Redevelopment commission approves CTE agreement, will sign interlocal and assignment

The Whitley County Redevelopment Commission voted May 26 to adopt Resolution 2026-1 approving a consolidated-schools career and technical education (CTE) agreement and related assignment and interlocal documents.

Chair (speaker S1) presented the agreement and asked for questions before the vote. Staff member S7 explained the process for contractor awards and payment: “To the extent that they've not received bids or awarded contract at the time of this agreement ... the awarded bid and contract must be approved in writing by the RDC and added to this agreement,” and noted the commission will pay certain contractor costs directly as allowed by statute. S7 read the amounts in the agreement as presented in the text: “It's 400 for the welding contracts, 25,000 for the criminal justice, and 50,000 for the fire and rescue contracts.”

Dale (speaker S8) added specifics about suppliers, saying, “The biggest contract is coming in from Hobart, which is 20 welders,” and indicated staff would proceed to avoid price increases by ordering equipment.

Thor Hodges moved to adopt the resolution; Mike Schrader seconded. The chair called for the ayes and the resolution carried by voice vote. After adoption, staff discussed execution steps: S7 instructed that the interlocal agreement must be notarized for recording and that the assignment agreement also be signed and attested.

Why it matters: the agreement allows the RDC to fund CTE programming that serves employers and the redevelopment (TIF) area, while keeping final contractor approvals subject to later written approval by the commission.

Next steps: commissioners and staff will notarize and record the interlocal, sign the assignment, and return awarded contracts to the RDC for formal approval before payments are issued.