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Home My WebLink About7-21-2026 GC Commissioner Meeting MinutesGibson County Board of Commissioners Regular Session July 21, 2026 at the Southwest Annex Commissioner Montgomery led the prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioners present: • Nick Burns, President • Chuck Lewis, Vice -President • Kenneth Montgomery, Commissioner Meeting Minutes - July 7, 2026 @ 4:49 p.m. Commissioner Montgomery made a motion to approve minutes, seconded by Commissioner Lewis. The motion carried 3-0. Approval of Claims Commissioner Montgomery made a motion to approve claims, seconded by Commissioner Lewis. The motion carried 3-0. The Commissioners acknowledged Treasurer / Clerk Reports. DEPARTMENT REPORTS EMA (Emergency Management Agency) Presented by Director Stephanie McKinney • They are replacing the old sirens with the new system. o They hope to install two sirens per day. o The old system may intermittently go offline until the new one is finished. • FEMA will be in the county for public assistance from June storm and flood damage. • EMA has programmed weather radios if anyone would like one. She tries to keep them available for pickup at the commissioner's office, health department, and sheriff department. • Project Lifesaver received a donation from Community Foundation. They will begin the signup process for this project. They hope to keep this program free of charge to any aged Gibson County residents who tend to elope or wander away from caretakers. Animal Shelter — Presented by Sharon Werne • She thanked Commissioner Lewis for mowing, and the volunteers that are showing up to help at the Shelter. • The animal count was thirty-eight dogs and thirty-six cats. • Cynthia, who came on as a volunteer in October, has twelve dogs & eleven cats in a foster program that helped them through the heat wave. They also have seventeen dogs and twenty- seven cats in a fostering to adopt program. • The old shelter phones are experiencing issues, and staff are notifying the public of the correct number to contact animal services. • They will have fundraising and adoptions on Saturday in two separate locations: o Main Street, Oakland City o Rural King in Princeton • On August 8t' they will have an adoption event, and they will be giving away hot dogs & drinks. • On August 29', the Francisco Lions Club has offered them a free spot for an adoption event. Gibson County Commissioners July 21, 2026 They received a freezer donation today and believe they will also be receiving a washing machine for the new building. Ms. Werne stated the contractor portion of the new building appears complete. IT Department - Presented by Parrish Representative Kyle Wallace • Access points have been ordered and will be installed as soon as they are received. • He reminded Commissioners that switches are old and should be upgraded. • The main courthouse server is getting some upgrades and maintenance. • Regarding EMS New Building hardwiring for internet — Commissioner Lewis stated he has discussed boring with the city and believes the issue has been resolved with the Parrish Contractor. Commissioner Lewis asked him to reach out to the Contractor to ensure this project is ready to go. Soil and Water Conservation Department Presented by Dennis Simpson • Mr. Simpson presented a proposal to Commissioners as they hope to purchase a district vehicle. Highway Presented by Engineer Holden • Highway Department has received their new distribution for lane mile distribution. • Gas Tax suspension will be made whole by the Governor for the first two months of suspension. They hope they will get another distribution in a couple of months. • The work being done through the Toyota Grant started on Friday and was operational by Monday morning when workers returned to work after their week-long shutdown. • Phase I of Tulip Tree will finish on Sunday. • The TIF County Road project started on Monday. • Local funded paving started today. • Chip/seal project has been awaiting their new distributor truck; it delivered on Saturday and chip/seal began on Monday. Public Comments Attorney Spindler reviewed the rules for public comment, but no one from the public took the podium. OLD BUSINESS Old Jail Demolition Project Update — Construction Manager, Joe Mattingly of Garmong • Mr. Mattingly explained this is the final phase of a two-part process for the jail demolition. Phase lI GMT (Guarantee Maximum Price) came in at $608,025. • GMP for Phase I was $691,975. • GMP total for the entire turnkey project is $1,300,000. • Attorney Spindler clarified that if there are any change orders, Commissioners will enter into a contract with Garmong, and they will collaborate with subcontractors. • Attorney Spindler has reviewed the contract and recommends that Commissioners approve the bid pending Council funding approval. • Mr. Mattingly informed Commissioners that the Council approved the funding in their July meeting, but they will need to fmd the source of those funds before the August meeting. Mr. Mattingly says the project will not begin until funding is decided upon. Commissioner Montgomery motioned to approve, seconded by Commissioner Lewis. The vote was 3-0. Reclamation Solar Construction Update — Presented by Travis Broussard of Q-Cells Construction Gibson County Commissioners July 21, 2026 2 • Q-Cells Construction will be responsible for the construction of this project. • They will begin site prep on CR 1200 East in September; they plan to be