Starke Highway Department Gets Green Light for Inspection Supervisor

The Starke County Highway Department will soon be on the search for a new employee after the county commissioners last night gave authorization for Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler to create a new position in his department. Ritzler asked that the commissioners approve his request to ultimately hire a construction inspection supervisor, which would allow the county to forgo hiring inspectors for projects.

The supervisor would have to be INDOT certified, but Ritzler said there are already a number of residents within the county who would qualify for the position. He said he estimates the savings would be around $140,000 over two years, and the supervisor could train other highway department employees as well.

On top of that, Ritzler said there is a possibility that INDOT may reimburse some of the expense in hiring a supervisor.

The commissioners approved his request, authorizing him to create the new position; he will next appear before the council for their approval as well.