The Starke County Commissions and Starke County Council members discussed a few items during their meeting this week.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler asked for fund transfers with extra money in the gas, oil and lube fund in order to update and maintain gravel roads, buy more road equipment and cover a shortfall in the liability insurance. He said this action is usually done every year. About $57,500 was transferred toward road equipment and other line items to support liability insurance and other maintenance.
Ritzler also explained that two additional appropriations were advertised for health insurance in the amount of $100,000 and miscellaneous bridge for $17,940. He said he asks about insurance costs at the beginning of the year which is about $340,000. He said the department is about $53,000 over the maximum expenditure. He said he hopes to fix it soon, but it happens every year.
He added that the Cumulative Bridge Fund took a hit of about $150,000 in July as other projects had to be paid with that money so $17,940 is asked to be included in that fund.
The council approved the additional appropriation requests.
In an additional appropriation request to the Starke County Commissioners, Starke County Economic Development Foundation Director Charlie Weaver requested $3,235 from the economic development item in the CEDIT fund. The money will be used to purchase a traffic counter for the highway department’s continuous year-long study of traffic patterns and counts to include in a U.S. 30 Coalition report to INDOT in their discussions on transforming U.S. 30 into a freeway. The commissioners unanimously approved the request.
