Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
When something new starts, or something changes, there’s usually a few bugs to work out.
Kosciusko Area Bus Service’s new deviated fixed route and upcoming changes to the Warsaw’s downtown parking system are expected to have a few of their own, the Warsaw Common Council heard Monday, but both are moving forward.
Speaking on the parking project the city has coming up, Council President Jack Wilhite said, “I had a lady come up to me yesterday afternoon after church, and she told me, ‘I just want you to know that when the city starts with this parking strategy that I will not be coming down to the city and parking there anymore.’”
When he asked her why she took that stance, she told him, “We don’t use our phones for stuff like that.”
Wilhite told her he had been talking to Mayor Jeff Grose and City Planner Justin Taylor and they had devised a plan that “going forward, when it starts, we are not requiring people to start up their two hours when they first park. In other words, you can park in that parking place just like you always have, and what will happen is when a ... compliance officer comes by and sees your vehicle is not registered in the system, they will automatically start the system then for you. So you will have two hours from the time that starts. This will keep the system starting just like we’ve always done.
“Now, the difference being, in that, when you come downtown and you want to park here longer than two hours, then it would benefit you greatly to start it on your phone and get it started in the system because then you can pay for extra hours. If you do not start it, and the compliance officer has to start it for you, you’re not going to get notified, you’re not going to have a way to get extra hours. So, that’s the system we’ve got set up currently, and that’s what we’re going with,” he said.
There may be changes as the system goes along as bugs in the system need fixed, Wilhite continued. “But this is our first best guess on how to make it work. And I just want to make sure that everyone understands that, going forward, we want to make this as easy for you to come downtown as possible. The only reason we got this started was because there were people who were abusing the system, and they would move their vehicles from one spot to another or they would move forward a couple inches. And they would be parked there all day long, and a lot of the times they were employees of the businesses that were down there, and they were killing parking places for their very neighbors, their own businesses downtown.”
Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins said if a person is just spending 45 minutes to an hour to grab a meal or something similar, “you’re not really going to see any change whatsoever.”
Councilman Mike Klondaris said there are still free parking spots downtown, just a block or two out of the Central Business District. If they don’t mind walking a block or two, they can park downtown all day for free.
Grose said at this point, “it’s very fluid, but we are getting closer to September, and I’ve been telling people it’s status quo, other than fines are likely going to go up. The council will probably support that for those that violate, and it will be far more efficient as we have two compliance officers with computer equipment that can move much faster and encourage you to comply with that two-hour window.”
For those still reluctant to start a session with their cell phone, Grose said right now Taylor is very likely to propose to the council they support purchasing two kiosks so people can purchase a parking session for more than two hours.
Earlier in the meeting, KABS General Manager Kristin Rude, Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) Transit Planner Aidan McHugh and MACOG Senior Transit Planner Jeremiah Cox gave a brief presentation on KABS’ deviated fixed route. At a future council meeting, the council will be asked to approve ordinances for KABS’ stop and signage implementations. The Warsaw Traffic Commission approved a favorable recommendation for the route at their July 2 meeting to the council.
Rude said the goal of the route KABS is looking to launch in the fall is to enhance local transit access, reliability and affordability for residents and visitors alike.
“A deviated fixed route operates on a published schedule. There are designated stops that allow for limited off-route pick-ups or drop-offs within a defined distance. Our route will be a quarter mile of that route,” she said. “This flexible model ensures both structure and accessibility, particularly for those individuals with mobility challenges or those living slightly off that route.”
The deviated fixed route will operate Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fares will be $1 per trip for those fixed stops, and 50 cents for deviated requests. All vehicles that operate the route will be ADA accessible and equipped with bike racks. KABS will be offering an unlimited monthly pass for $20.
Some of the proposed stop locations include Walmart, Kroger, Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital, Warsaw Community Public Library, residential areas, community services and healthcare providers.
The deviated fixed route is officially called The Lake City Loop.
Quance had a concern about stops along the high-traffic area of Ind. 15 (Detroit Street), which were also expressed at the Traffic Commission meeting.
Rude said it’s not uncommon to have stops at high-traffic locations.
Cox said, “For example, in Elkhart, which we also help manage, in Goshen we do this all the time on 33. Basically, we just have the bus put its flashers on and briefly stop, as close to the curb as they can. We will be blocking traffic briefly, but it’s not like a school bus where an arm goes out to stop all traffic.”
The Indiana Department of Transportation will have final approval of any stops on Ind. 15.
Councilman Josh Finch asked about if someone needs a bus ride beyond the 8 to 5.
Rude replied, “So this is a starting point. This is a pilot route, and if the reception is great and the need is there, down the road we may look at expanding those hours or adding additional routes. I can’t speak as to what that would look like, but there’s definitely room for growth in the future if the need is there.”
In the meantime, KABS’ on-demand bus service operates 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday so people can still be serviced through that.
KABS is holding a public forum on the route from 5 to 7 p.m. July 15 at Cardinal Services.
In other business, the council:
• Approved on second reading, after a public hearing, ordinance 2025-07-02 for the additional appropriation of $500,000 in the aviation depreciation fund, as requested by Airport Manager Nick King. The council approved the ordinance on first reading at their last meeting.
King told the council, “As we discussed at the last meeting, this is really just to appropriate the $500,000 that the county has contributed to our runway rehab project. We’ve awarded that project. Phend & Brown was the low bid. It came in a little under what our OPC was for that, so it was underneath that professional cost estimate, so we’re excited to get that project underway, and we just need the council to help us get this money in the account so we can the project finalized.”
• Reviewed the times and dates for the 2026 budget hearings as presented by Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen.
The budget has to be advertised on Gateway no later than Sept. 2 or at least 10 days before the public hearing on Sept. 15.
The salary ordinance must be adopted by Nov. 1, with the elected salary ordinance adopted by Dec. 31. The deadline to adopt 2026 budgets, rates and levies is Nov. 1.
The council meetings on Aug. 4 and Aug. 18 will start at 6 p.m. to hear department budget presentations. The council meeting on Sept. 15 will start at 7 p.m. for the 2026 budget adoption public hearing and first reading. The budget adoption hearing/final reading will be Oct. 6.
• Approved the vacation of an alleyway located north of 615 S. Union St., as presented by attorney Steve Snyder for property owners Jerry and Jo Ellen Deaton. The Planning Department recommended the vacation request be approved, and there were no remonstrators.
• Approved Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Joel Shilling’s request to transfer $50,448.97 from FSSA grant/CARES to miscellaneous revenue - operating. The transfer reimburses the operating fund with money from the grant. The WWFT Board approved the transfer at its July 1 meeting.
