Carroll County Commissioners decided at the Monday morning meeting to sell the former ambulance service garage on the edge of Flora to the highest bidder. After receiving two appraisals for $40,000 and $42,500, president Loren Hylton and fellow commissioners Bill Brown and Pat Clawson voted to liquidate the property by accepting sealed bids for no less than $41,000.

Commissioners’ attorney Kurtis Fouts guided the county leaders through the decision-making process to arrive at the solution about what to do with the facility. The garage is no longer used by the county due to flooding issues. Fouts emphasized the sale “must be open to the public.”

Commissioners will place a legal advertisement in the Comet to solicit bids. The publication will describe the bidding schedule and time table. Bids are expected to be opened at the March 15 commissioners meeting.

Status quo for county voting machines

County election board president John Brown reported that it was previously believed the county’s voting machines would need to be replaced after this year. However new information to the contrary has been received. Brown said the state elections division of the Indiana Secretary of State’s office indicated to him that current machines can be certified to be used for the next several years.

Brown said it was the recommendation of the election board that no new machines be purchased until a replacement plan, including funding, is developed. He said the plan to upgrade and recertify current machines is “cheaper than purchasing new machines.”

Highway Department

Commissioners approved a change order for $305.23 for projects funded with federal stimulus money when highway engineer Paul Couts explained that, in the exchange, the county traded unneeded services for additional asphalt for the roads. He said roads affected by the change are CR700W from Towpath Rd. to CR1000N, Meridian Rd. from CR100N to SR218, and CR100N from Meridian Rd. to CR100E.

Couts reported that the county could be inline to receive the same amount of federal stimulus road funding in 2010 as last year. He said the same amount of road miles would be repaired as well. Roads slated for repair are county roads 600S, 700W, 100N, 300W, 75W. and Meridian and Bicycle Bridge roads.

Commissioners adopted two stop sign ordinances. Locations for the new signs are at the intersections of CR600E. and CR575N. and CR600E. and CR600N.

Other news

Commissioners approved submission of a planning grant to develop strategies to help the county benefit from the Hoosier Heartland Highway. The goal is to attract appropriate industry to the area. The grant will be written by the Kankakee Iroquois Regional Planning Commission (KIRPC).

Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Daryl Smith said EDC will pay a 10 percent match required for the grant. The match will come from annual funding EDC receives from the county through Economic Development Income Taxes.

Commissioners heard presentations from three banking institutions to host county employee Health Savings Accounts. The matter was tabled until the March 1 meeting for the county leaders to consider all information received.

Employees will make all contributions to their individual savings plans and the savings can be used to offset higher deductibles from the county health insurance plan.

Commissioners announced they are searching for a citizen volunteer to serve on the Wabash Valley Hospital Board. They urged any resident of Carroll County who is interested in the position to notify county auditor Beth Myers. The appointment will be made at the March 1 meeting.

A Deer Creek Park lease agreement with caretakers Rex and Phyllis Gangloff was approved. It was noted the conditions of the lease did not change from the 2009 agreement.

Tri Kappa will use the courthouse lounge Feb. 23.

Payroll claims for $151,806.80 were approved.

The next public meeting will be March 1 at 9 a.m.

Executive Session

Commissioners held an executive session immediately following the public meeting.

Commissioners listed as a reason for the Monday executive session as:

“Interviews and negotiations with industrial or commercial prospects or agents of Industrial or commercial prospects by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, the Office of Tourism development, the Indiana Finance Authority, the Ports of Indiana, an economic development commission, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, a local economic development organization (as defined in I.C. 5-28-11-2(3) or a governing body of a political subdivision.”

Those attending the executive session included two representatives from a wind energy business which sells energy savings systems to school corporations in the form of wind generators, EDC director Daryl Smith, EDC administrative assistant Julia Leahy, commissioners attorney Kurtis Fouts, Hylton, Brown and Clawson and auditor Beth Myers.