Warrick County commissioners approve easement vacation and a string of project contracts; animal-control funding and 911 governance remain unresolved

The Warrick County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 11 approved a series of land-use and project-related items, including an ordinance to vacate a 30-foot public utility easement in Wren Lake Number 2 and a $150,000 amendment for continued design services on the county’s security center, while leaving several funding questions for later action.

The board unanimously approved Ordinance 2025-10 to vacate a 30-foot public utility easement affecting Lots 18 and 19 in Wren Lake Number 2 Subdivision after the county received required notices and letters of non-objection from utility providers. Scott Beadle, representing the property owner through Cash Wagner & Associates, told commissioners the owner “purchased 2 lots in the subdivision, and, basically, they want to build over the line where the easement's located with 1 house on both lots.” The board voted 3-0 on the ordinance.

Other formal approvals included two surety releases for completed entrance/driveway construction (escrow amounts $5,700 and $2,706) and acceptance of a primary plat for the Miners Lake subdivision. The board approved a negotiated traffic-control maintenance contract with Rago at an annual amount of $37,800 and a resolution request to post no-parking signage at a private driveway adjacent to a gas station on the south side of State Road 66.

Project and consultant decisions

The commissioners approved several project-related items presented by Project Partnerships. Byron Sanders, representing Project Partnerships, described a $5,300 service agreement with AmeriStream Environmental to address mitigation and permitting questions at the proposed county highway site; commissioners approved the agreement to allow the permitting work to proceed, subject to appropriation. Sanders said site surveys and preliminary work had identified two wetland areas and a bordering stream; he said Indiana Department of Environmental Management indicated the county should plant roughly 20 linear feet of native grasses along the stream to satisfy permitting requirements.

On the county’s security center project, the board approved an amendment to extend the architect RQAW’s contract to match the overall project schedule and to add roughly $150,000 for identified design changes (site logistics, drainage responses, a maintenance building, Interior finish revisions and other items). Sanders and county staff said the project had been budgeted to include funds for design changes and that the amendment leaves an estimated contingency of about $100,000 for any further revisions. The motion to approve passed unanimously.

Financial-advisory engagement for new highway garage

Commissioners discussed an engagement letter with Baker Tilly to provide municipal advisory and securities-issuance services for a new highway garage project. The municipal-advisory scope (labeled “Scope A”) would provide alternatives analysis, market-condition advice and coordination with the project working group; the engagement is capped at $25,000 on a time-and-materials basis. Several commissioners questioned whether the county needs outside advisory work that may overlap with Project Partnerships’ owner-representative role; one commissioner recommended approving the engagement “subject to council approval” of the appropriation for the $25,000 cap. The board voted to approve entering into the engagement subject to council appropriation (motion passed 3-0).

Public safety, 911 dispatch and grants

Sheriff Mike Wilder updated the board on a monthly 911 steering-committee review of dispatch governance and operations ahead of the county’s move into a new facility. Sheriff Wilder said the committee has met multiple times and that it is “probably leaning towards to be its own entity,” adding that the committee intends to deliver a formal recommendation to the commissioners by next month. He also told the board the 911 director position is budgeted in the 2025 and 2026 budgets and stressed the need to determine whether the dispatch center will remain within the sheriff’s office or be governed by a separate board before hiring a permanent director.

Emergency Management Agency Director Matthew Gable asked the board to approve an application for the SHSP (State Homeland Security Program) grant for either an active-shooter weeklong training or a simulator for first-responder training; the board approved the SHSP application and took no action on a separate port-security grant for Newburgh, asking Gable to coordinate with the town and local chiefs. The board also adopted a proclamation declaring August 2025 Emergency Management Month in Warrick County.

Health department and public-health enforcement

Dr. Curry, the Warrick County health officer, reported the health department has two open positions (a public-health nurse funded by state HFI funds requiring a 30-day posting, and an environmental/septic position). She also reported that the health department’s inspectors had closed the McDonald’s in Boonville after verifying multiple health concerns; the restaurant was expected to be closed 2–3 days for pest control and cleaning. Dr. Curry said the department will present a Tri-CAP memorandum of understanding for signature later in the week.

Animal control and public comment

The meeting drew several residents speaking in support of county animal-control operations. Commissioners said they support animal-control staff but noted that the county council (not the commissioners) controls appropriation of additional funding. Staff said donations previously received and mistakenly treated with regular fees will be moved to a designated donation fund and that the county will ask the council to appropriate those monies to animal control. Commissioners urged supporters to address the county council on budget matters; animal-control staff and supporters said the shelter is operating as a no-kill facility and requested stable funding.

Administrative items and next steps

The board opened and acknowledged a bid from Tyler Technologies for the county’s cyclical reassessment (a four-year contract totaling $786,300 as submitted); county staff and the assessor asked for time to fully review the bidder’s large submittal and tabled award consideration to the next meeting. The board approved consent-agenda items including payroll and accounts-payable vouchers and ratified grant contracts to three nonprofits funded from the county’s opioid-restricted grant fund. A limited-use GIS data agreement with Evansville School Corporation was approved. Several other routine items were approved by unanimous votes where shown.

The commissioners frequently qualified approvals “subject to council appropriation” when items required use of already-expended ARPA monies or other funding that must be appropriated. Several agenda items were explicitly tabled for further review, and county staff said they will return with recommended funding sources or contract corrections at a subsequent meeting.

Quotes

"They purchased 2 lots in the subdivision, and, basically, they want to build over the line where the easement's located with 1 house on both lots," said Scott Beadle, representing the owner on the easement vacation item.

"We're probably leaning towards to be its own entity," said Sheriff Mike Wilder of the 911 dispatch committee's current view on governance.

"There were 2 wetland areas identified, and there was a stream bordering the property," Byron Sanders of Project Partnerships told the board about the county highway site; he said permitting conditions included planting native grasses to mitigate erosion.

"They did shut down the McDonald's in Boonville due to multiple different health concerns," said Dr. Curry, Warrick County health officer, describing a recent food-safety closure by county inspectors.

What’s next

Several items were approved pending council appropriation or further administrative review and will return to a future meeting for final appropriation or contract execution. The 911 steering committee expects to provide a recommendation on dispatch governance by next month, and the assessor will review the Tyler bid and report back at a later meeting.

(Report: Warrick County Board of Commissioners meeting, Aug. 11, 2025)