Martin County Commissioners Meeting Covers Funding, Equipment, and Courthouse Issues

The Martin County Board of Commissioners assembled on Tuesday night with an agenda supporting infrastructure updates.

In his report, Highway Department Superintendent Scott Seals said that the County received a Community Crossings grant for $727,054.40 This should fund all but one of the proposed roads. Multiple bids were opened for some of the approved projects. The bids were tabled and will be taken under advisement. The next application cycle will be in July, and which point that road can be resubmitted with the new application.

A used ton truck was purchased for the county. Seals said a group of older equipment also needs to be removed from inventory. It was recommended to provide specific VIN numbers so that the auditor’s office can be easily remove them from insurance policies.

A claim request was received from SIDC to submit on behalf of the Shoals Public Library for the library grant expansion. Claims of $99,933 and $45,050 were approved for submission and approved to pay when they come in.

Auditor Michelle Norris said that she received an email from the judge with a quote for additional security. This included control panels, card readers, a door strike, a Mag lock, a battery for the door, and a relay. The sole bid received of $12,866.32 from Area One was accepted.

The software maintenance 3-year agreement for the Courthouse HVAC system will expire in the next two weeks. HFI provided a quote for a new 3-year agreement. The board approved the renewal contract of $2370. A conversation was also held about the design of the temperature control in the Courthouse, where multiple offices share thermostats that provide very inconsistent or uncomfortable temperatures. In addition, there is only one thermostat downstairs, supplemented by multiple space heaters. The Commissioners expressed particular concern over the heaters, which could be a safety issue, and decided to look further into the issue.

In other business, new fund numbers were created for a few accounts at the last meeting. The Commissioners approved a request to transfer the funds from the previous fund number to the new one. The next Commissioners meeting will be rescheduled to Monday, December 22 at 5:30 pm. The Courthouse will be closed from 11-1 on Thursday for a staff Christmas party.

For more information on these and other updates, visit the Martin County Indiana Courthouse Facebook page.

- Drew Hasselbring