County surveyor seeks contractor funding to certify section corners; commissioners OK use of corner perpetuation fund

LaPorte County’s newly seated county surveyor told commissioners during the July 15 budget workshop that the office needs to contract licensed surveyors to certify section corners and other legally required surveying tasks and proposed a $30,000 placeholder for that work.

The surveyor described routine documentation practices and said about 75 section corners had been completed this season but that statutory sign‑offs require a registered professional to legally certify them. "There's tasks that require a registered professional surveyor to do, and if it's something which needs a registered surveyor, then that person the registered surveyor needs to be brought in to do that particular little piece," the surveyor said. Tim, the crew chief, backed that approach and said much of the office’s work is documented with photos and notes that a contracted surveyor could review.

County legal counsel confirmed that money from the corner perpetuation fund may be appropriated to pay for outside surveyor services so long as expenditures are tied to eligible corner‑perpetuation projects. Commissioners noted prior outside surveyor invoices that appeared this year and agreed to clean up accounting entries at the August meeting.

Commissioners recommended contracting a licensed surveyor to begin certifying corners and asked staff to return with a procurement plan and clearer estimates for the work. "So we should be good there because that's where you pay it out of," one commissioner said of the corner perpetuation fund.

What’s next: Staff will prepare an appropriation or professional‑services procurement package to enable contracting with a registered professional surveyor and will report back to commissioners at the August meeting.