The Dubois County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 13 unanimously approved sending a financial commitment letter for a Community Crossings paving application and approved several funding requests to forward to the county council, advanced an American with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plan appropriation request and accepted four housing-rehabilitation bids — while a motion to create a county administrator post failed on a 1–1–1 vote.

The measures approved at the meeting include county support for a roughly $1.39 million paving package to be submitted to the Indiana Community Crossings program; a $50,000 appropriation request from the general fund to pay a consultant to update the county’s ADA transition plan; $150,000 (materials) and $11,000 (tools/equipment) requests for bridge work; and approval of a Good Samaritan Fund agreement for county employee health-plan members.

Why it matters: the Community Crossings application would add roughly 12.5 miles of hot‑mix paving across three county roads, leverage state funding and require a local match; the ADA work is intended to make county facilities eligible for some state and federal infrastructure grants; bridge appropriations keep bridge‑crew work moving into winter; and the housing rehab awards unlock work for homeowners who applied to a county program. The failed county administrator motion signaled continuing disagreement among the commissioners about timing and pay relative to current county staff.

Community Crossings paving application, financial commitment
The county engineer said staff identified Club Road, St. Anthony Road North and 550 West as candidates for hot‑mix asphalt totaling about 12.5 miles and estimated construction at about $1,390,000. Because the Indiana Community Crossings program places an annual per‑agency cap (the engineer reported a $1,000,000 cap this year), the county will submit a financial commitment letter indicating the county’s intent to fund its match if NDOT awards the grant.

The engineer told commissioners his estimate for the county share, based on the contractor cost estimates and the program’s 20% local match, would be approximately $391,843.55. He also warned that the funding-award timetable has tightened and that the county needs appropriations in place quickly if it is to meet NDOT’s contracting window.

Action: Commissioners voted to approve signing the Community Crossings financial commitment letter and proceed with the application. The motion passed by voice vote (recorded as "aye" by the commissioners present).

ADA transition plan: $50,000 request to council
Staff described the county’s ADA transition plan as last updated in 02/2012 and said the county needs consultant help to bring the plan up to modern standards so the county can demonstrate good‑faith compliance when applying for state funding. The county’s consultant vendor list includes Lochmueller, which staff said they have been working with. Staff’s estimate for consultant work was $35,000–$45,000; commissioners were asked to send a $50,000 appropriation request to the county council from the general fund (there is an ADA line item) to ensure adequate coverage.

Action: The board voted to support the county engineer’s request and forward a $50,000 appropriation request to the county council for the ADA transition plan. The motion carried by voice vote.

Bridge safety grant and materials requests
Commissioners discussed a federal/state bridge safety call for projects (the county has 162 bridges; staff said about 75% have railing or guardrail in noncompliant condition for national bridge inspection standards). Staff said the program is a 90/10 match and estimated the county’s three‑year share at roughly $440,000 if the project is selected (the total project could be roughly $4,000,000 depending on scope). The board agreed to move a financial commitment letter to the council so the county could submit the application when the call opens.

Separately, bridge crews reported an immediate need for an additional $150,000 for bridge materials and $11,000 to replace a welder on a crew truck. Staff said the material request is to carry them through the end of the year; the welder was described as irreparable after 31 years of service.

Action: Commissioners approved forwarding the bridge grant commitment letter to the county council and approved sending requests for $150,000 (materials) and $11,000 (tools/equipment) to the council. Motions carried by voice vote.

Good Samaritan Fund for county health plan
A vendor representative presented the Good Samaritan Fund program for employees identified as high‑claim members; staff described the program as voluntary, free to the county and designed to reduce risk and cost to the county health plan by offering an alternative marketplace option for high‑claim individuals.

Action: Commissioners voted to approve signing the implementation agreement with the Good Samaritan Fund. Motion carried by voice vote.

Owner‑occupied rehabilitation program: bids opened and awards
The board opened multiple contractor bids for work under the owner‑occupied rehabilitation program and the housing coordinator and program manager reviewed the incoming bids. Staff recommended awarding four bids that fell within program caps and program rules (staff noted the program has a $20,000 cap for some components and that some bids exceeded homeowner remaining funds). The board accepted the staff recommendations and approved the four awards so the work can proceed; staff said the remaining homes will be handled by change order or by future solicitations.

Action: Commissioners approved the four bid awards recommended by staff. Motion carried by voice vote.

Ambulance remount bids
The county opened three bids to remount an ambulance chassis (unit #431). Bids read: Emergency Vehicles Plus (Holland, Mich.) $334,000; American Response Vehicles (Columbia, Mo.) $276,600; McQueen Emergency $298,698. Staff said they will review the proposals in detail and bring a recommendation at a later meeting.

JEVS courtroom system, remote camera access
The board approved a JEVS maintenance and preventative‑maintenance support agreement for the court recording/AV system and also approved a memorandum of understanding allowing limited remote access for the county custodian to perform maintenance and protect county assets. County counsel and judges reviewed the contract language and staff said the agreement will be signed by the judicial officers (the contract is billed to the courts).

County administrator proposal fails; commissioners differ on timing and pay
Commissioners debated a county administrator position that county council members had proposed and that the board had discussed in prior private and public meetings. The job description had been circulated; some department heads and elected officials spoke at the meeting about timing, pay equity and the county’s ability to absorb the new salary while ordinary staff pay increases remain modest.

Action: A motion to create the county administrator position was made and seconded. The recorded outcome was 1 in favor, 1 opposed and 1 abstention; the motion failed for lack of a majority.

Solar and battery storage: public safety concerns voiced
A group of residents, represented by Rita Bartle, delivered a detailed statement opposing an AES‑linked battery energy storage system and associated solar project near parts of Dubois County. Concerns raised included thermal runaway risks in lithium ion batteries, off‑gassing, potential contamination, evacuation planning near schools, and the long‑term decommissioning and land‑use impacts. A representative who identified herself as Michelle Carlton (ADP Renewables) joined the meeting remotely and said she was available to answer questions about the ADP/Duff project; commissioners noted the county’s limited authority under state code to regulate utility‑scale energy facilities beyond setbacks, road‑use and subdivision controls.

Housing and veterans items, opioid set‑aside
Commissioners heard updates that the veterans services office reported a heavy volume following an outreach event; staff also briefed the board on a RISE recovery program requesting roughly 30% of its next‑year budget as opioid settlement funding (the request was approximately $107,237 according to materials staff circulated). Commissioners asked staff and the program to return with further details at the next meeting; the RISE representative is scheduled to appear at the board’s next meeting.

Burial/marker benefit: ordinance to double county amount
Staff reported that other Indiana counties provide a range of veteran burial and marker benefits; the board asked county attorney staff to draft an ordinance that would raise the county’s benefit from its current level to a higher, standardized payment (staff suggested doubling the current amounts as an initial option) and to return the draft for formal consideration. The attorney said a formal ordinance would be required for any increase.

What’s next
Commissioners asked staff to forward the appropriation requests to the county council (Community Crossings commitment, ADA $50,000 request, bridge materials/tools requests) and to return with more detailed prize analyses and contract recommendations where bids were opened. The housing rehab coordinator and the RISE representative are scheduled to return for follow‑up at the next meeting.

Ending: The board closed its session after routine committee and appointments business and additional public comment; commissioners asked staff to bring back ordinance drafts, detailed budget impacts and any required interlocal or decommissioning language tied to energy projects when available.