Elkhart County Council approves multiple appropriations and grant renewals for health, safety and parks

Elkhart County Council members approved a series of departmental appropriations and grant renewals at their meeting, funding county public safety programs, parks renovations, health services and several state and federal grant programs.

The measures included appropriations from restricted funds and nonreverting endowments and the acceptance and establishment of new grant funds. Most motions were approved unanimously or with a single abstention where presenters had disclosed prior involvement.

The actions will fund: supplemental bridge design work; drug interdiction and treatment programs administered through the county’s drug-coordinating fund; emergency planning and homeland-security-related cybersecurity purchases; a multi-part renovation of the DeFries house and other Park and Recreation projects paid from nonreverting and endowment funds; grant-funded staffing for probation, problem-solving and pretrial courts; a major Community Corrections renewal; and several smaller program-specific appropriations.

Many items were 100% reimbursable grants administered through the county (for example the State Homeland Security Program cybersecurity purchase and LEPC hazardous-materials exercise), while others used funds that accrue from local fees (the drug-coordinating fund) or from private endowments and donations (parks endowment funds).

Votes at a glance - $150,000 from the edit fund — motion moved and seconded; recorded as approved (vote recorded in meeting as passed). - $100,000 from the CUEN Bridge Fund for additional design services under a supplemental agreement with GAI Consultants — moved, seconded and approved (vote recorded as passed 7–0). - Drug partnership appropriation (listed in presentations as $149,913 with breakdowns: $50,875 to criminal justice services — including $44,075 to the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office and $6,600 to Goshen Police Department for thermal binoculars — $40,000 for prevention, $53,038 for treatment, and $6,000 for administration); motion to appropriate the drug-free community fund was moved, seconded and approved (recorded as approved 7–0). - Emergency planning (LEPC) appropriation of $55,611.44 — moved, seconded and approved (recorded as passed 7–0). - Health Department donations and designated funds (multiple small appropriations from CHN / Lovely / local health maintenance funds totaling several thousand dollars) — moved, seconded and approved (votes recorded as passed, generally 7–0). - Parks & Recreation: $171,052 from the nonreverting capital fund for DeFries home remodel (presenter: Rhonda Decher). One commissioner announced an abstention because of prior involvement; the motion passed with the abstention (recorded as passed with 1 abstention). - Commissioners: $500,000 from the opioid-restricted fund for the Oak Lawn Opioid Crisis Center (split into two $250,000 payments, the second scheduled for June) — moved, seconded and approved (recorded as passed 7–0). - Planning & Development: $593,883.24 for four projects (demolition, a 50% mower match for highway, paving projects tied to a bid package, and remaining project balances) — moved, seconded and approved (recorded as passed 7–0). - Planning: $70,000 from the State Road 13 interchange fund for preliminary work on the State Revolving Loan Fund/sewer project (Banker Tilly and Commonwealth costs) — moved, seconded and approved (recorded as passed 7–0). - Parks & Recreation: multiple endowment-driven appropriations (including $192,000 for a house remodel portion of the DeFries project, $77,524 for garden maintenance and $165,000 for other park projects) — moved, seconded and approved (votes recorded, primarily unanimous or with the previously noted abstention). - Emergency Management: FY24 SHSP cybersecurity appropriation $52,650 (100% reimbursable; planned purchase: subscription service to assist with email/security compatibility) — moved, seconded and approved (recorded as passed 7–0). - Emergency Management LEPC full-scale exercise and training (100% reimbursable HMEP/LEPC grants) — moved, seconded and approved (recorded as passed 7–0). - Energy efficiency / building HVAC replacement (MACOG/EECBG) appropriation of $80,000 for boiler and HVAC replacements at county facilities (fully reimbursable) — moved, seconded and approved (recorded as passed 7–0). - Health Department: pediatric dental clinic 2025 budget appropriation of $666,803 from Dental Program Income Fund — moved, seconded and approved (recorded as passed 7–0). - Court-related grant renewals: State probation grant $131,250; recidivism-reduction grant $91,357 (increase noted in meeting); problem-solving court grant $91,028 (increase noted); pretrial grant $60,000; Community Corrections renewal $1,305,623 covering 23 positions — all moved, seconded and approved (votes recorded as passed, typically 7–0).

Procedural and fund-establishment items - The council also approved resolutions establishing restricted grant funds: CC 2025-02 (Healthy Start Initiative, fund 8202) and CC 2025-04 (Tobacco Prevention fund, fund 9168). The council confirmed support for CO2021-16C (an amendment attaching a new exhibit with ARP fund expenditure detail) as presented.

What presenters said - Jessica Kosher, Executive Director of the Elkhart County Drug Partnership, described the drug-coordinating fund as a fee-based county fund set up through the Governor’s Council for a Drug-Free Indiana, explaining that interdiction fees and related charges accrue locally and are then allocated through the coordinating council and county processes: “So this is a fund that was set up by the Governor’s Council for Drug Free Indiana, in 1989. And so it's always run through every county in Indiana has 1 of these. They're called the coordinating councils.”

- Jennifer Toby, Emergency Management, said the FY24 State Homeland Security Program cybersecurity purchase is 100% reimbursable and will buy a subscription service that integrates with the county’s current software.

- Rhonda Decher, director of Parks & Recreation, described the DeFries home renovation as a full gut-and-remodel of an 1881 house that the department plans to open to the public for programming and rentals; she said funding sources include the department’s nonreverting capital funds and community foundation endowment proceeds.

Implementation notes and next steps Many appropriations are from nonreverting departmental funds or from grants that require reimbursement claims; departments indicated that invoicing and grant administration will follow normal auditor/treasurer procedures. The commissioners and staff noted that some payments (for example the $500,000 opioid-restricted payment to the Oak Lawn Opioid Crisis Center) would be split into two installments, with the second scheduled for June as presented.

Ending Council members closed the meeting after final votes and adjourned; routine follow-up will include grant reimbursements, contract execution where applicable, and the auditor’s office tracking of the newly established grant funds.