Starke County commissioners approve culverts, approve pursuing Bridge 13 grant and allocate $80,000 to Community Services

Starke County commissioners on Monday approved a series of routine purchases and funding actions and voted to move forward with a federal grant for a structurally deficient county bridge that would not be constructed until 2030–31 under the grant timeline.

The board approved the purchase of culverts from Devco for $20,830 plus shipping; Commissioner Todd made the motion and a board member identified as “K” seconded it. The motion passed without a recorded roll-call tally in the transcript.

Highway staff told commissioners the county received a Notice of Proposed Award (referred to in the meeting as NOPA) for Bridge 13, with the grant award cited at $2,024,000. Project-development costs were described in the meeting as $3,075 (in one exchange) and later as $3,075,000; staff said construction is currently projected for about 2030–2031 and that the county’s match could be up to $1 million. The director said the bridge is listed on the historical bridge inventory and that federal standards tied to the grant require certain consultant-driven work (construction inspection, hydraulics, engineering) that the county could not self-perform under the award.

After extended discussion about timing, risk of inflation and whether to pay to build the bridge sooner rather than accept delayed federal funding, Commissioner Dave moved to proceed with the grant; Howard seconded. Two commissioners—Todd and Bruce—voted no; the motion carried. Commissioners asked staff to plan to seed future budgets for the local match if bids exceed current estimates.

In other business, the board approved purchases of two body scanners/metal detectors to replace equipment the vendor will no longer service because the units are more than 10 years old. Warden Nathan Cadell and Jail Commander Austin Fletcher requested two units (one to remain at the jail and one to be used at the courthouse). The board approved buying one unit from the jail equipment fund and one from the county’s Cume Cap fund and amended the motion to split a single delivery charge; the board noted that an additional appropriation must be advertised and approved at the next meeting.

The commissioners also approved an ordinance restricting candidate-penalty funds to election equipment and clarified that any appropriation from that fund would require board approval. The county’s State Board of Accounts guidance was cited in the discussion; the revised ordinance uses section 17 per the state guidance.

Community Services (formerly Community on Aging) representatives told the board the agency faces unstable grant funding and a near-term cash shortfall. The commission voted to provide $80,000 from the economic development fund to cover the agency through the end of the fiscal year, with the expectation that Community Services will provide itemized budget details during the regular budget cycle. Commissioner Bruce made the motion; Todd seconded, and the motion passed.

A Planning Commission representative asked the board to appropriate roughly $2,800 from a solar-related fund to pay legal fees tied to an administrative appeal (a denial of a permit renewal for a NextEra energy project). Commissioners requested an itemized invoice and more detail about which solar fund should be used; the board voted to table that request pending additional information.

Public-comment presenters included Travis of the Stark County Youth Club, who said the club serves about 350 students annually, estimated per-child cost at about $1,756 per year, and cited a social return on investment (SROI) figure of $10.32 for each county dollar invested. Economic development staff updated the board on a grant-funded CDL training program and the forthcoming “Stark Tank” event.

The board approved meeting minutes, reviewed procedures for advertising additional appropriations (Gateway posting requirements were raised), and closed the meeting.

What happens next: staff will prepare the necessary bid/consultant packages and budget planning for the Bridge 13 grant match and will advertise any additional appropriations (for the metal detectors and Community Services claim) for approval at a future meeting.