County approves permit, contract and transfers; jail reports inmate counts and new hires

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners on April 21 approved a slate of routine operational items and heard department updates on roads and corrections.

The board approved permit No. 2516, a request to bore a 4-inch pipe across Geist Park Road at Bruce Lake (11355 W. Geist Park Road) to drain standing water from the north side to the south and into the lake. The motion to approve the permit carried unanimously.

Highway staff reported progress on spring road work: about five miles of millings had been laid of a planned 10-mile program, a culvert replacement on 400 South was completed, and a scheduled roadway dig-out on 250 South was postponed a week because a locating service was not available. The highway office requested and the commissioners approved an intra-department transfer of $3,000 from uniform rental to “other charges” to pay for CDL training; the transfer was described as unbudgeted for the current year and will be considered for budgeting next year.

The commissioners approved a professional-services contract for courthouse window design work with a firm identified in the record variously as “Elavatus/Elavada/Avada” for $19,500. The contract, described as design and specification work to produce accurate bid documents, was approved 3–0. The meeting record shows variant spellings of the contractor’s name in meeting materials; the county indicated the contract will be split between window groups for budgeting and bidding.

The board approved an MOU between the Board of Health and the Parks Department for trail improvements; officials present said Dr. Rayburn and Noble Walsh had already signed the MOU. Commissioners also approved minutes from the April 7 meeting, multiple transfers and claims (including larger claims and payroll disbursements presented at the meeting), and routine disbursements and payroll totaling the amounts shown on the claims sheets presented to the board.

Corrections staff reported 101 inmates in custody that morning, including 39 being held for Grant County, 13 federal detainees and one Department of Correction hold. The county invoiced $92,942 for out-of-county inmate housing in March. Commissioners were told the county added the U.S. Marshals’ Southern District to its federal holding arrangement, which may require transports to Indianapolis in addition to South Bend; reimbursement terms (hourly and mileage) remain in place.

Corrections officials said they hired two deputies approved by the merit board: Clark Croft (a reserve with the county) and Aaron Zimmerman (a Pulaski County deputy with academy training). Both were set to begin the following week.

Why it matters: these routine approvals affect county operations, budgeting and staffing — from road maintenance and CDL training to courthouse preservation planning and correctional services that generate revenue through out-of-county contracts.

The board scheduled the vacating-of-alleys ordinance for a final reading at its next meeting rather than adopting it on April 21.