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Residents press commissioners over INDOT SR 2 project, election-board accusations and transparency
Summary
Public commenters urged the county to pause INDOT's planned SR 2 improvements and criticized county decisions on industrial development; other speakers disputed election-board criticism and asked commissioners for follow-up on investigations and accounting related to prior projects.
Several residents used the public-comment period to urge the board to revisit INDOT’s planned improvements at State Road 2 and to press for transparency on other county matters.
Dan Caruso of New Carlisle urged the county to "pause the diverging diamond interchange" at State Road 2 and to require updated INDOT traffic studies, arguing that previous approvals favored industrial expansion in western St. Joseph County and that residents’ concerns had been overlooked. Online commenter Mary Countryman said INDOT issued a Finding of No Significant Impact and that construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2026, but she warned that local streets such as Highway 20 and downtown New Carlisle will be affected and said, "It is not safe in New Carlisle" with increased semi traffic.
On a separate theme, Mike McManus criticized an earlier resolution that alleged absentee-ballot handling problems at the election board and called those statements "a lie," citing a five-month investigation and security video he said shows no ballots were removed. County surveyor Derek Deters asked for follow-up on a "portage" matter and sought detail on an investigator’s scope and funding; he noted $623,750 has been spent on related work and requested timesheets and further documentation.
Why it matters: public commentators raised traffic-safety and land-use concerns about a major INDOT project and pressed the board for accountability and factual follow-up on election-related allegations and prior expenditures. Commissioners briefly responded during the meeting, denying misuse of New Carlisle TIF funds for broadband expansion and emphasizing that $1,627,000 had been spent on a southern broadband expansion from a development agreement source.
