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Morgan County commissioners approve grants, contracts and facility planning in April 6 meeting
Summary
At its April 6 meeting the Morgan County Board of Commissioners approved minutes and claims, accepted VOCA victim-services and BRIC flood‑mitigation grant actions, accepted opioid-settlement participation, approved multiple service agreements and authorized procurement steps for a new sheriff evidence facility and a county recycling program.
Morgan County commissioners met April 6 and approved a series of grants, contracts and procurement actions, including a victims-services VOCA grant, participation in the national opioid settlement distribution, engagement of Baker Tilly for bond compliance work and steps to build a new evidence storage facility for the sheriff’s office.
The board voted unanimously on several items that county staff said are intended to preserve public services and keep county operations compliant. Commissioners approved minutes from March 16 and claims totaling $4,841,151.23. A VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) victim-advocate grant request was presented for continued funding of local victim services; commissioners approved the grant request put forward during the meeting.
County staff asked the board to accept notice of the national opioid settlement and to participate in the distribution schedule; the commission approved the recommendation and staff will circulate DocuSign documents to finalize acceptance. County Administrator Kyle Swalls introduced a no-cost right-of-way deed for county acceptance; the board approved taking the right-of-way without payment.
The board accepted an engagement letter from Baker Tilly to provide tax‑exempt bond arbitrage and rebate compliance services. Christina Cromer, managing director at Baker Tilly, explained the firm’s role in five‑year rebate calculations and interim computations for invested bond proceeds. Commissioners thanked the firm and voted to accept the engagement letter.
The sheriff described plans for a new, cold-storage evidence facility west of the jail with multiple bays (one dedicated to community corrections), outside locked vehicle storage and heavy‑duty doors to accommodate vehicles. Commissioners authorized publication of an RFPQ to seek a firm to construct the facility and voted to proceed.
Abby, director of Emergency Management (EMA), presented and the commission adopted SOP 4.7 to formalize weekly duty‑officer staffing and delegation of initial on‑call authority. EMA also requested permission to apply for a BRIC mitigation grant (up to $150,000) to install water‑detection sensors and flashing warning signs at four to five historically flood‑prone road crossings; the board approved applying for the grant.
The board approved purchasing two CivicPlus accessibility products (AudioEye and Doc Access) to bring the county website and posted documents into compliance with federal ADA requirements after a briefing from Ross Wells of CivicPlus on implementation timelines.
The meeting closed after clearing several other agenda items, including approval of a $500 settlement payment for minor property damage and the renewal of a Humane Society services agreement. Commissioners scheduled outstanding ordinance and appointment items for follow‑up at the April 20 meeting.
