Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
All 10 agreements before the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety on Friday were unanimously approved.
The Warsaw Common Council previously approved the amounts during the 2026 budgeting process.
The contract with city attorney Scott Reust, partner at Rockhill Pinnick LLP, is for $112,640, or $9,386.67 per month.
Mayor Jeff Grose said, “Scott’s ability to help my office, as well as department heads, council members, it’s just incredible what he’s doing and I think a little more than what you thought, like it or not. But, what an incredible asset he is, and I’m just so thankful he’s our attorney. It would certainly be a favorable recommendation from me.”
The 2026 contract with the Animal Welfare League is for $110,000, paid in 12 monthly installments of $9,166.67.
Reust noted, “I know some of these contracts that we’re going to vote to fund, part of the council’s reason for that is they provide services to our community that we don’t otherwise necessarily provide as a city. And that’s part of the impetus behind (the contracts).”
For example, there is no city dog pound. Councilwoman Diane Quance said the city has animal control officers that will assist the AWL at times.
“Each of the contracts there before us today, the council looks at them as providing service to the community that is useful” to the community, Reust said.
Quance said they weren’t awarding contracts just to any not-for-profits or service organizations, “but those that provide needed services to the city’s citizens so that we protect the health and safety and well-being of the community.”
The agreement with The Beaman Home is for $16,500, while the contract with the Kosciusko Area Bus Service is for $39,750. Quarterly payments of $7,743.75 will be made to KABS.
Quance said the city doesn’t provide bus service in town, so the city contracts with KABS to provide that.
Kosciusko County Senior Services and Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams each will receive $27,500 from the city.
On the funds for the Lilly Center, Quance stated, “This is not the educational component, that is taken care of through the MS4. ... This is to provide the water testing at the lakes that they do and then also just whenever we have a spill or something, they’re right there to help with that. Also, to look at emerging threats ... if there’s something going on with our lakes that we need to pay more attention to.”
Board member George Clemens said the Lilly Center and its director, Dr. Nate Bosch, do a lot of great work in protecting the valuable lakes.
Main Street Warsaw’s 2026 agreement is for $55,000. Some of the services they provide to the city, according to the contract, are: initiation and coordinator with downtown public works improvement projects and programs with downtown property owners and proprietors; administration of the restoration loan programs; recruitment of business to the Central Business District and representation of the city administration in all downtown renovation and rehabilitation programs.
Another 2026 agreement with Main Street Warsaw is for the facade grants, and it’s also for $55,000.
“Very, very effective,” said Grose. “Don’t hold me to this, but I think for every one of the dollars there, there’s a $10 return investment. It’s going very well, and lots of downtown stakeholders are taking advantage of it. And, again, all the private dollars in addition on top of it. So it’s a very effective program.”
For the first time, the council is providing funds to Safe Harbor Child Advocacy in the amount of $7,800.
Reust explained, “So this is a new contract. I’ll speak a little bit briefly about this. So, when a suspected abuse is reported to the Department of Child Services or law enforcement, oftentimes the potential victim, they need to talk to somebody and be interviewed. So Child Advocacy Center, they have trained experts to do that. And, I believe, they’re doing the majority of the interviews in those kind of situations where children are alleged to be victims of a crime. That’s what they do there, and they provide advocacy. Some kids need counseling, things like that, and that’s what’s being provided there.”
He said Safe Harbor works closely with the prosecuting attorney’s office, law enforcement and Department of Child Services.
The last contract for 2026 is with the Warsaw Housing Authority for $35,000.
The combined total of the 10 contracts is $459,190.
