A county, in the course of doing business in its highway garage over several years, can accumulate a bevy of old, unusable vehicles. What to do with this type of equipment became a topic of discussion at the Carroll County Commissioner’s meeting Monday.

Pieces and parts from the vehicles have been salvaged by department workers over the years to save the county money for repair parts. The vehicles are now minus enough useful parts to make them seem more like junk than a useful resource to the department. Therefore, commissioners granted highway engineer Paul Couts permission to auction the equipment to the highest bidders as soon as possible.

Couts presented a list of four single-axle dump trucks, two distributor trucks and a semi-tractor, widely known as “Whitey,” for sale. He said the available items could be useful to the right persons or businesses. An eight-foot hydraulic sandbox was later added to the list of items for disposal. Couts explained the trucks have broken frames, “Whitey’s” floorboard is rusted through and the sandbox was purchased in a lot of others but it never fit any of the trucks and should no longer be stored on the premises.

Couts said the department will need to request a transfer of funds from various line items to parts to be able to make repairs for the remainder of 2009 because the appropriation for parts is exhausted. He said ridding the department of the unused equipment for additional cash could help ease money constraints.

The department will advertise for the next two weeks for written sealed bids to be received by the highway garage at Flora until noon on Oct. 16. Federal stimulus road work

Couts said paving 5.42 miles of CR600S., from US421 to SR75, using federal stimulus money is scheduled to begin the middle of October. Paving 3.06 miles of CR700W., from Towpath to CR1000N., 2.99 miles of Meridian Rd., from CR100N. to SR218 and .12 miles of CR100N., from Meridian Rd. to CR25E. is expected to begin in the third week of October.

It is not known when work on Bicycle Bridge Rd., CR300W. and CR75W. will begin, however Couts said he expected it to be around the first of November. He said all stimulus projects include stone edging, striping and new signs but did not include scarification or joint sealing.

Couts announced that INDOT issued two letters of agreement with the Norfolk and Southern Railroad to erect railroad warnings on Oak and Walnut streets in Rockfield. The agreements, sent by the INDOT Rail Office Manager Michael Riley, indicate the railroad will complete the installations within 12 months at the two locations.

A policy about right-ofway requests by private citizens was tabled for further investigation. Couts said a county resident requested to run utilities from one property to another one in close proximity. but not adjacent to, in the county right-ofway. Although commissioner Bill Brown said he would grant an easement to the resident, Pat Clawson said he wanted more information about the ramifications of establishing the policy before setting a precedent. T.L. Regional Sewer District

Commissioners president Loren Hylton announced the term of the county representative to the sewer district board of directors will end Dec. 31. He said the sewer district board requested commissioners appoint the new four-year representative by the first meeting in November. Jefferson Township resident Wayne Garrison currently holds the appointed position and said he is willing to continue in the role.

It was agreed by consensus to accept letters of interest by all residents who are willing to accept the position until Nov. 2. All letters should be delivered to the county auditor’s office for processing.

Garrison reported the sewer district is nearly finished with installation in Jefferson Township. He said 33 grinders were installed in July and August and 16 were relocated by owners’ requests. All valve locations in county right-of-ways are being verified for the county health department, the highway department and area plan commission. Two items on the engineer’s punch list have not been finished.

“Basically the system is done and up and running,” Garrison said.

Other business

An addendum for $50,700 to the contract for reassessment services was approved. County assessor Doris McLeland said the additional funding is necessary due to an increase in the amount of work required by the state.

Commissioners voted to pursue funding for codification of county ordinances which would result in the development of a comprehensive handbook suitable for distribution. Commissioners’ attorney Barry Emerson recommended American Legal Publishing Company be paid $6,000 for the project. He said that, in speaking with county council president Ann Brown, it was suggested the money could come from the Riverboat Gambling fund. Approval for the additional expense will be requested from the county council at the Oct. 20 meeting at 9:15 a.m.

A discussion about establishing a county-wide noise ordinance, initiated by a barking dog complaint in the C&C Beach area, was tabled for the second time for further information gathering. Auditor Beth Myers was directed to solicit noise abatement policies from neighboring counties.

“Passing a county-wide ordinance about noise is almost impossible,” Hylton said.

Hylton announced the Carroll County Parks Board received a county enhancement award from the Carroll County Economic Development Corporation for 2009 in recognition of their accomplishments throughout the year. A luncheon at the Wabash & Erie Canal Interpretive Center will be held Oct. 22 for all award recipients.

Pat Robertson of the Free Jefferson Township group thanked Brown publicly for his support of the group at a recent state committee meeting about issues surrounding sewer districts in the state.

“When he recognizes a problem, he does everything he can to correct it,” Robertson said.

An application for George Downham to Carroll Manor was approved.

The next meeting will be Oct. 19 at 6 p.m.

Drainage Board

Carroll County Surveyor Wayne Chapman told drainage board members Brown, Hylton and Clawson that criticisms leveled at the drainage board about flooding along SR18 at the Flora EMS garage is undeserved. He said his department spent $5,000 in drain work along the road and built new waterways. In addition, a 12-inch culvert was installed under the highway by the state.

Chapman said corn stubble from nearby fields and trash constituted the drainage problem for the area. He said there is nothing more the surveyor’s office can do to correct the flooding situation at the ambulance garage.

Chapman reported the county received $17,334.91 for five damaged county drains in the 2008 flood. He said each of the drain accounts for the affected drains in various townships received a percentage of the damage reimbursement.

The next drainage board meeting will be Nov. 2 at 8:30 a.m.