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Much of the business that went before the Kosciusko County Commissioners Tuesday was for service agreements, all of which were approved.
Kosciusko County Chief Public Defender Jack Birch requested permission for the public defender’s office to enter into a software agreement with Securus Technologies.
He said it was “basically an amendment to the agreement that the sheriff already has for their tablets for the inmates. This additional software component will allow the public defenders in my office to have the ability to have virtual communication with the inmates, as well as to upload all kinds of documents, video, audio, which is discovery, that right now we deliver by paper but we have very difficult means of getting the clients the ability to watch or listen to the audio because we have to sit there with the laptops, which is, obviously, very time-consuming, a waste of our time, at least for the most part. So we can upload those.”
It also will provide inmates with the ability to e-sign if needed.
“We believe it will significantly cut down our time, speed the process up and, hopefully, help us keep up with inmates getting processed through, and getting the cases heard or disposed of in a quicker fashion so we reduce, hopefully, the jail population,” Birch stated.
The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office requested to enter into a software license agreement for its jail classification software that allows them “to place inmates into their proper location, keep them away for disciplinary actions, reduce our liability,” Chief Deputy Chris McKeand said in presenting the request.
Systems Administrator Eric Sorensen requested approval for an agreement with Canopy Workforce Solutions LLC for $8,300 in 2026 for the Human Resources Department. Currently, HR does all job postings and job descriptions manually, he said, and the agreement will help with posting those.
Sorensen also requested the commissioners ratify a contract with Zayo for $1,075 per month to upgrade the county’s internet bandwidth. County attorney Ed Ormsby had Sorensen go ahead and sign the contract, so the commissioners just needed to ratify that.
County Assessory Gail Chapman requested approval for a revised service agreement with Nexus LTD for 2026.
“The scope of work really isn’t changing a whole lot. They are changing their hourly rate from $112.50 an hour to $125 an hour, not to exceed the agreed-upon budget amount for 2026,” she said.
Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty wasn’t looking for a service agreement approval, but for permission to apply for an 80/20 federal grant for bridge 145 for 2031. The bridge is on CR 600W over Trammel Creek. The county council approved the request at their meeting Thursday.
The total cost of construction, professional engineering and construction inspection is $3,850,000. Because the grant is an 80/20, the county’s portion of that would be $814,000, if the county is awarded the grant.
The commissioners approved for Moriarty to apply for the grant, as well as a financial commitment letter that is required as part of the grant process.
Moriarty and Ormsby then opened the 2026 annual bids for highway supplies. Moriarty asked for the bids to be taken under advisement and he will give the commissioners a recommendation at their Dec. 2 meeting, which the commissioners approved.
Kosciusko County Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver presented six Health First memorandums of understanding (MOUs) from five different agencies for the commissioners’ consideration. He said the MOUs have passed through the approval process up to that point.
One is for $15,000 for Fellowship Missions to hire a nurse practitioner for the benefit of the residents of the shelter. The Magical Meadows will receive $2,474.99 for reimbursement of an external defibrillator that they purchased earlier. Northern Indiana Maternal & Child Health Network, in 2026, will receive $60,596 for their core functions of medical testing and medical reviews of patients.
Live Well Kosciusko will receive $95,000 in 2026 for their core functions - obesity, heart disease, diabetes, he said; and $10,000 for Mobile Mammography, which they are partnering with Parkview Health on.
The last MOU was for $82,000 in 2026 for Warsaw Community Schools for a health liaison. Weaver said the health liaison “moves through all the schools in the community, in the county, and works with the school nurses on a lot of things - immunizations, school attendance, health.”
It will be the second year for the health liaison.
Commissioner Cary Groninger said the health liaison is one of the requirements of the Health First funding. Weaver said it’s been “very successful.”
All six MOUs were approved.
County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker talked to the commissioners about the Financial Institution Tax (FIT) and the Commercial Vehicle Excise Tax (CVET).
“The legislative body, the commissioners, now have to make a decision of where to place the FIT and CVET funds. In the past, these amounts were distributed at settlement time in the spring and the fall, and appropriated to the five main county funds,” she said. “HEA (House Enrollment Act) 1392 says starting July 1, 2025, we are no longer having to do the fund-level accounts, and this money can now be placed in any fund and use the funds for any purpose permitted by law.”
She said most counties are just putting the funds in the county general fund, and she recommended the commissioners do likewise, which they did.
For the fall, the amount was $46,500 for FIT and CVET. The spring amount was similar.
Kosciusko Area Bus Service (KABS) General Manager Kristin Rude presented the third-quarter operating claim from July 1 through Sept. 30, 2025. KABS incurred $239,690 in eligible operating expenses. Less fares, the net project cost was $229,732, to be funded by $114,866 in federal funds; $20,637 from state; and $94,229 from local sources.
At the close of the third quarter, she said KABS exhausted state allocation, which is pretty standard for operations.
“We’re on track and in a financial position to match federal funds for quarter four 50/50 match,” she said.
After the commissioners approved the third quarter claims, Rude presented the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) title release process.
“INDOT’s Office of Transit is implementing a statewide change in how titles are handled for vehicles for just the transit funds under the 5339 program. This shift ensures compliance with federal vehicle disposition requirements and aligns Indiana with the national 5311 standards,” she said. “Historically, vehicle titles were held by county commissioners, city governments or plan commissions, and this has been a long-standing practice in Kosciusko County. Going forward, titles will be held directly by INDOT, similar to long-established 5310 program.”
She said the commissioners would be authorizing the county auditor’s office to release 12 vehicle titles to KABS, and then KABS will coordinate directly with INDOT for the transfer of those titles to the program manager.
In the event a vehicle becomes diminished or is involved in an accident, INDOT will release that vehicle’s title to KABS and KABS will coordinate with the commissioners for required signatures.
Ormsby said it’s just about physical possession of the titles, and there’s no transfer of ownership and change in insurance or anything like that. The commissioners approved the request.
Chief Probation Officer Tammy Johnston invited the commissioners to the first-ever Reentry Court graduation, which will be at 9 a.m. Nov. 26 in Superior Court I. One participant will be graduating, who is also the very first graduate of the Reentry Court.
Mike Murphy, Bowen Health, announced Bowen Health, in partnership with American Legion Post 49, will be doing a Veterans Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Giveaway at the Legion, 301 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw, at 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20. A person doesn’t have to be a Legion member to get a turkey, but they do have to be a veteran.
The first 50 veterans who attend will receive a frozen turkey and all the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal.
The event is also the announcement for Reboot Thursdays, which is a group setting for veterans to connect and talk through mental health challenges. A meal is provided after each session.
Reboot Thursdays begins Thursday, Dec. 11 from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Legion, and will continue on the second Thursday of every month.
Murphy said a licensed therapist will be there on site, but a veteran does not have to be a patient of Bowen Health to attend.
The next commissioners meeting is at 9 a.m. Dec. 2.
