Hamilton County approves Sheridan interlocal road agreement with explicit exclusion of walking trail

The Hamilton County Council voted Sept. 3 to approve an interlocal agreement with the town of Sheridan to move forward on a Dunbar road project while explicitly excluding a proposed walking trail from the county's project scope and financing.

Council members debated whether the county should memorialize the trail's exclusion in the interlocal agreement. A council member asked the group to amend the agenda to add a letter and agreement from the town of "Bridal" (as referenced in the meeting), noting the resolution referenced the original interlocal. County staff explained the interlocal's current project description defines the project as road construction for Dunbar phase 1 and phase 2 and does not mention a walking path.

A motion to untable the interlocal agreement was made and a subsequent motion approved the resolution as amended with one caveat: county financing will be contingent on the trail not being part of the project. The record shows the council approved the resolution and the amendment by voice vote.

What was decided and why it matters

- Scope: The interlocal agreement will proceed with the project described as road construction (Dunbar phase 1 and 2); the walking trail is not included in the county's scope as understood by the council.

- Finance contingency: The council added a caveat that county financing is contingent on the trail being removed from the scope; council members indicated they could later amend the interlocal if they wanted the exclusion memorialized in writing.

- Administrative next steps: County staff said they can amend the interlocal later if the council wants the exclusion explicitly written into the agreement; for now the council approved proceeding with the resolution acknowledging Sheridan's resolution and the county's understanding.

The council approved the motion and recorded the vote by voice; no public comment on this item is recorded in the transcript.