Porter County approves stormwater payouts and awards maintenance and professional-service contracts

Porter County approved payments from its stormwater fund and awarded a slate of maintenance, construction and professional-services contracts at its January meeting, county staff said.

The board approved claims that included a $2,575 payment for Keller Ditch 25, $12,818.20 for Salt Creek Valley subdivision and $775 for Turtle Run subdivision. Commissioners then approved annual maintenance and construction service agreements for Feb. 1, 2026–Jan. 31, 2027 and voted to award contracts to local contractors listed by staff, including Dalton Inc.; Green Line Landscaping and Excavating; Heritage Drone Services LLC; John’s Brothers; Highland Excavating Inc.; KL Excavating LLP; RNR Visual, Inc.; and Brothers Excavating.

Stormwater program staff also presented recommended annual professional-services contracts for the same Feb. 1, 2026–Jan. 31, 2027 term, naming firms to provide engineering and environmental services. Those firms included Advanced Engineering Services Inc., American StructurePoint Inc., Butler Fairman (transcribed), BL Indiana Inc., JMA Inc., FWCA Environmental Consultants, Soil Solution, Inc., and West Engineering. According to staff, the agreements will support design, administration and implementation of stormwater programs.

“We are proposing contract awards to the following contractors,” a stormwater program staff member said while listing the maintenance and construction vendors; the board approved the motion after a second.

In the program update staff reported that 18 projects have been initiated so far in 2026 and that in 2025 the county received 180 drainage concerns, a lower total than in prior years that staff attributed to dry weather. Of those 180 concerns, staff said 80 led to a project or follow-up action: 23 were resolved as stormwater infrastructure projects (debris removal, repairs), 17 were wildlife-management responses (beaver trapping or dam mitigation), two were tied to an ongoing drainage study in the High Meadow special subdivision, and 38 related to county right-of-way issues or vendor-permit work.

“A huge thank you to Laura Arson. She’s our project manager who manages our drainage concern portal,” the stormwater staff member said, acknowledging the internal tracking and reporting.

When asked by a commissioner about the top priority for 2026, staff identified the Rolling Metal subdivision storm-sewer reconstruction—work on the detention basin at Angelica Court and adjacent drive—as the county’s highest-priority stormwater project. Staff said the project is in design, expected to be bid around March, with construction planned for later in the year. Staff also said prior AR projects have reached substantial completion and anticipated final completion of outstanding contract items by May 31 (year not specified in the transcript).

The board recorded motions and seconds for the payments and contract awards; each motion was noted as carried by voice vote.