Commissioners discuss county paving strategy after high contractor bids; approve sheriff parking lot reseal up to $13,000

FULTON COUNTY, Ind. — County department heads told the Board of Commissioners on July 7 that bids to patch and reseal the Probation Building parking lot were substantially higher than expected and proposed using county crews to save money; the board separately approved a reseal of the sheriff's parking lot not to exceed $13,000.

Facilities staff reported three contractor bids to address the Probation Building lot: Waltz Paving at about $38,000, Finn & Brown at about $67,000, and EMB Paving at about $37,000. Staff said contractors recommended milling the existing surface and repaving. The county suggested contracting a milling vendor and having county crews perform the paving because the property is county-owned; staff estimated milling might cost about $11,000 and in-house paving could roughly halve the contracted total.

In a separate item, the sheriff's office presented a quote of $12,895 to reseal the sheriff's parking lot. The board made and carried a motion to approve resealing the sheriff's parking lot with a not-to-exceed amount of $13,000.

Why it matters: County-owned parking lot repairs affect facility usability and maintenance budgets. Commissioners indicated willingness to explore in-house paving to reduce costs for county property and approved one immediate, limited expenditure for the sheriff's lot.

Staff will follow up with the highway/roads department to coordinate milling and in-house paving where appropriate and will proceed with the approved reseal for the sheriff's lot within the approved limit.