Dubois County commissioners approve highway contracts, budget increases and several community requests

Dubois County commissioners approved a package of highway contracts, funding requests and community event permits during their April 21 meeting, and authorized staff to pursue judgments on delinquent Community Corrections accounts.

The board signed a contract and required bid documents for the Community Crossing (CCMG) paving program — described in the meeting as “Community Crossing’s 2025 Metro 1 paving projects” — and approved forwarding a rejuvenation/preservation contract with Rejuptech to county council for appropriation. Commissioners also approved multiple additional appropriations for highway and local road programs and granted event permits and road-closure permission for a St. Henry run/walk and the Strawson Fest celebration.

Why it matters: The votes advance paving and road-preservation work planned for 2025 and authorize the county to seek funding or council approval where required. Several public events now have the permits and traffic controls they requested, and Community Corrections will move to collect outstanding fees through small-claims filings.

Most significant actions - Community Crossing paving contract: commissioners approved the county’s contract and required bid paperwork for the Community Crossing 2025 Metro 1 paving projects (vendor/contract name in the meeting: Calcar). The motion passed by voice vote. - Rejuptech rejuvenation/preservation work: commissioners approved moving forward with a $186,595.20 quote from Rejuptech and referred the contract to county council for appropriation approval. The board approved forwarding the contract to the council rather than committing county appropriated funds at the meeting. - Highway and paving appropriations: commissioners approved requests described in the meeting as additional appropriations totaling $910,000 for highway/paving funds (meeting discussion listed $10,000 from MBH unrestricted; $90,000 MBH restricted for bituminous; and $810,000 for paving projects — recorded in the board discussion as a $910,000 total request). The board also approved a separate Local Road and Street appropriation request totaling $470,000 (the meeting item listed $70,000 for stone, $200,000 bituminous, $200,000 painting projects). All appropriations were approved to be forwarded to county council as required. - St. Henry Run/Walk road closure (June 14): commissioners granted the requested brief road closures on County Roads 1100, 100, 1000 and 200 for a 4-mile walk, contingent on standard liability/indemnification and coordination with sheriff’s, fire and ambulance services; motion carried. - Strawson Fest / courthouse-square use (July 31–Aug 3): the board approved the Strawson Fest Committee’s requests for use of the courthouse square, decoration and limited after-hours access to restroom facilities, subject to coordination with custodial staff and standard indemnification; motion carried. - Jail communications-site fence: commissioners approved supporting construction of a security fence around the county’s radio/communications tower at the jail complex and directed the requester to seek county council funding approval; motion carried. A low bid in the meeting was $4,366.74 (quote text in meeting). The presenter (Scott Wilson) said the low bidder is a local fence contractor and requested council funding support. - Community Corrections small-claims filings: the board authorized Community Corrections to file small-claims suits in the name of Dubois County for delinquent supervision/fee accounts dating back up to six years so unpaid balances can be reduced to judgments and collection pursued; motion carried. - Dilapidated building enforcement (5398 East Main Street): the board directed the owner to produce either a purchase agreement or a contractor contract to remove the unsafe addition, and ordered materials in the county right-of-way cleared immediately. The board scheduled a follow-up status item for the next commissioners’ meeting and approved enforcement if the owner does not demonstrate a credible plan.

Other meeting decisions and next steps - Several routine items (minutes, consent agenda items) were approved early in the meeting by voice vote. - Multiple approvals related to highway and road funds were forwarded to county council for appropriation or final funding action; the commissioners repeatedly noted that appropriation authority rests with council. - Where the meeting recorded only “all in favor say aye” and “motion carries,” no roll-call vote counts were recorded in the transcript.

Quotations from the meeting "I'll make a motion that we approve the Calcar contract for Community Crossing's 2025 Metro 1 paving projects and the accompanying required bid for Magnitude." — (speaker on record presenting the contract) "I had a hard time finding a fencing company. The quotes were significantly higher than what I expected... The low bid was $4,366.74." — Scott Wilson, requester for communications-site fencing

Ending: The board’s approvals set multiple projects in motion and will require county council action in several cases before funds are released. Commissioners scheduled enforcement review and follow-up items for the next meeting where required.