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Allen County commissioners approve contracts, grant awards and sign changes; school resource officer renewals cleared
Summary
At its Feb. 21 legislative session the Allen County Commissioners approved a suite of routine and project-specific items: contracts for road resurfacing and sign inventories, grant change orders, benefit-plan amendments, sign postings, renewal of school resource officer agreements and an appointment to the Community Corrections Advisory Board.
At their Feb. 21 legislative session the Allen County Commissioners voted on a series of routine and project items, approving contracts, amendments and sign requests across county departments.
Key approvals and outcomes (by motion and voice vote):
- Approval of the minutes of the Feb. 14, 2025 legislative session.
- Claims submitted for the period (Feb. 11–Feb. 2025) in the amount of $2,740,493.88 — approved.
- Amendment No. 2 to the agreement with Lochmiller Group for the Treuer (Trier/Treuer in transcript) Drain project: increase of just under $6,000, raising the project’s not-to-exceed amount from $634,140 to $640,088 — approved. Staff said easement revisions and appraisal updates drove the change.
- Amendment No. 1 to the Allen County active employee benefit plan and Allen County retiree employee benefit plan (health plan design changes): commissioners approved an amendment to adjust deductibles so the plan complies with IRS changes for HSA eligibility. Terry David, benefits manager, said the individual network deductible will be adjusted from $1,600 to $1,650 and the family network deductible from $3,200 to $3,300. The board approved the amendment.
- Change order No. 2 (final) for bid reference 062024 — 2024 Community Crossings matching grant HMA resurfacing with E & B Paving LLC: $173,309.47 increase approved. The board later accepted final project completion and final contract amount for the Community Crossings work at $3,930,489.18.
- Professional engineering services contract with Engineering Resources, Inc. to develop a countywide sign inventory (funded by an INDOT grant) for up to $225,080 — approved. County staff said the inventory will expand a current sign database (about 9,000 signs) and may at least double that count when subdivisions and street name signs are included.
- Professional engineering services contract with Engineering Resources, Inc. for project development to upgrade unsignalized intersections and improve sign/marking visibility (INDOT grant): cost not to exceed $69,040 — approved. Staff said the overall program is funded at approximately $360,000 with estimated $300,000 for installation and includes larger stop signs, stop-ahead signs, and new stop bars at arterial and collector roads. The work list includes Washington Center Road, Lower Huntington Road, Airport Expressway, Indianapolis Road, Dawkins Road and Schwartz Road; the contract covers design work at 55 locations.
- Sign requests approved: post stop signs at two locations in the Haven subdivision (Deer Cliff Run at Haven Boulevard; Beak’s Edge Way at Haven Boulevard), and post no-parking zones on Hessen Castle Road and Maples Road at specified stretches.
- Renewal of school resource officer (SRO) agreements for the 2024–25 school year: East Allen County Schools (4 officers), Northwest Allen County Schools (4 officers), Southwest Allen County Schools (4 officers), and Canterbury School (1 officer) — all renewals approved.
- Approval of Plat: The Haven Section 1 Lot 14 amended secondary — approved.
- Appointment: Adam Kurtz, VP of operations at Park Center, was approved to fill the Community Corrections Advisory Board seat that requires a mental-health-community representative; the appointee will serve the remainder of the term running to 2027 and will be eligible for reappointment thereafter.
Routine procedural motions (second readings; motions to approve) also passed by voice vote during the meeting.
Public comment: Two members of the public spoke. Billy Little, president of the Delta Bittersweet Homeowners Association, raised sedimentation in the Zents Master Drain watershed and said his HOA expects to spend roughly $10,000 per year dredging their pond; commissioners suggested raising the issue with the county drainage board and the surveyor’s office. Eddie Bridal, a local food-truck owner, urged county engagement on vending ordinances and suggested exploring food truck parks; commissioners acknowledged the comment and thanked him for attending.