operational by 2028. • Commissioner Lewis emphasized the importance of monitoring road bonding and road -use requirements, including ensuring that mud is kept off public roads. He also noted that if any county roads are disturbed or damaged during operations, the county may require the responsible party to apply additional rock and restore the roadway. Mr. Broussard said they will keep a street sweeper and water truck on site for cleanup. • Q-Cells expects to have 300-350 workers on site for construction of this project. They will put signage in front of the project as they intend to hire local people. NEW BUSINESS Ordinance 2026-1 Amending & Restating Ordinance No. 2022-10 Concerning Asset Management — Presented by Attorney Spindler • This change will require an inventory every two years, rather than annually. The department head will be required to sign and date inventory sheets. The assets will be entered into data pit stop when placed into service. They will also be removed at the time of disposal or transfer. If the asset is valued at over $5,000, it will require Commissioners' approval for disposal. Commissioner Lewis motioned to adopt the amended Asset Management Ordinance 2026-1 that amends Ordinance 2022-10, seconded by Commissioner Montgomery. The motion passed on a 3-0 vote. • Attorney Spindler advised Commissioners that if they wish to adopt this ordinance tonight, they should motion to suspend the rules and adopt the ordinance upon second reading. Commissioner Burns made that motion, seconded by Commissioner Montgomery. The vote was 3-0. Letter of Support for Gibson County Meats, LLC — Presented by Attorney Spindler • Attorney Spindler explained that Gibson County Meats, a state, and federally inspected meat processing facility, is requesting a letter of support from Commissioners so they can seek grant funding to expand their processing facility. This letter of support is at no cost to the county. Attorney Spindler asked for a motion to approve the letter of support. Commissioner Lewis motioned to approve the letter,of support, seconded by Commissioner'Montgomery. The motion passed on a 3-0 vote. Approval of Per Diem Policy Resolution — Presented by Attorney Spindler • Attorney Spindler presented Resolution 2026-7. This resolution provides for a per diem and mileage policy which the County currently has but is combined with a credit card policy. This resolution will split it out from the credit card policy. Per Diem will pay $13 for breakfast; $15 for lunch; and $26 for dinner. Mileage will follow the state rate and be adjustable by the County Auditor. Commissioner Montgomery motioned to approve the per diem and mileage policy, seconded by Commissioner Lewis. The motion passed on a 3-0 vote. Suspension & Debarment Certification — Presented by Attorney Spindler • Attorney Spindler explained that State Board of Account recommended this certification be required whenever a vendor is being paid with federal funds. Commissioner Lewis motioned to adopt the suspension and debarment certification, seconded by Commissioner Montgomery. The motion passed on a 3-0 vote. Animal Shelter TIF Funding Request — Presented by Sharon Werne, Carrie Tichenor, and Bruce McIntosh Gibson County Commissioners July 21, 2026 3 • The Representatives stated that they have been advised that there may be money available in the TIF projects. Representatives requested approval to seek up to $100,000 in TIF funding for the Animal Shelter. They are seeking approval from Commissioners to make this request. Commissioner Lewis motioned to approve the Animal Shelter to approach the RDC for additional TIF funding, seconded by Commissioner Montgomery. The motion passed on a 3-0 vote. Reimbursement to Horrall Farms Presented by Attorney Spindler • Attorney Spindler explained there was a police chase which resulted in crop damage. The City of Princeton has agreed to pay %2 of the damage cost, while the county will pay for the other half in the amount of $628.43. H&S Land LLC owns the property. • Attorney Spindler asked Commissioner for a motion to approve payment of this claim. Commissioner Montgomery motioned to approve, seconded by Commissioner Lewis. The motion passed on a 3-0 vote. Hopkins Family Park Basketball/Pickleball Courts Bid Opening — Presented by Michael Stevenson, Park Department President/Attorney Spindler/County Engineer Holden • The above -named group opened bids from the following companies:. o Black Art Paving o David Enterprises o Freudenberg Contracting o Parker Excavating 10 These bids will be taken under advisement for review. They hope to award bids at the next meeting or after the Park Board gives their approval. Animal Shelter Interim Director • Commissioner Lewis recommends putting Carrie Tichenor and Sarah Stewart as volunteer interim directors of the Animal Shelter. Commissioner Montgomery motioned to approve these interim volunteer directors until a director c hired, seconded by Commissioner Burns. The motion passed on a 3-0 vote. an be Data Centers • Commissioner Burns stated that the Commissioners do not currently have information regarding Data Centers. Commissioners plan to attend an August educational meeting in Indianapolis, to learn about data centers. Adjournment Commissioner Montgomery motioned to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner Lewis. The vote was 3-0. Meeting Minutes July 21, 2026 Z j Nick Burns, President ATTEST: Mike Watkins, Auditor Gibson County Commissioners July 21, 2026 Chuek Lewis, Vice President f