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Grant County commissioners approve contracts, property resolutions and traffic measures; accept EMS bids for review
Summary
At a regular Grant County Commissioners meeting, the panel ratified claims and payroll, approved multiple contracts and resolutions to pull properties from tax sale, accepted EMS building bids for review, approved a phone-line consolidation and granted temporary event access and neighborhood traffic measures.
Grant County Commissioners met in regular session and approved a series of motions on budget items, contracts, property resolutions and traffic measures while taking a handful of staff reports under advisement.
The commissioners ratified claims and payroll and approved minutes from prior regular and executive sessions. They adopted Ordinance No. 11-2025, an amendment to the county zoning map, and passed two resolutions to remove specific properties from upcoming tax sale lists: Resolution No. 3-2025 (the Dana property at 400 S. Miller Ave., Lots 10 and 11, Miller's Fourth) and Resolution No. 4-2025 (four Gas City parcels identified by street addresses). The board also accepted three bids for the planned EMS building and said it would review them before selecting a contractor.
Why it matters: the motions set the county’s short-term spending and procedural course for several land and redevelopment actions, and acceptance of EMS bids moves the county closer to selecting a builder for an emergency services facility.
Most important decisions and votes
- Claims and payroll: Commissioners ratified claims batches dated Aug. 25 and Sept. 2, 2025, a preapproved claim to ServiceMaster (Aug. 28) and payroll register No. 20 (preapproved Aug. 26). Each item was approved by voice vote.
- Zoning map amendment: The board approved Ordinance No. 11-2025 amending the county zoning map. The motion passed by voice vote.
- Tax-sale certificates: The board adopted Resolution No. 3-2025 to pull the Dana property from the public tax sale and to preserve the county’s ability to assign that tax-sale certificate. The board also adopted Resolution No. 4-2025 to pull four identified Gas City parcels from the tax sale to allow potential transfer or development coordination with municipal partners. Both resolutions passed by voice vote.
- EMS building bids: Three bids for construction of the county EMS building were opened and accepted for review. The board took the bids under advisement and said it will announce a future contract award after review.
- Contracts: The commissioners approved contracting with Baker Tilly (financial/municipal advisory work), Barnes & Thornburg (legal services), and Beckman Lawson (employee-handbook and employment-law review), with attorney review noted where appropriate. Each contract motion passed by voice vote.
- IT phone-line consolidation: The board approved switching existing analog lines and adding lines needed for elevator emergency handsets to a single vendor (Granite), contingent on attorney review of a three-year agreement. The measure was approved by voice vote.
- Road access and event traffic plan for 1812: The board approved temporary use of a county access lane to support circulation for the 1812 event, conditioned on securing required special-exception permitting from area planning and limits on dates of use (no access before the agreed start month). The motion passed and the county said highway staff would brush and mow the lane as needed; deputies will be positioned to help traffic flow during events.
- Neighborhood traffic measures at Brookhaven Lake: The board approved a request by the Brookhaven Lake Homeowners Association to install eight removable speed bumps at two locations to slow through-traffic during the event season. The HOA will purchase, install and remove the devices at no cost to the county. The motion passed by voice vote.
Other staff reports and context
- Emergency management (EMA) staff noted September is National Preparedness Month and said the county will post preparedness guidance online and coordinate with department heads.
- Central dispatch reported monthly call workload and staffing: 10,214 total calls last month, with 8,288 calls for service (police: 5,977; EMS: 1,072; fire: 604). The dispatch center has 16 dispatchers, two openings, five interviews scheduled and one trainee; the director said he requested two additional dispatcher positions in the upcoming budget and that six dispatchers will attend mental-health awareness training in Fort Wayne on Sept. 19. “Mental health is a big issue inside the PSAPs, nationwide,” central dispatch leadership told the board.
- IT presented two proposals to consolidate analog lines and add elevator lines under a single bill with a net monthly increase of about $82.55 but projected operational and administrative savings; the board approved the consolidation pending attorney review of the three-year vendor agreement.
- Highway department: Staff introduced assistant superintendent C.R. Gillespie, reported completion of roughly 60 miles of chip seal work with material costs of about $673,000, announced a state salt bid at $85.52 per ton versus a secondary quote of $95.84 per ton, and said bridge inspections will proceed this fall for about 192 county bridges. Highway staff also said they will pursue quotes for truck chassis ahead of 2026 emissions changes that are expected to raise unit costs.
What’s next: The board said it will review EMS building bids and return at a later meeting to announce a contract award. Several contract approvals were made pending final attorney review. The commissioners scheduled their next regular meeting and noted other standing committee meetings occurring that day.
Ending: The board recessed after concluding new business and public comment.
