By Jessica Kerman
ANDERSON — Despite previous plans to use TIF money for infrastructure near the Poet ethanol plant, the county expects to pay almost $1 million in taxpayer dollars to repair county roads 100 East and 1300 North.
During its regular meeting Tuesday, the Board of Commissioners accepted bids from three companies to reconstruct and widen county roads 100 East and 1300 North.
Bids from Anderson-based E&B; Paving, Indianapolis-based Grady Brothers and Goshen-based Rieth-Riley were accepted for the two projects.
For 100 East, bids ranged from $538,400 to $725,775.10, the lowest coming from E&B.; For 1300 North, bids ranged from $253,200 to $269,815, with Grady Brothers being the lowest.
“The reason why it’s split is in case we don’t have the money for both of them,” said Commissioner Paul Wilson, D-South District. “They will be taken together for the low bid.”
Contractors will work on 100 East from Indiana 28 to Summitville and 1300 North between 100 East and Poet Drive.
Commissioner John Richwine, R-North District, said the county highway crews would also do some of the work on the roads. Wilson said the county would work on 1300 North from Poet Drive to Indiana 9.
Richwine said the county did not have the equipment to do the entire project.
“The road surface will be heavier and wider,” he said.
Once the work is done, the county hopes the improvements will direct truck traffic to use Indiana 28 to 100 East to 1300 North to Poet Drive instead of using other county roads.
“We’re going to try to keep them on state roads as much as possible,” Richwine said. “(The roads) weren’t constructed for heavy truck traffic.”
In April, residents in the area complained about the condition of 1300 North. The road was deteriorating so much that the Alexandria post office refused to deliver mail to the two remaining residents between Indiana 9 and 100 East. The school bus also would not use the road.
In April, Richwine told The Herald Bulletin that the county would devote some TIF, or tax increment financing, money for road reconstruction. However, during the Madison County Council meeting Tuesday afternoon, Wilson said the commissioners wanted to go another direction to pay for the reconstruction.
At the council meeting, Wilson requested $300,000 from the rainy day fund, which is money collected from the county economic development tax, be appropriated for the project.
Wilson said that he was not comfortable borrowing money based on TIF money from one payer, which is the Poet ethanol plant. If Poet did not succeed, the county would have to pay the borrowed money with taxpayer dollars, he said.
By using existing funds, the county has no debt and no taxes are held from other taxing units such as the schools and the library, Wilson said.
“I don’t believe this is the time for the county to incur debt backed up by property taxes,” Wilson said.
County Councilman Larry Crenshaw, R-at large, said he did not want to gamble the taxpayers’ money on ethanol succeeding.
The county will also use about $500,000 from local road and highway funds. By doing this, the county will not repair two roads — 800 North and Main Street from the overpass south to 600 South, Wilson said — this year.
“We can’t let this go on for another winter,” Wilson said to the council. “It’s not fair to the residents up there.”
ANDERSON — Despite previous plans to use TIF money for infrastructure near the Poet ethanol plant, the county expects to pay almost $1 million in taxpayer dollars to repair county roads 100 East and 1300 North.
During its regular meeting Tuesday, the Board of Commissioners accepted bids from three companies to reconstruct and widen county roads 100 East and 1300 North.
Bids from Anderson-based E&B; Paving, Indianapolis-based Grady Brothers and Goshen-based Rieth-Riley were accepted for the two projects.
For 100 East, bids ranged from $538,400 to $725,775.10, the lowest coming from E&B.; For 1300 North, bids ranged from $253,200 to $269,815, with Grady Brothers being the lowest.
“The reason why it’s split is in case we don’t have the money for both of them,” said Commissioner Paul Wilson, D-South District. “They will be taken together for the low bid.”
Contractors will work on 100 East from Indiana 28 to Summitville and 1300 North between 100 East and Poet Drive.
Commissioner John Richwine, R-North District, said the county highway crews would also do some of the work on the roads. Wilson said the county would work on 1300 North from Poet Drive to Indiana 9.
Richwine said the county did not have the equipment to do the entire project.
“The road surface will be heavier and wider,” he said.
Once the work is done, the county hopes the improvements will direct truck traffic to use Indiana 28 to 100 East to 1300 North to Poet Drive instead of using other county roads.
“We’re going to try to keep them on state roads as much as possible,” Richwine said. “(The roads) weren’t constructed for heavy truck traffic.”
In April, residents in the area complained about the condition of 1300 North. The road was deteriorating so much that the Alexandria post office refused to deliver mail to the two remaining residents between Indiana 9 and 100 East. The school bus also would not use the road.
In April, Richwine told The Herald Bulletin that the county would devote some TIF, or tax increment financing, money for road reconstruction. However, during the Madison County Council meeting Tuesday afternoon, Wilson said the commissioners wanted to go another direction to pay for the reconstruction.
At the council meeting, Wilson requested $300,000 from the rainy day fund, which is money collected from the county economic development tax, be appropriated for the project.
Wilson said that he was not comfortable borrowing money based on TIF money from one payer, which is the Poet ethanol plant. If Poet did not succeed, the county would have to pay the borrowed money with taxpayer dollars, he said.
By using existing funds, the county has no debt and no taxes are held from other taxing units such as the schools and the library, Wilson said.
“I don’t believe this is the time for the county to incur debt backed up by property taxes,” Wilson said.
County Councilman Larry Crenshaw, R-at large, said he did not want to gamble the taxpayers’ money on ethanol succeeding.
The county will also use about $500,000 from local road and highway funds. By doing this, the county will not repair two roads — 800 North and Main Street from the overpass south to 600 South, Wilson said — this year.
“We can’t let this go on for another winter,” Wilson said to the council. “It’s not fair to the residents up there.”
In other business:
The Board of County Commissioners approved the fire dispatch contract the Madison County Sheriff’s Department has with governmental units throughout the county. Fees are based on the number of runs dispatched in 2006 for each municipality. Sheriff Ron Richardson said the department used 2006 numbers because it could not get 2007 numbers in time to do the billing.
Town of Pendleton: $19,226
Fall Creek Township: $42,571
Lafayette Township: $20,351
Town of Frankton: $4,625
Union Township: $34,651
Town of Chesterfield: $8,663
Stony Creek Township: $10,530
Town of Lapel: $3,653
Van Buren Township: $9,282
Boone Township: $5,268
Adams Township: $16,733
Richland Township: $18,020
Town of Edgewood: $6,212
Town of Ingalls: $10,689
Green Township: $10,520
Jackson Township: $9,512
