Elkhart County commissioners on Oct. 20 approved a package of consultant agreements and task orders for several bridge projects, adopted an ordinance standardizing county contract language and authorized $400,000 for a Middlebury water and sewer main extension tied to the Middlebury Southeast TIF District.

The measures were presented during the board's business session and passed by unanimous voice votes. Highway Department staff said the agreements follow the county's standard independent-contractor terms and set not-to-exceed fees for project consulting and design.

Jason Avels, zoning administrator, did not present these items; Highway Department staffer Kyle Wagner described one early item as a local public agency agreement with SJCA Inc. for design of Bridge 143 with a not-to-exceed fee of $471,682. The board approved that LPA agreement by voice vote.

County Attorney Steve Olson summarized two independent contractor agreements presented under standardized terms: one with Ecopia Tech Corporation (to be followed by a task order at the stormwater board) and another with Kimberly Horn and Associates Inc. Each ICA was approved by unanimous voice votes.

The commissioners then approved several task orders for bridge design and replacement work:
- Task order with Loch Mueller Group Inc. for Bridge 347 replacement, not to exceed $509,540 (approved unanimously).
- Task order with Loch Mueller Group Inc. for Bridge 402 superstructure replacement (Indiana Avenue over Rock Run Creek), not to exceed $473,510; preliminary plans are scheduled about 180 days after notice to proceed with final plans by 08/01/2027 and bid documents about 30 days after final plans (approved unanimously).
- Task order with United Consulting Engineers Inc. for rehabilitation of Bridge 136, not to exceed $375,350, with bidding targeted for November 2026 (approved unanimously).
- Task order with United Consulting Engineers Inc. for replacement of Bridge 232, not to exceed $397,050, with planned bid in November 2026 (approved unanimously).

The board also considered a joint resolution with the Elkhart County Council to approve an interlocal agreement funding a water and sewer main extension associated with the Middlebury Southeast TIF District. The county recorded that the town of Middlebury will submit a claim for $400,000 for specified purposes, that the town will administer the project and ultimately own the improvements, and that the county will keep its limitation-of-liability language in the agreement. Commissioners approved the interlocal resolution by voice vote.

Separately, the board voted to adopt an ordinance establishing standard contractual language for county contracts. County staff said Indiana Code authorizes the Board of Commissioners to adopt such an ordinance; the measure formalizes the standard terms already used in the county's independent contractor agreements while allowing exceptions for procurements that do not require a contract or projects requiring specialized state terms (for example, INDOT projects). The commissioners approved the ordinance unanimously.

Why it matters: the package of consultant agreements and task orders funds design and replacement work on multiple county bridges and sets schedules for design and bidding; the ordinance aims to standardize contracting across departments and reduce repeated negotiations; and the Middlebury interlocal commits county funds to a public-works extension tied to a TIF district.

Commissioners did not report dissent on these items during the meeting. Details on the individual agreements, task orders and the ordinance text are to be made available in county contract records and on the county commissioners' website.