Tippecanoe commissioners approve routine contracts, grants and personnel changes

The Tippecanoe County Board of Commissioners on March 17 approved a bundle of routine contracts, grants and personnel changes affecting transportation, public health, juvenile services and public safety.

The board voted to approve a $10,075 contract for annual traffic counting work performed under an Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) grant shared with Carroll County; INDOT and Carroll County will reimburse the county for the contractor's work and associated staff time, according to the presenter, Amanda, an area-plan staff member. "Total cost of the contractor is $10,075. We'll get reimbursed by INDOT and Carroll County," Amanda said.

The board also approved an INDOT reimbursement of $11,884.95 for localized road damage linked to a detour during a State Road 26 culvert project. Stuart, a county public-works staff member, said, "There was a lot of hauling. There was some localized damage, and the contract allows them for payment to us of $11,884.95." The board approved a related warranty deed for Parcel 30 (Kenny Road / County Road 500 East) with land valued at $27,850, a permit to close roads for the Wyandotte Elementary 5K fundraiser on Friday, May 2, and a drainage easement along Round Table Drive.

Health-department business included approval of a one-year lease addendum for the Gateway to Hope program at 2300 Ferry Street and a personnel change that eliminates one public-health-nurse position and creates a full-time medical-assistant position funded through Health First Indiana. Stacy, who presented the lease and related health items, said the addendum combines a prior lease and memorandum of understanding and reduces the monthly rent: "It's lower now. It went from 4,400 to 4,000." The board voted to approve the lease addendum at $4,000 per month and the position change, which had previously passed personnel committee and the county's internal review.

Public-safety and youth-service approvals included a $10,500 contract with Elite Training and Consulting for defensive-tactics training, and several juvenile-community-corrections and school-justice partnership contracts funded from unexpended grant dollars. The board approved: - Rachel's Challenge, $20,200; - Strategies for Youth Services, $7,000; - Willowstone Family Services, $19,200; - Peace Learning Center, $3,500 (the presenter noted an agenda typo listing $3,200); - JDAI tutoring contracts: a tutor at $24 per hour and a tutoring coordinator (Jack Uvega) at $25 per hour.

The board adopted Resolution 2025-08 authorizing Commissioner Brown to receive and publicly open bids on a separate schedule for the Buck Creek and Colburn wastewater project. The resolution was presented to allow bid openings on dates outside a regular commissioners meeting and to have the engineering team return a recommendation to the commission. The resolution text and number were read into the record as "resolution 2025-dash-08" during the meeting.

The commission also granted permission to apply for several grants: probation and community corrections to apply for 2026 funding from the Indiana Department of Correction (DOC); circuit-court Veterans Court to apply for a 2026 grant from the Indiana Supreme Court program (referred to in the meeting as a PSC grant); and the sheriff's office to apply for the 2026 Comprehensive Highway Injury Reduction Program (CHRP) funding for overtime patrols. The health department was granted permission to accept a $19,000 grant from the Tippecanoe County Drug Free Coalition for peer-support coaching and community naloxone lockbox distribution for the Gateway to Hope program.

Votes at a glance - Approve minutes of March 3, 2025 meeting — approved (motion and second recorded; voice vote "aye"). - Approve accounts payable (March 5'March 17, 2025) — approved. - Approve payroll for March 14, 2025 — approved. - Approve INDOT traffic-counting contractor ($10,075; reimbursed by INDOT and Carroll County) — approved. - Approve INDOT reimbursement to county for detour damages ($11,884.95) — approved. - Approve warranty deed for Parcel 30, County Road 500 East (land value $27,850) — approved. - Permit to close roads for Wyandotte Elementary 5K (May 2) — approved. - Approve drainage easement along Round Table Drive — approved. - Approve Gateway to Hope lease addendum at 2300 Ferry Street ($4,000/month) — approved. - Approve elimination of a Health First Indiana-funded public health nurse position and creation of a full-time medical assistant position — approved. - Approve Elite Training and Consulting contract (defensive tactics) $10,500 — approved. - Approve Rachel's Challenge contract $20,200 — approved. - Approve Strategies for Youth Services contract $7,000 — approved. - Approve Willowstone Family Services contract $19,200 — approved. - Approve Peace Learning Center contract $3,500 — approved. - Approve JDAI tutor ($24/hr) and tutoring coordinator (Jack Uvega, $25/hr) — approved. - Adopt Resolution 2025-08 (authorize Commissioner Brown to receive and open bids for Buck Creek and Colburn wastewater project) — adopted. - Grant permission to apply for DOC 2026 funding (probation/community corrections) — approved. - Grant permission to apply for Veterans Court 2026 PSC grant (circuit court) — approved. - Grant permission to apply for Sheriff CHRP 2026 funding — approved. - Grant permission to accept Tippecanoe County Drug Free Coalition grant to Gateway to Hope ($19,000) — approved.

Several presenters noted minor clarifications: the Peace Learning Center contract amount was corrected in the meeting packet from $3,200 to $3,500; the Gateway to Hope lease combines an earlier lease and memorandum-of-understanding into one agreement; and the resolution and bid timetable for the wastewater project were intended to permit public bid openings on dates outside regular meetings and to have engineering return a recommendation at a future meeting.

Reports from the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Tippecanoe County Public Library, WindTech/Tippecanoe, and the Wabash River Heritage Corridor Commission were filed for public viewing, and the board adjourned.

Ending: The board scheduled no additional votes on the record; attendees were invited to view reports filed in the commissioners' office.