Kosciusko County attorney Ed Ormsby explains the memorandum of understanding between the county and the city of Warsaw for $500,000 toward capital improvement projects at the Warsaw Municipal Airport. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — A memorandum of understanding between the county and city of Warsaw will provide a total of $500,000 from the county toward capital improvement projects at the Warsaw Municipal Airport.

At the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting Tuesday, Oct. 8, County Attorney Ed Ormsby presented the MOU.

Reading portions of the MOU, Ormsby said, “The county has certain County Economic Development Income Tax funds and recognizes that investment in critical infrastructure is a particularly well-suited use of EDIT funds because it is a non-recurring expenditure that can be targeted to strategically important long-term assets that provide benefits over many years and therefore desires to provide support to certain capital improvement projects at the Warsaw Municipal Airport.”

He said the airport has begun or is about to begin capital improvement projects to improve or create critical infrastructure that are targeted to improve strategically important long-term assets.

Those projects include a power line lowering project that will improve safety of flights coming into and out of the airport, creating an Airport Overlay District to provide clear zoning areas to assist local planning departments and developers, and install a self-serve fuel farm that will increase the availability of after-hours refueling for general aviation operations at the airport, according to the MOU.

The county will provide $400,000 to the airport to support the power line project; $50,000 for the Airport Overlay District; and $50,000 to support improvements to the airport’s self-serve fuel farm, for a total of $500,000 from the county’s EDIT funds.

In making a motion to approve the MOU, County Commissioner Cary Groninger said, “I think that’s an important asset in our community that we need to continue to support, make sure it’s kept in good order. I think the power lines is something they’ve been working on for 20 years to try to get down, and the federal government stepped up and this is a good use that we’ll able to match these funds to get that project complete.”

Commissioner Brad Jackson seconded the motion, which passed 3-0.

After the meeting, Airport Manager Nick King said the $400,000 will go toward the match required for the federal grant for the power line lowering project. The $50,000 each for the AOD and self-serve fuel farm is half of the expected cost for each project.

Ormsby also presented an amendment to a grant agreement in regard to some opioid settlement funds that the county received.

“The state has requested that the commissioners authorize a commissioner, in this case Cary Groninger, to execute this amendment,” Ormsby said. “The purpose is for the grant that was granted Oct. 4, 2023, in the amount of $226,500 to be extended for use beyond the fiscal year of 2024 to 2025.”

He said some of those funds just haven’t been used yet, and the amendment will allow the county to continue to have access to those funds and use them in 2025. The grant funds are mostly for drug counseling and the like, but those positions have not all been filled and the funds have not all been used for that.

The amendment was approved unanimously.

Kosciusko County Council President Mike Long recommended the county proceed with Waggoner, Irwin, Scheele & Associates on the county employees wage review.

“During the wage ordinance discussions this year, we had realized that it has been seven years since we’ve had an updated job classification and compensation analysis from Waggoner, Irwin, Scheele,” Long said.

When the county did the last one seven years ago, there hadn’t been one done before up until that point for 20 years. “And when they came back with some of the recommendations, it was most shocking,” Long said. “So at that point in time we thought we’d go ahead and do it about every four to five years. Well, here we are approximately seven years later and it’s time for us to do another one.”

The $50,000 for the study is included in the commissioners’ 2025 budget, he said.

An engagement letter from WIS outlines the services they will provide, with expenses not to exceed $54,640 plus any mileage and per diems. Long said the turnaround time on the study is six to eight months.

“So, I would respectfully submit this to the commissioners for their review and, hopefully, signature because if we’re out six to eight months, that’s really going to affect our timeline for our 2026 salary ordinance,” Long said.

Ormsby had not seen the engagement letter up until Tuesday’s commissioner meeting, but after a quick review of it he said it was in line with previous agreements from WIS so from a legal perspective it was acceptable.

Long said WIS was showing a start date of Dec. 1.

The commissioners unanimously approved the study by WIS.

In other business, the commissioners approved:

• The 2025 nonprofit agreements, as presented by County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker. The commissioners and county council previously approved the amounts, which include $33,425 for The Beaman Home; $108,129, Cardinal Services; $46,590, Kosciusko County 4-H Council; $23,230, Kosciusko County Historical Society; $33,425, Kosciusko Community Senior Services; and $50,000 for Stillwater Hospice.

St. Joe River Basin was approved separately at $3,908 as the county’s share toward that is based on land volume in the area of the river basin.

• Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty’s request for him to be the delegate authority to make the financial decision for the bids that will be opened for bridge 30 over Turkey Creek.

The bids will be open Wednesday, Oct. 9 and Moriarty said, “We have 24 to 48 hours to commit to that bid. And what the bid will be is for the replacement of that bridge.”

He said hopefully there will be quite a few bidders and the Indiana Department of Transportation will take those bids and make their recommendation, with Moriarty just having to say INDOT’s recommendation is OK.

• A quote from Core Mechanical for $14,279 to replace the furnace at the county’s clinic building, as requested by County Administrator Marsha McSherry. The cost includes a new furnace, all the connections, installation and duct work.

McSherry also provided the commissioners with an update on the Justice Building renovation project. She said phase 5, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month, is moving along quite well.

• The service agreement with APCO for software for emergency medical dispatching for Kosciusko County Central Dispatch, as requested by Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Chris McKeand and Kosciusko 911 Director Amanda See.

• The contract for Rave 911 Suite, adding in Rave Alerts for Emergency Management Agency, for a cost of $32,214.15, to be paid evenly by Central Dispatch and Kosciusko EMA, as requested by See and McKeand.
See said Rave 911 Suite provides dispatch with information from the public should they enter medical or property information. “If we get a 911 call, it pops up with that information. It makes our job a lot easier,” she said.

“Rave Alerts is messaging. It will include iPods, which allows geofencing, to send out emergency messages in mass casualty situation to make the public aware, as well as messaging that they can opt in for, such as road closures and that kind of stuff,” See said.

• The reappointment of Brad Newcomer to the Nappanee Public Library Board.

• The 2025 commissioner meeting dates and holidays, the 2025 interlocal agreements with the Kosciusko County Convention and Recreation Visitors Commission and the Solid Waste Management District for the auditor’s office to act as the KCCRVC and District’s secretary for 2025.

The next commissioners meeting is at 9 a.m. Oct. 22.