Kosciusko County Highway Department will receive $500,000 from the Western Route Project but that still leaves the department $1 million shy of what it needs just to keep all county roads maintained.
County Commissioner Ron Truex, County Administrator Ron Robinson and County Highway Superintendent Scott Tilden presented a united front to the county council at its monthly meeting Thursday night.
Truex told the council that since the Western Route Project, which involves building roundabouts along Old 30, is coming in under budget, $500,000 can be taken from it and put into Tilden’s department.
Tilden explained the county has 1,180 miles of county roads to maintain and 1,050 miles of that is black top.
To properly maintain that much road, Tilden said it would cost $1.5 million. Instead, he and his department will have to make due with $500,000.
“It’s not a solution, but it’s a start,” said Tilden.
He pointed to shrinking federal and state money as well as the shrinking of what highway departments get from a gas tax as reason for the shortfall.
Now Tilden and his department will develop a road plan around the $500,000 it got from the Western Route Project.
Kosciusko County Prosecutor Dan Hampton was given an additional appropriation for $41,200 for his offices’ pre-trial diversion program.
Hampton said the money was to update surveillance in interview rooms as well as blood alcohol concentration machines.
Hampton said new federal laws now mandate that all in-custody interviews be recorded and that is part of the reason for the needed upgrade.
Hampton said the additional appropriation won’t be spent by tax dollars.
Laurie Renier, county assessor, was approved for a transfer of $12,000 to cover overtime pay for her department through 2012.
County Coroner John Sadler received approval to transfer $200 to cover repairs to a coroner’s vehicle.
County clerk Jason McCreary was approved to spend $915.11 for new shelving and another $3,500 to repair marriage records from the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s.
Both expenditures come out of the clerk’s records perpetuation fund.
McSherry told the council that it was currently cheaper to repair such records rather than digitize them.
Darci Zolman, from the Soil and Water Conservation District, was given approval to replace a technical position.
That position, among other things, assists landowners with state and federal conservation programs.
In other business, Jody Roose was appointed to the Milford Library Board.
Follow staff writer Daniel Riordan on Twitter at @TUNews_Riordan
