Elkhart council approves $4.65 million in matching funds for Bristol Street widening, plus two matching-grant appropriations

The Elkhart City Council on a 8-1 vote on third reading approved an ordinance appropriating $4,650,337 in matching funds for the Bristol Street widening project and, earlier in the meeting, unanimously passed two related matching-grant appropriations totaling about $1.2 million for the city’s Community Crossings projects.

The measures matter because they together provide the local match required to unlock state and federal grant dollars for paving and the multiyear Bristol Street widening, a major local road project that the city says has been in planning since 2019.

Council action and key votes

- Proposed ordinance 25-O-01, appropriating $425,000 from the riverboat gaming fund to the local road and bridge matching grant fund (Community Crossings match), passed on third reading, 9-0.

- Proposed ordinance 25-O-02, appropriating $777,672.50 from the local road and bridge matching grant fund for the 2025 contract paving project under the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program, passed on third reading, 9-0.

- Proposed ordinance 25-O-03-R, the ordinance appropriating $4,650,337 in matching funds for the Bristol Street widening project (the revised amount from an earlier larger figure), passed on third and final reading, 8-1. Councilman Hankey cast the lone vote against the final Bristol Street appropriation.

Officials’ explanations and timeline

Jeff Schafer, assistant city engineer, described the first two appropriations as the local matching component for Community Crossings grants and said the appropriations precede later actions to allocate the full project packages. “This is a match for the Community Crossings matching grant,” Schafer said.

On Bristol Street, Schafer told the council the project is the local public agency (LPA) project that dates to early 2019 and was delayed in part by the pandemic. He said an additional about $1,500,000 of federal funds became available after bids opened in early December, and that timing in state and federal bidding schedules and upcoming holidays created an “imperative” to act sooner. “It was an additional approximate $1,500,000 of federal funds that are going toward this project,” Schafer said. He also said, “This is gonna be about a 2 year project, with a start sometime either … in late March or early April.”

Procedure and dissent

Council voted to suspend the rules so the Bristol Street ordinance could proceed through second and third reading in the same meeting. Administration staff and the city attorney advised the council that lowering the appropriation amount from the originally advertised figure is procedurally permissible but the council could not increase it at this meeting.

Councilman Henke spoke against final passage on substantive grounds. “I don't want my name attached in a positive way to this project … because I believe we have a 4‑lane going into a lesser lane. We are gonna have some traffic and speed issues … So I will vote in a negative way,” Henke said. The ordinance passed 8-1 on final reading.

Project scope and related work

Schafer said the appropriations will fund match costs for multiple paving projects, including Bristol Street between Cassopolis Street and Oslo Road, and work in Park 6 Industrial Park including Lear Drive. Council members discussed how some segments may later be considered for lane reconfiguration (from four lanes to three) only after the Bridal Street widening project between Jean Wood and County Road 15 is completed and further study is done.

Funding mechanics

City controller Jamie (for the record identified as city controller) explained the $777,672.50 appropriation includes the local match required by INDOT plus contingency components; council questions established that state grants are now reimbursement-based, so the city must appropriate funds up front and then receive 50% reimbursement under Community Crossings rules.

What happens next

With appropriations in place, staff said they will proceed with contracting and will return with project-level appropriations and contracts for council approval as needed. Schafer said construction is expected to span roughly two years, with a start in late March or early April if schedules hold.

Votes at a glance

- 25-O-01: Appropriated $425,000 from the riverboat gaming fund for Community Crossings matching; mover: Councilman Henke; seconder: Councilwoman Hines; outcome: approved 9-0 (third and final).

- 25-O-02: Appropriated $777,672.50 from the local road and bridge matching grant fund for 2025 contract paving projects under the Community Crossings program; mover: Councilman Mishler; seconder: Councilman Fish; outcome: approved 9-0 (third and final).

- 25-O-03-R: Appropriated $4,650,337 in matching funds for the Bristol Street widening project; initial ordinance was replaced and the revised amount was read on first reading; council suspended the rules to consider second and third reading due to INDOT bidding timing; mover (third and final): Councilman Mishler; seconder: Councilman Crabtree; outcome: approved 8-1 (third and final). Councilman Hankey voted no.

Background and context

Council and staff said the Bristol Street project has been in planning for several years and that the additional federal funds and the state bidding timetable prompted the request to expedite the appropriation. Council members asked for pedestrian and safety considerations to be reviewed before lane-configuration decisions are finalized.

Funding sources and limits noted in the meeting

Officials identified the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program as the statewide 50/50 matching program used for the contract paving projects, and said INDOT (the state department that opened the bids) and federal funds via regional MPO adjustments contributed to the project package. The meeting record does not specify contractor names, exact start dates, or final design details; those will be provided in later contract-approval items returned to council for action.