St. Joseph County commissioners approve routine contracts, note new opioid settlement

St. Joseph County commissioners on March 24 unanimously approved a slate of routine contract awards and service agreements and took formal notice of a new opioid settlement that county counsel said will yield an estimated $24,000 to the county.

The board, convened by the chair, accepted a counsel report that the multi-defendant opioid settlement is worth roughly $97,000,000 to all participating states and counties and that St. Joseph County’s share is approximately $24,000. Counsel said the county’s share is largely restricted in use. “My understanding, I believe, is these are restricted,” counsel stated during the presentation; commissioners agreed the county should work with the council on appropriate distribution plans.

Operational items approved by unanimous vote included:

- A temporary staffing assignment with Creative Financial Staffing to cover payroll duties while a county employee transitions to the prosecutor’s office; County Auditor John Murphy said a temporary placement already started and the contract terms are $51.49 per hour, billed as a flat fee that includes fringe costs. “The cost is an hourly basis is $51.49 an hour. That includes all the fringe benefits,” Murphy said.

- A bid award for the 2026 mainline paving package (RS92601), recommended by Skye Meaders of the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Growth. Meaders said the low bid came from Reath Riley Construction Company at $2,194,900, below the engineer’s estimate, and the board awarded the contract to the low bidder.

- Fleet-management agreements allowing the enterprise fleet partner to take and sell older county vehicles and a related maintenance-management and fleet-rental agreement; Steve Newman, the county’s fleet executive, described the contracts as a continuation of the existing enterprise fleet program intended to streamline replacement timing and resale.

- Two prosecutor’s office contract approvals: Amber Marcotte was approved as an independent contractor to provide after-hours services for the special victims unit at $25 per hour for roughly eight hours per week, and Joyce Burch, a recently retired assistant director of finance, was approved as an independent consultant at $40 per hour for up to 40 hours per week to bridge payroll and finance duties until a permanent hire is trained. Prosecutor’s office staff emphasized that these engagements are independent-contractor arrangements and therefore are not subject to FMLA or overtime benefits.

- Public-health and facilities contracts, including an annual maintenance agreement with Scientific Refrigeration Services for vaccine refrigerator/freezer units (10 units — six refrigerators and four freezers — quoted at $2,110) and a renewed pest-control contract for the Community Corrections center with annual savings when paid upfront.

- A consolidation of inspection contracts into Coorsen Fire and Security to ensure compliance with the fire marshal’s inspection program, and an annual maintenance agreement for the facility body scanner from Tech 84 (the board noted a slight price increase versus prior years).

- A renewal of the Pye Barker access-control cloud subscription and maintenance for the St. Joseph County 9‑1‑1 center’s door and gate system; Sal, the 9‑1‑1 team manager, said the system syncs users through Azure and requires yearly licensing and maintenance.

No members of the public spoke in person or online during the public-comment period. After completing the agenda, the board recessed and then adjourned by unanimous consent.

The meeting record shows roll-call approval for each motion with Commissioners Morton, Hazen and Maxeyer voting “aye.” The board did not take additional action on how restricted opioid settlement funds will be allocated; commissioners said staff will coordinate with the council to identify appropriate uses and distributions.