Two of Bartholomew County government’s largest agencies are still waiting for state funds promised last year that have yet to arrive.
The Indiana Department of Correction (DOC) is nine months behind in reimbursement payments for the housing of low-level felons in the local county jail, Bartholomew County Auditor Pia O’Connor said.
The county highway department still hasn’t received a matching grant of $589,471 promised last fall for the county overlay program, according to county highway engineer Danny Hollander.
“That’s just nonsense,” O’Connor said about the delayed payments. “I don’t get it.”
Neither does State Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, who said he knows of no reason why both departments are still waiting for the money they are entitled to receive.
“I’ve gotten no signals of any accounting problems or issues,” Walker said. “These are two different agencies, so the fact that both are long overdue is probably coincidental.”
The issue of county jails being underfunded for housing low-level felons remains unresolved, and the state is still examining options that include creating regional centers for housing Level 6 inmates, Walker said.
Since talks with the DOC are currently underway regarding the overdue funding, jail commander Maj. John Martoccia said it would be “premature” to say how much the state owes his department.
But last winter, Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers said the DOC only provides $35 a day in compensation per inmate while the actual cost is closer to $75.
Using that figure, Myers said he believed state lawmakers were creating an additional $438,000 financial burden on local taxpayers each year — even before the state fell behind in payments.
Overlay reductions
For the first time in several years, Milestone Contractors of Columbus has been awarded all the work on this year’s county overlay program.
But due to the delay in receiving last year’s Community Crossing matching grant from the state, the 2019 overlay program has been temporarily reduced to 19.5 miles of roads.
That is about half of the 38 miles that received a fresh coat of blacktop last year, Hollander said. By cutting 5.5 miles, the county will reduce its cost by about $462,000.
The highway engineer said he is hopeful the overdue grant money will be placed in the county’s coffers this month. But until that money arrives, these five previously-approved overlay projects have been tabled.
Those projects include:
Flatrock Township
County Road 500E, from 900N to 1000N.
Jackson Township
Main Cross Street, from State Road 58 to the east terminus.
County Road 930S, from State Road 58 to Road 500W
Ohio Township
County Road 525S, from Becks Grove Road to Road 875W
County Road 800W, from Becks Grove Road to Road 700S
The delay in receiving the money is taking place at a time when cities and counties are already facing significantly higher costs.
A significant increase in asphalt oil price, as well as competition for a limited number of contractors from both the private sector and other local government units, have resulted in escalating paving costs.
While the average cost of putting down new asphalt on rural roads in Bartholomew County was just over $70,000 last year, that same amount of work will cost taxpayers nearly $84,000 this year — nearly a 20% increase, Hollander said.
