The Porter County
Board of Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding between the
Highway Department and the Department of Development and Storm Water
Management at its meeting Tuesday.
County Attorney
Scott McClure said the agreement clarifies guidelines for collaboration
between the departments.
Commissioner
President Jeff Good, R-Center, said the MOU’s main purpose is to parse out
the costs of related projects. “Now we’ll know which bucket to pull that
money out of, and there’s a criteria for each one.”
Under the new
agreement, McClure said the Storm Water Management Department will fund the
paving of bridge decks and culvert purchases for culverts 24 inches in
diameter or larger on Highway projects.
The Board also
introduced Rich Sexton, who recently replaced Andy McKay as the Highway
Department Supervisor. Good reported that McKay will still be working with
the Highway Department but stepped down from his position as Supervisor
after the flooding event in early March.
Good said that new
leadership will take both departments in the cooperative direction that they
need to be headed. “It’s very important to get these two departments to
start communicating and working together,” he said, noting that Porter
County has over 800 miles of roads and drainage impacts their use. He added
that the MOU is a “working document” that should be updated going forward.
Other Business
In other Highway
Department Business, Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North, said he asked Sexton
to check in with INDOT on the progress with the closed section of Ind. 149
between U.S. Hwy 20 and U.S. Hwy 6. Sexton told him Ind. 149 will reopen on
June 23 at 6:30 p.m.
The Commissioners
are taking applications for their appointment to the Airport Board
Authority. Applications should be turned in to the Commissioner’s office.
The appointment will be made at the next meeting, July 10.