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Preliminary dates and information on the Justice Building expansion project were given to the Kosciusko County Council Thursday by County Administrator Ron Robinson.
He said they received demolition bids Tuesday, with the lowest bid at $554,886. The project architect will give a recommendation on the bids next week.
The bids were much less than the original architect's estimate of $1.2 million, Robinson said.
He said they are looking to sell approximately $22 million in bonds. On Feb. 28, the construction bids can begin and they will be opened on March 28. Bonds will be issued approximately April 18. Construction could possibly begin in May and the architects, Robinson said, expect the construction to take two years.
"It's not going to be an easy project," he said. "They're going to disrupt those offices over there for two years."
The council approved having a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday to discuss the financing of the building.
The county council also:
• Appropriated an additional $20,000 for the Kosciusko County Animal Welfare League by a vote of 4 to 1, with councilman Tom Anglin abstaining. Councilman Jim Tranter voted against approving the additional appropriation. Lewis Bertsch, councilman, was not in attendance.
Anglin and Tranter said they were not in favor of giving the AWL a total of $50,000 because there are other agencies, such as the Council on Aging and the Beaman Home, which are getting less than that and should take priority over the animal shelter.
"I just think there's got to be another way. I'm not against animals, but there's got to be other options," Tranter said.
Last year, during budget hearings, the county commissioners approved $50,000 for AWL for 2000, but the county council reduced that to $30,000. Later, Robinson returned to the county council to ask them to raise it back to $50,000. The council approved but had to wait until this year to approve the additional appropriation.
Thursday, Robinson told the council they haven't signed the agreement with AWL, and one is ready to be approved. Robinson and County Commissioner Eddie Creighton recently met with the AWL president to discuss the operations of the structure. Creighton also "expressed (the commissioners') wishes." He said he believes they are now on the "same wavelength."
"I think," Robinson said, "when we talked with (AWL treasurer) Brilliandt, they realized they can't hold as many animals as they have in the past."
Council President Brad Tandy said, "This $50,000 is still less than what we can operate it ourselves."
• Approved $1,500 for the county surveyor's office for overtime pay. Dick Kemper, county surveyor, said they are in the final stages of combining the real estate property tax statement and ditch assessment statement, but he is expecting three of the department's employees to work 80 hours overtime over the next eight weeks to get the work finished.
• Approved an additional appropriation and salary amendment for two school resource officers, one for Wawasee and one for Tippecanoe Valley High School.
The sheriff's department received a grant recently that will pay 100 percent of the salaries of two full-time school resource officers for three years as well as their benefits.
The school resource officers will probably come from within the department and two new employees will be hired to replace them, Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine said last month.
• Approved an additional appropriation and a salary ordinance to hire two new jailers for the county jail. Since the county dispatch center is now in the basement, the new jailers will help operate the office upstairs.
• Approved $624.45 to be paid to a part-time contract deputy.
In December, Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Waggoner told the council he wants a part-time contract deputy to be added to his office. The deputy will receive the same hourly rate as the lowest paid deputy prosecutor, and Waggoner will help the person get her continuing legal education. She will work approximately two days four times a year while the prosecutor's office is at special training for prosecutors. Waggoner will use $5,000 from an office account to pay the deputy.
The new position was approved as long as it is funded by the prosecutor.
Thursday, the council approved only $624.45 instead of the total $5,000 because they had questions as to whether it may be better to approve an hourly wage instead of a per diem of $208.15. They want Waggoner to attend the March county council meeting to discuss the matter.
• Approved a request by Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed for an additional appropriation of $40,000 from the adult users fee. Robinson said in the past, the user fees, which are collected from adults on probation, have been used to buy new equipment and remodel the probation department.
Members of the county council include James Tranter, Tom Anglin, Lewis Bertsch, John Kinsey, Harold Jones, Brad Tandy and Kathryn Teel.
