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Sheriff, Ellettsville sign interlocal to form Major Crash Investigation team; council approves grant account setup
Summary
Monroe County and the Town of Ellettsville will jointly operate a Major Crash Investigation (MCI) team paid partially through a state grant administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. Council approved an interlocal agreement and amended MCI grant account lines and appropriations matching the grant document.
The Monroe County Council on Nov. 18 approved an interlocal agreement with the Town of Ellettsville to form a Major Crash Investigation (MCI) team and authorized creation of grant account lines after councilors amended language governing overtime and post‑grant costs.
What the interlocal does: The MCI team will initially be composed of six qualified members (four from the sheriff—s office and two from Ellettsville Police), trained and equipped to respond to major crash reconstructions. The sheriff—s office will host and administer the grant; because Ellettsville will claim reimbursement for eligible expenses, the interlocal outlines billing, reporting and how equipment and training costs will be shared.
Amendment and council direction: Council amended the interlocal—s Section 5.3 to require timely notice to the town and council upon full exhaustion of grant overtime lines and to make clear that if grant overtime is exhausted each agency will be responsible for its own overtime costs (no grant reimbursement for overtime beyond grant availability). The sheriff's office said it will judiciously monitor overtime and work with council on additional appropriation requests if costs extend beyond grant coverage.
Grant account setup and appropriation: Council updated the MCI grant account lines (Fund 8193) to reflect the grant award (merit deputy lines, sergeant lines, deputies overtime $13,334, training/travel $7,100, grantee distribution $11,066, equipment $16,600) for a total grant appropriation of $54,875 and approved fund transfers to seed the grant fund as needed. Sheriff representatives stated the grant agreement had been approved and ratified by the board of commissioners; the interlocal will go to Ellettsville and the commissioners for their signatures as required.
Why it matters: The grant adds analytical and reconstruction capacity without adding long‑term FTE counts; councilors emphasized the public‑safety benefit of faster, more technically capable crash investigations. Council clarified cost‑sharing and reporting responsibilities before final approval.
