The 2006 Carroll County Road Plan presented by highway supervisor Ramzi Awwad calls for less than five miles of county roads to be resurfaced.

Commissioners' president Bill Brown was not in support of adopting the plan and refused to go along with the other two commissioners when the vote was called.

"I can't vote for it. This is unacceptable," Brown said emphatically at the Monday morning commissioners' meeting. He said approximately one-half of one percent of county roads are planned for improvements this year.

"Resurfacing the Carroll County roads once every 200 years is not good enough," he proclaimed.

"We are doing the negligible fraction of what needs to be done," Awwad stated.

"How long before we have to take every road back to gravel?" Brown asked Awwad. Brown suggested money collected through county taxes are not funding the right county needs.

"If we paid our highway wages and benefits out of property taxes we would have about $1,000,000 more to spend for asphalt," he said.

Both Mears and Hylton agreed that they would like to see more done for the roads.

The plan was adopted as Brown provided the one dissenting vote.

In other highway department news, final plans for engineering work by American Consulting for bridge #120 were approved. A notice to bidders was approved and bids will be opened at the June 8 commissioners' meeting.

Bridge #120 is on CR200N, also known as the Crooked Road to Flora (Delphi).

A comprehensive uniform traffic ordinance, including stop and yield signs, speed limits and roadside parking, is being developed by county attorney Barry Emerson. Emerson said the ordinance will address traffic in unincorporated areas and should be ready for review at the June 8 meeting.

Other news

A letter from Democrat Township resident Jerry Carter asked commissioners to support a moratorium on issuing permits for new confined feeding operations.

"The agriculture business is very important to Carroll County," Hylton said. "We don't want to hamper progress. I cannot support this request."

Brown suggested asking the proposed dairy farm for a $50,000 bond to reimburse property owners for spoiled ground water.

However Emerson said it wasn't a matter for the county commissioners. He explained the only entity regulating the operation would be the state.

Brown said he is traveling to a dairy operation near Twelve Mile and Huntington with Carter on Wednesday.

Delphi Preservation Society will use a courtroom Aug. 11 for a presentation.

County resident Mike Fitzwater was appointed to the county park board.

It was noted the courthouse will be closed May 29 for Memorial Day.

The next meeting is June 8 at 9 a.m.

Twin Lakes sewer district

After serving as Carroll County's sole representative on the board of directors of the Twin Lakes Regional Sewer District (TLRSD) for less than five months, Ron Felz gave a letter of resignation to the Carroll County Commissioners at the Monday morning meeting.

Felz was never officially appointed to the sewer district board by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Felz said that during his time serving the county in that capacity he "gained a lot of respect for the Carroll County Commissioners."

"I've never quit anything," Felz said. "This is something that I personally need to do and I thank you for the time."

Felz recommended that whomever is appointed to take his place "should get more support from the county health department."

"The health department could help with the problem," Felz said.

"It would help us a great deal to know how many septic systems are in need," Commissioners' president Bill Brown said. "We need some substantiation for this and other areas that might be in need."

Brown reported that at the last county board of health meeting board members, who direct the county health department's activities, decided not to be involved with the sewer district.

The Carroll County Board of Health sent a formal letter to TLRSD on April 5. Noting a request for someone from the county health department to sit on the sewer district board, the letter stated there was support for the sewer district's efforts, but declined to participate on that level.

"Be assured, when the sewer district does begin breaking ground in Carroll County, we will attend meetings that involve abandonment of existing septics and any other issues that we feel do apply to our department," it read.