Pulaski County’s proposed facilities upgrades will be up for discussion during a special joint county council and commissioners meeting tonight. Back in 2019, the commissioners chose a general path forward to renovate the historic courthouse and expand the Justice Center. But the courthouse portion of the work was largely put on the back burner earlier this year, when the commissioners decided to hold off on approving a construction manager contract.
Now, county officials are questioning the Justice Center project, as well. Last week, Auditor Laura Wheeler vehemently spoke against putting $5.6 million into the Justice Center without touching the courthouse, at a time when property taxes are already seeing a big jump due to the recent income tax restructuring. She said she wants no part of the project and asked to be removed from the bond ordinance that was approved last month. But the county council wants to discuss options with the commissioners, before deciding how to proceed with the bond ordinance.
The proposed restructuring of the Maintenance Department will also be revisited tonight. The commissioners thought they had enough agreement from the council to name a new maintenance director and head custodian. But council members still want to see what the restructuring would cost in employee benefits and where specifically the commissioners think the county could save money by doing more work internally.
Tonight’s joint Pulaski County Council and Commissioners meeting starts at 7:00 EDT in the Pulaski County Highway Garage. It will be streamed live on the Pulaski County, Indiana, Government Facebook page.
