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Solid Waste grant will fund 16‑passenger van for county “Litter Patrol” run by therapeutic work‑release program
Summary
The Board approved a $65,450 grant from the Solid Waste Management District to buy a 16‑passenger Ford Transit van for a therapeutic work‑release “Litter Patrol” that will transport participants to county litter‑pickup locations and restore a program previously discontinued about 15 years ago.
The Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners approved a grant agreement Aug. 26 under which the Solid Waste Management District will provide $65,450 to the county’s therapeutic work‑release program to purchase a 16‑passenger van.
Sheriff (unnamed) described the revived program — to be called the “Litter Patrol” — as a return of a work‑release litter‑pickup program discontinued about 15 years earlier. The van will transport participants who are in work release and need verifiable community‑service hours; county staff described the vehicle as a Ford Transit 16‑passenger van purchased under state QPA pricing.
Sheriff officials said they expect to leverage the van capacity (14–16 people) to create a force multiplier for litter pickup along county corridors and gateway entrances. The program will be run by the county’s treatment courts/work‑release administration and is expected to operate year‑round. Until the program is fully staffed and deployed, county highway staff will temporarily cover some routes.
Commissioners recorded a unanimous vote to accept the grant and authorize the purchase. The record shows the $65,450 figure is the QPA price used for the procurement; staff said that amount is the expected purchase cost, and that they pursued the Ford product after Chevrolet pricing was unavailable or lacked delivery assurances.
