Commissioners approve $250,000 for historic courthouse renovations and $300,000 contingency for jail repairs

Elkhart County commissioners on Feb. 2 approved a series of budget actions including a $250,000 additional appropriation for renovations at the historic Goshen Courthouse and a $300,000 reappropriation to cover unplanned high-dollar repairs at the county jail.

Jeff Taylor, the county administrator, described the courthouse work as a multi-stage project that has included painting "nearly every room," restoring hardwood floors under removed carpet, upgrading wiring (noting replacement of CAT 5 with CAT 6 in locations used for phone and internet), installing carpeting in the former Circuit Courtroom (to be repurposed as a meeting room), and upgrading sound systems. Taylor said the county previously approved $200,000 through the county council and requested an additional $250,000 from the general fund "to get us another portion of work done" and to move toward project completion.

Taylor also discussed an appropriation to pay the Humane Society on behalf of participating cities and towns; he said the county pays the Humane Society under a contract and then recoups the participating municipalities' shares. The transcript records inconsistent numeric figures: a large figure of "$280,202,127" was cited and later the speaker referred to "the total amount for for the cities and towns is $280,227." Taylor stated the communities will reimburse the county. The board approved the appropriation with reimbursement to follow.

Joe Lightman, buildings and grounds, requested $300,000 for unplanned, high-dollar repairs at the Elkhart County Jail, saying the account has historically been used as needed and that some funds should have been encumbered from the prior year. He acknowledged the account "probably should have [been] budgeted for and should have encumbered from last year." The commissioners approved the $300,000 appropriation.

All budget measures were approved on voice votes as recorded in the meeting minutes. County staff said much of the courthouse work is being done by county employees to reduce costs; city-funded renovations and agreements with the City of Goshen were described as separate and paid by the city where applicable.

Next steps include continued in-house work and contractor-managed tasks, and staff follow-up on encumbrances and budget planning for recurring needs.