Elkhart County commissioners approve appropriations, grant event permit and allow utility access; appoint Middlebury library board member

The Elkhart County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 8 approved multiple routine actions including three appropriations totaling approvals for jail boiler repairs and independent accounting assistance, granted a temporary use of county property for an annual motorcycle event, authorized a utility companyright of entry for soil sampling, and appointed a member to the Middlebury Public Library Board.

The actions were approved during the commissioners' regular session in Elkhart County. Commissioners voted 2-1 to appoint Sherry Pettifor to the Middlebury Public Library Board for a term ending June 29, 2028; they voted unanimously on the other items.

Why it matters: the appropriations replenish and allocate county funds used for jail boiler repairs and set aside money for outside accounting assistance; the right of entry allows a utility contractor to perform environmental soil sampling on county landfill property; and the permitted motorcycle event uses county property and requires coordination and insurance before it proceeds.

The appointment: Commissioners approved Sherry Pettifor to the Middlebury Public Library Board by a 2-1 vote. Commissioner Michelle Rogers, speaking during the roll-call portion of the appointment vote, said the board received four applicants and urged broad participation in future openings, noting “there are more people than just the loud people in the community.” Commissioner Barnes recorded a yes vote; the meeting transcript records the appointment as carrying 2 to 1 but does not name the dissenting vote.

Event permit: The board granted permission for the Ryder's Motorcycle Club to use a portion of county property behind the New Paris Highway Department garage for its annual Enduro event on Nov. 2, conditioned on providing a certificate of insurance and coordinating with highway staff. Jim Binkley, who identified himself as a lifetime area resident and representative of the Ryder's Motorcycle Club, described the group as “an AMA sanctioned enduro that we hold every year in the New Paris area” and said the club would provide insurance when available. The commissioners approved the request 3-0 and directed county highway staff to coordinate logistics ahead of the Nov. 2 event.

Right of entry for soil sampling: County attorney Steve Olson presented a right-of-entry agreement allowing NIPSCO limited access to landfill property for standard soil sampling at NIPSCOtheir sole risk and expense; Olson said NIPSCO would indemnify the county and provide a release. The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the right of entry.

Appropriations and fund replenishment: County administrator Jeff Taylor presented an additional appropriation of $60,000 from the general fund for independent accounting assistance, to be used on an as-needed basis with outside vendors such as Baker Tilly. The commissioners approved the $60,000 appropriation unanimously. The board also approved two appropriations related to jail boiler repairs: $76,000 to replenish the cumulative capital development fund to restore funds already spent on boiler repairs, and $120,000 from the Lehi special-purpose fund (described in the transcript as the fund appropriate for the remaining boiler costs) to cover additional boiler project expenses. Both boiler-related appropriations were approved unanimously; the transcript records that the $120,000 appropriation followed an emergency meeting to address necessary systems.

Public comment and follow-up requests: During the privilege of the floor, resident Pam Kaiser asked the commissioners for more information about the $60,000 independent accounting appropriation and whether it related to a State Board of Accounts (SBOA) report filed in July; she also requested that future applicants to library boards receive an acknowledgement that their application was received. The board did not provide additional details about the $60,000 appropriation on the record beyond Jeff Taylorexplaining the appropriation was to pay for outside accounting assistance when required.

Next steps: The motorcycle club must provide a certificate of insurance and coordinate with highway staff before the Nov. 2 event. County staff did not provide a timeline or additional public materials at the meeting for follow-up on the $60,000 appropriation; the board removed one agenda item that needed further research and said it will be returned at a later meeting.

(For votes and formal actions, see "Votes at a glance" below.)