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LaPorte County Council approves $250,000 to cover building‑maintenance arrears after heated debate
Summary
The LaPorte County Council voted to approve a $250,000 appropriation to pay overdue building‑maintenance bills, after an extended exchange about missed preventive maintenance, spending before appropriation, and whether some purchases should have been pre‑approved.
The LaPorte County Council on Aug. 25 approved a $250,000 additional appropriation intended to pay invoices and arrears related to county building maintenance, after council members and staff clashed over process and oversight.
The appropriation request came from Guy DiMartino of the county maintenance department, who told the council the department had bills in arrears and that “we need a lot more money than that,” indicating the $250,000 was a partial step toward catching up. DiMartino and other staff described a mix of emergency repairs, vendor invoices carried between fiscal years and missed preventive maintenance that together produced an unexpectedly large payment request.
Council discussion focused on how the county arrived at the shortfall. Several members said that bills were being paid after work was completed without prior appropriation and that the routine checks and purchase‑order controls were not consistently enforced. Members and staff traced causes to staff turnover, deferred preventive maintenance and a pattern of reactive repairs that had grown into larger, costlier work.
Council members debated using existing 100‑series account balances, transfers and whether to hold vendors to future procurement processes; one councilor urged a list of prioritized projects and clearer budget requests going forward. Despite procedural concerns from some members, a motion to approve the $250,000 appropriation was moved and seconded and carried by voice vote.
Council members said they expect additional follow‑up: the ad‑hoc building‑maintenance committee and county staff will work with commissioners to outline a multi‑year plan, improve preventive maintenance and review procurement controls to reduce the chance of similar arrears.
The action leaves the immediate bills paid but sets in motion further budget‑planning work and oversight reviews to address how reactive maintenance has been handled and how future capital and maintenance requests will be vetted.
