Clinton County commissioners approve ordinances, contracts and appointments; multiple motions pass 3-0

The Clinton County Board of Commissioners on April 15 approved a series of ordinances, contracts, appointments and administrative actions by unanimous voice votes (3-0), and took several contractor bids under advisement for later certification.

Nut graf: The meeting covered routine county business including a land-use alley vacation, precinct boundary formalization, grant applications for public transit, highway contract awards, zoning rezoning recommended by the Area Plan Commission, and multiple administrative approvals. Most motions passed unanimously by the three commissioners in attendance.

Alley vacation (Ordinance 2025-02) Phil Triplett, representing property owner Robert Gray, requested vacation of an underused north–south alley in the Forest original plat. Triplett said other adjacent owners are on board and area-plan staff had no issues. A motion to vacate the alley (ordinance 2025-02) was made, seconded, and the board recorded “Motion carries 3 0. The alley has been vacated.”

Establish precinct order County Clerk Stephanie Harshbarger presented a commissioner’s order to incorporate newly annexed area of the City of Frankfort into Precinct 39 as a formality following the city ordinance. Commissioners approved the order 3-0.

Community Crossings: bid openings and advisement Commissioners opened several Community Crossings project bids for road work and took the bids under advisement for later certification. Bid amounts read into the record included: $1,275,777.75; $1,590,333.10; $1,367,869.75; $1,860,156.73; and $1,000,904.75 (vendors read in at the meeting). The board voted to take those bids under advisement and certify a selection at a later meeting (motion carried 3-0).

2026 public transit grant (Paul Phillipi application) Dawn Layton said county staff will be the applicant for the 2026 Section 5311 public transit application and noted the county is part of a pilot regionalization effort; exact award amounts were not yet known. Commissioners voted 3-0 to sign the resolution and submit the grant application materials.

County bridge inspection consultant Rick and consultant representatives discussed proposals for the county-wide bridge inspection contract. Versar Engineering had been first-ranked but proposed fees about 24% higher than previous contracts; the county elected to proceed with the second-choice consultant (BF & NES Engineering) so work could meet a tight April deadline. Motion to proceed with the second choice carried 3-0.

Community Crossings (CCMG) closeout and Bridge 60 contract The board signed a closeout for the 2024 Community Crossings CCMG phase 1 and approved a contract award and notice to proceed for Bridge 60 repairs with Civil Coating and Construction (single bid: $681,658.50; completion expected July 1, 2026). Commissioners approved the CCMG closeout and the contract award by voice vote (3-0).

Mower procurement Commissioners discussed a county purchase vs. 5-year lease for a communal mower. Commissioners recommended buying the machine outright to avoid lease interest (staff reported a 5-year lease would cost roughly $58,000 in interest) and adopted a motion to pursue outright purchase; motion carried 3-0.

Area Plan rezoning (Loop Pack 0425388) Area Plan representative presented Loop Pack 0425388 and the Area Plan Commission’s favorable recommendation to rezone 3.85 acres on the south side of State Road 26 from R-1 (rural residential) to B-2 (Central Business) to allow consolidation of two insurance offices. The commissioners approved the rezoning/loop pack ordinance 3-0.

Construction pay applications and appointments The board approved two construction pay applications: Envoy ($1,307,197.66; ~89% complete on that project) and a courthouse pay application ($112,595.20; ~59% complete). Commissioners also reappointed Susie Plunkett to the county cemetery commission for a five-year term (motion carried 3-0).

Ordinance: tattoo and body modification (Ordinance 2025-03) The board approved a lengthy tattoo and body-modification ordinance (ordinance 2025-03) sent by the county health department to provide regulatory standards; no health-department representative spoke at the meeting. Commissioners voted 3-0 to adopt the ordinance as presented.

Crime Scene Investigator job description The sheriff’s office presented a new civilian crime scene investigator (CSI) job description to centralize evidence collection, transport items to the state lab and manage the violent-offender registry. Commissioners approved posting/interim authorization to fill the position (motion carried 3-0).

Security automation and undercover vehicle rental The sheriff’s office received authority to proceed with Security Automation Systems work on the control board and door systems; the board approved a $30,000 cap to allow necessary adjustments during work (motion carried 3-0). The board also approved use of a monthly enterprise rental arrangement for an undercover vehicle (estimated $1,070.68/month) to replace an aging undercover vehicle; motion carried 3-0.

Other administrative approvals Commissioners approved sign-placement requests for local events, Gibson Teladata phone-service fees, routine claims and payroll runs, and the April 1 regular meeting minutes; all votes recorded as 3-0. They also approved a motion to take the Community Crossings bids under advisement and certify later. Several agenda items (TIF management report, dispatch recognition week) were informational only.

Ending: Commissioners said they will reconvene May 6 for the next regular meeting and complete remaining administrative paperwork as needed.