Mitchell stated, “We definitely have to take a look at that (tax) rate when we’re working on the budget.”
Moriarty also will ask the council next week to apply for two grants - a Community Crossings Matching Grant for $1.5 million and an at-grade railroad crossings markings grant for $29,500.
If the highway department gets the full $1.5 million Community Crossings Matching Grant, they will match it with their own $1.5 million.
The road projects will include Armstrong Road from Ind. 13 to the bridge in Oswego; Packerton Road from the south county line to the town of Packerton; finish off Chapman Lake Drive where the sewer has been and the connection to C19; Warner Drive to Eli Lilly and CR 700S from CR 100W to County Farm Road to continue what’s already paved.
“So that ends up being $3.28 million that we’re asking for Community Crossings, and hopefully we’ll get that,” Moriarty said.
The council also received an update Wednesday from the county health department administrator on the homes coming down as part of the county’s revitalization program.
Health Administrator Bob Weaver told the council that at their Thursday, July 11 meeting he will be asking for an additional appropriation of $16,000 for legal services in the general health fund.
He said the funds were needed because of a lot of legal expenses in removing a lot of homes as part of the county’s revitalization program.
Council Vice President Kathy Groninger asked for an update on the houses.
“We have a list of about a dozen houses that needed to come down, including the general store in Atwood. That’s down. And I think we’ve got five of the other ones down, we cleaned up and they’re just vacant lots now,” Weaver said.
“That’s great,” Groninger stated.
“So we’re checking off the list?” Council President Mike Long said.
“We’re going through the list,” Weaver agreed. “Making neighbors very happy.”
Long said he has not heard anything negative about the program yet.
Groninger asked if they were just making them vacant lots once the homes come down. Weaver said the Health Department was done at that point.
“I think a lot of them are going to go back to the township for them to see what they can do with it,” Weaver said, adding that the lot in Atwood may end up a park or trailhead.
“I think it’s going to be good for the community all the way around,” Long stated.
Weaver also will request an additional appropriation of $5,000 for personal health care services out of the same fund. He said he just had some unexpected repairs on the big cooling units for the vaccines at the health clinic.
County Prosecutor Brad Voelz will ask for a salary ordinance amendment and a $2,100 transfer in the county general fund to increase the salary for deputy prosecuting attorney Jennifer Naue to $96,362.
“Jennifer Naue has been an outstanding attorney, exceeding all of our expectations, and she has come up on her anniversary date. She’s ready for a level increase. We want to take her from her initiation salary up to her midpoint salary. We want to do it at the earliest opportunity,” Voelz said.
Naue’s hire date was Aug. 1, 2023.
Mitchell said Naue has been in the prosecuting attorney’s office for a year, Voelz was wanting to move her to a midpoint, but Mitchell talked to Human Resource Director Cathy Reed about it, and Reed had contacted human resource consultants Waggoner, Irwin, Scheele & Associates. The recommendation from Waggoner, Irwin, Scheele was that for Naue to get to the midpoint, it usually requires a minimum of three years experience before being moved up.
The prosecutor’s office had contacted human resources previously and they were told it was at their discretion, Mitchell was told. Mitchell had a copy of the email provided by Reed, but said she was just asking “because you’ve got other people who are paid at that level who have met their years of service.”
Councilman Tony Ciriello commented he had the same questions as Mitchell.