Marshall County commissioners approve building purchase, several contracts and grant commitments; discuss Linden Road and Lake Latonka sewer concerns

Marshall County commissioners met March 3 in Plymouth and approved a series of procurement and funding items while debating how to position several large highway projects for state funding.

The most consequential action was approval to proceed with a $450,000 purchase of the county’s proposed office location, the former Bowen building, with a $250,000 payment at closing and two subsequent $100,000 payments at one- and two-year anniversaries. Commissioners authorized the county president to sign purchase documents pending the county council’s funding approval.

The meeting opened with highway updates from Jason of the highway department, who reported submitted permit work, ongoing bridge inspections and a push from the state for localities to underwrite portions of preliminary engineering (PE) to improve a project’s competitiveness for limited INDOT funds. Commissioners pressed staff on the scale of that ask and on alternatives short of committing large sums up front.

Jason and county staff outlined a menu of projects advertised by the state for PE support—Linden Road, a guardrail replacement at North Michigan (near a railroad bridge), and several safety items including speed trailers. Commissioners discussed the risks of committing large sums for PE (one cited figure for Linden Road was $868,000) if the county did not ultimately receive construction funding; staff stated that PE paid now could be credited on future applications if the project is not awarded in the current round.

After debate, the board voted to partially fund the PE cost for the guardrail and the speed-trailer safety grants and to pay those amounts from the Local Roads and Streets (LRS) fund. Commissioners described the decision as a limited commitment intended to improve competitiveness for roughly $1.4 million in PE requests countywide; no single member recorded substantive opposition during the roll call.

Commissioners approved several routine contracts and agreements in a single…