Auburn Board approves museum contract, utility and service agreements, and fee changes

AUBURN, Ind. — The Auburn City Board of Public Works and Safety on Feb. 3 approved a series of routine and grant-related actions, including the award of a contract tied to an OCRA grant for the Auburn Court/Duesenberg Museum and several departmental contracts and fee changes.

The board approved acceptance of the certified bid tab and awarded the construction contract for the museum project to JT Contracting LLC. Board member moved to approve the bid and stated the low, responsive bid of "For $1,008,000," which was seconded and carried by voice vote. The board also authorized issuing a notice of contract award contingent on release of grant funds and approved an updated local-match certification for clerk signing, plus blanket authority for the mayor or clerk to sign related grant documents through the Feb. 17, 2026 board meeting.

The approvals covered a range of departmental items. The Parks Department won board approval to purchase two replacement Ferris mowers from Home and Sons for $20,000 with trade-ins and to enter a 60-month dumpster-service contract with Washler Inc. at $540.24 per quarter; Parks officials recommended Washler for its cap on annual increases. The board approved three park-use agreements for 2026 — Eckert Park ($375), a north-side parking lot ($300) and portable-bleacher use — that had cleared the ArcBoard review.

The police department received approval for range-training contracts with neighboring departments and for its list of approved towing/record service vendors for 2026, with the chief clarifying which vendors maintain heavy-hook tow trucks.

Street department actions included awarding 2026 concrete-crushing work (three quotes received) to the recommended vendor at a not-to-exceed $38,500 and setting the residential sidewalk program fees at last year’s rates — $14 per linear foot for sidewalks and $6 per square foot for driveway approaches. The board approved a cooperative off-road diesel contract intended to avoid on-road fuel taxes; the contract's base rate was read into the record (transcript text: "a base rate of $2.64 5 a gallon").

Water and wastewater items included two task orders with Commonwealth Engineers, Inc. (CEI) to update utility asset-management plans not to exceed $15,000 each. The water department representative said the updates are needed to comply with recent House Enrolled Act reporting and grading requirements and to remain eligible for state grants. The Water Pollution Control representative asked the board to raise the septage receiving fee from $0.09 to $0.12 per gallon "to get us an initial step forward in recouping our cost of service," and noted a full cost-based rate might be closer to about $0.20 per gallon; the board approved the increase and the CEI task order.

Clerk-Treasurer Lori Pontius presented conflict-of-interest disclosures for council members Webb, DeWitt and herself, which the board approved. Pontius also presented proposed 2025 bad-debt write-offs for utility and AES accounts; during discussion two different totals were read in the record ($44,006.23 and $44,623.16). Board members moved to approve the write-offs and the motion carried.

All motions were seconded and carried by voice vote as recorded at the meeting. The board opened the meeting, handled introductions and service recognitions for Tom Lepper (10 years) and firefighter Jim Heil (20 years), and adjourned after brief announcements thanking crews for storm response. The next regular board meeting is set for Feb. 17, 2026 at 9 a.m.