Henry County approves $435,427 housing draw for Brookfield Farms; county notes sanitary-sewer permit for same project

Henry County commissioners approved a first draw of $435,427 for the Brookfield Farms housing project and were notified that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management issued a sanitary-sewer construction permit for the same development.

The draw was presented by a project representative identified in the meeting as Mr. Murphy, who said, "I am here to seek approval on the first draw for the Brookfield Farms project, which is the ready to housing. It's coming from food and beverage. That draw is an amount of $435,427." Commissioners voted to approve the draw unanimously, with the clerk recording the motion as carried 3-0.

The project representative said the draw covers "mass excavation and grading" as part of the county's local match toward public infrastructure on Washington Street. He said Ready funds for the project are slated for $3,000,000 and that the approved draw is "one of two draws, and the second draw is anticipated in May '26."

Why it matters: The draw releases a substantial portion of the county's local match for infrastructure tied to a multi-million-dollar housing award. Later in the meeting, commissioners received a separate informational notice that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management had issued a sanitary-sewer construction permit on Aug. 12, 2025 for the development, in documents that referenced "Brookville Farms." The permit notice was provided under IC 13-15-3-1 and was marked informational; the board took no formal action on the permit.

Commission representation: A commissioner volunteer was identified to serve on the Ready leadership group that would represent the county if the program needed to reallocate funds. One commissioner volunteered and nominated "Steve," and another commissioner seconded the nomination; participants agreed informally that "You're it," with no formal roll-call vote recorded.

Meeting chronology and next steps: The presenter said the project expects a second draw in May 2026 for a similar amount. The sewer-permit notice was read later in the meeting as informational; the board was not asked to act on the permit. County staff will continue to coordinate infrastructure draws and any follow-up if the Ready leadership group is convened.

Quotes, attribution and record: Direct quotes in this article are taken from the meeting transcript and are attributed only to speakers recorded in the meeting. The permit notice naming "Scott Adams, DC Development" as the permit applicant was included in the clerk's informational item; no action was requested of the commissioners.