Kosciusko County commissioners approve software purchase, property offer and sewer application; OK health MOUs and economic-development funds

Kosciusko County commissioners on a routine morning agenda voted to approve a series of administrative and development actions, including purchase of a work-order software for the highway department, declaring surplus county equipment for auction, sending an offer letter under Indiana's eminent-domain procedures for a downtown parcel, approving health department memoranda of understanding, and submitting an inclusion application for sewer service to East Webster Lake.

The board approved a one-time purchase of the Aptura work-order and inventory system for the county highway department, with an upfront cost described to commissioners as $16,050 and annual operating costs described as about $8,500. "The system that we have been using is out of date, and this 1 would help us become more effective," said Steve, who presented the purchase and said the system would also track sheriff's vehicles.

Commissioners also declared a list of highway department vehicles and equipment surplus and authorized items to be sold at an upcoming sheriff's auction. County counsel referenced Indiana Code 5-22-22-3, saying the board was declaring the listed property "no longer needed or is unfit for the purpose for which it was intended," a procedural step required before auctioning public property.

On a separate land-acquisition item related to the planned downtown parking garage, the board approved sending a written offer under the state's imminent-domain statute, Indiana Code 32-24-1-5, to Snapping Turtle LLC for the Ameriprise property at 225 North Buffalo Street. County counsel said the offer was based on a fair-market appraisal of $235,000 and that, if accepted, the county would take possession within 90 days; if not accepted, the statute allows the county to file an imminent-domain complaint after 30 days.

The board approved three memoranda of understanding from the health department: two with the YMCA ($12,005 and $11,085) and one with LiveWell ($15,000). The health department representative said the agreements had completed the commissioners'internal review and were legally ready for approval.

In a separate infrastructure item, the board voted to submit an application to include specified parcels in the Tippie-Canoe and Chapman Regional Sewer District territory to enable an East Webster Lake sewer project to seek State Revolving Fund financing through the Indiana Finance Authority. Andy Boxberger, the district's attorney, said the project had been placed in the "fundable range" on the SRF project list and that timing was compressed: the inclusion would let the district issue bond anticipation notes this fall and pursue the SRF closing by next March. Boxberger and the board emphasized that, if the project proceeds, the East Webster bond service area would be separate so existing Tippie-Canoe and Chapman customers would not be responsible for the new debt.

Nathan Shearer, representing South Shore Ventures, asked the board to endorse a broader development vision for a property he and a partner have promoted; commissioners asked Shearer to draft a letter of support that the board can review and formally approve later.

The board also approved acceptance of a $30,000 seed grant (as previously authorized by staff to apply), adjusted the 2026 meeting schedule to avoid Election Day, and approved a funding request from KEDCO using the county's special-project budget. The KEDCO representative said the funds would support business attraction, marketing and membership in partner organizations; commissioners said the request is included in the county budget for special projects and will be tracked by quarterly reports.

Most motions were approved by voice vote with commissioners responding "aye"; no roll-call vote totals were recorded in the minutes provided.

Commissioners heard a quarterly update from Amy on community construction and planning projects, including recent ribbon cuttings in Pearson and Milford and a planned ribbon cutting in Mentone on Sept. 4. Amy said work continued on small-town fitness center projects and youth entrepreneurship partnerships.

The meeting closed with routine adjournment and a reminder of the board's next meeting date.