Tippecanoe County commissioners approve contracts, personnel changes and ratify $25 million RAISE grant

Tippecanoe County commissioners on Jan. 21 approved a series of procurement actions, personnel changes and contracts, and ratified a $25,000,000 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The board voted to take four bids for the Kenny Road (County Road 500 East Phase 2) project under advisement, approved three right-of-way warranty deeds tied to that project, authorized personnel changes in the sheriff’s and health departments, approved an addendum to the county’s animal-sheltering contract and an administrative addendum to an owner-engineering agreement, and ratified the federal RAISE grant agreement. The board also approved a Youth Services contract noted in the meeting packet.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes (Jan. 6, 2025): approved (voice vote) - Accounts payable (claims dated Jan. 8–Jan. 21, 2025): approved (voice vote) - Payroll (Jan. 17, 2025): approved (voice vote) - Kenny Road bids (Milestone Contractors $3,682,900; William Charles Company $4,060,000; Atlas Excavating $4,167,708; Reef Riley $4,090,000): taken under advisement (motion approved) - Right-of-way warranty deeds for County Road 500 East project (parcels): approved (voice votes) - Parcel 23/23a (Gary Allen Shirley): $33,200 - Parcel 29 (Paramjit and Sukhwinder Bath): $46,750 - Parcel 32 (American Realty LLC): $21,000 - Personnel: create 1 corporal (POLE 4) and eliminate 1 jail deputy (POLE 3) — approved; eliminate health officer assistant (commot 5) and create community health case manager (commot 4) — approved (estimated $3,000 annual savings) - Humane Society of Greater Lafayette addendum (animal sheltering, 2025): approved at $14,858 per month - Addendum to owner‑engineering agreement (WET Environmental Engineering; invoicing handled by subconsultant Jones Petri Rafinski): approved (administrative) - Ratification of RAISE grant agreement (U.S. Department of Transportation) — $25,000,000: approved - Youth Services contract (listed in packet for Joseph Kidwell / Tidwell) at $60 per hour, paid from ICJ Alternatives grant contract #82869 through Dec. 31, 2025: approved

What the board approved

Bids for Kenny Road: County staff opened four bids for the Kenny Road (County Road 500 East Phase 2) project, showing Milestone Contractors with the low base bid of $3,682,900. Commissioners voted to take the bids under advisement; no contract award was made at the meeting.

Right-of-way warranty deeds: The board approved three warranty-deed payments tied to the County Road 500 East project. The recorded amounts were $33,200 for parcel 23/23a (Gary Allen Shirley), $46,750 for parcel 29 (Paramjit and Sukhwinder Bath), and $21,000 for parcel 32 (American Realty LLC).

Personnel changes: A county staff member identified as Sadie presented personnel items approved earlier by the personnel committee. Her requests included creating one corporal position at POLE 4 and eliminating one jail deputy position at POLE 3 for the sheriff’s department. She also asked to eliminate a health officer assistant position (commot 5) and create a community health case manager position (commot 4) for the health department; the board approved both actions. In the meeting Sadie stated, “My first request is, for the sheriff's department. Create 1 corporal position at a pole 4, eliminate 1 jail deputy position at a pole 3. This was approved by personnel committee.” The health‑department change was described during discussion as producing an estimated $3,000 savings.

Contracts and addenda: The board approved an addendum keeping the county’s animal‑sheltering arrangement with the Humane Society of Greater Lafayette in place for 2025 at $14,858 per month. Commissioners also approved an administrative addendum to the owner‑engineering agreement with WET Environmental Engineering that formalizes invoicing handled by subconsultant Jones Petri Rafinski so payments to JPR are credited correctly under the full contract.

RAISE grant ratification: Commissioners ratified a RAISE grant agreement from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a $25,000,000 award that the board was previously notified about. A presenter summarized that the grant was submitted in conjunction with county recreation (rec) and two cities and that rec has been serving in an administrative capacity for the project. The presenter said, “the grant was to Tippecanoe County” and that the county received the federal grant agreement after the award process.

Youth Services contract: A Youth Services contract for a community accountability board member was in the meeting packet. Sharon noted the contract and identified the contract source as the ICJ Alternatives grant (contract number 82869) at a rate of $60 per hour; the board approved the contract.

Procedural notes and reports: The board approved routine minutes, claims and payroll. Reports from the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Tippecanoe County Public Library, the Treasurer and the Wabash River Heritage Corridor Commission were listed as on file in the commissioners’ office.

The board did not take additional formal action on procurement awards (the Kenny Road bids were taken under advisement) and did not set new public hearings during this meeting. The meeting record shows each motion carried by voice vote unless a different method was stated.