The Bartholomew County commissioners reviewed Tuesday just how much the COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting the county.
During the week ending April 3, only 10 new building permits were issued with a total estimated value of $91,882. That’s a 95% drop from the previous week, when the valuation of new construction was $1,973,979.
“That could be an all-time low since I’ve been in office,” commissioner Chairman Carl Lienhoop said. “I can’t remember (the weekly value of new construction) being under $100,000 in the past 17 or 18 years.”
County government is also expected to take a financial hit from the reduced amount of driving, county highway engineer Danny Hollander said. Since most money the county receives for road, bridge and highway infrastructure comes from the gasoline tax, Hollander said he was concerned the county will see a significant financial reduction.
But the good news is that the more than 400 Bartholomew County employees can breathe a little easier — for now.
Since executive orders from Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb have resulted in varying impacts on county employees, Bartholomew County attorney Grant Tucker asked the commissioners to extend a policy that’s been in place for the past two weeks.
Tucker asked the commissioners to approve a resolution confirming that county employees will be paid — whether they work a full week, a partial week, or do “stay at home” work.
The original resolution would have expired Monday, but after the commissioners’ unanimous approval on Tuesday, all county employees will be paid through at least April 20, Tucker said.
Hollander reported that his crew members are performing alternate shifts and working every third day to limit the risk to their health.
While contractors are currently laying asphalt on areas of roads originally scheduled for improvement last year, the department keeps falling behind on paving projects scheduled for this year.
“If we can’t do the berming and get (culvert) pipes in ahead of time, we will remain behind schedule,” Hollander said.
In response, commissioner Larry Kleinhenz suggested that the county highway department hold off on purchasing additional asphalt at this time because prices will likely come down after the COVID-19 crisis is over.
“We may see the lowest asphalt price in 10 to 15 years — maybe longer,” Kleinhenz said.
In an effort to protect law enforcement, the commissioners authorized the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department to purchase 20,000 N95 respirator masks. The plan is to provide the Columbus Police Department with half of those masks, and for the city to reimburse the county, Lienhoop said.
The total cost will be $105,000, and the sheriff’s department has already paid their share of $52,500. However, the city will not be required to pay the same amount in reimbursement until after the masks are delivered, Lienhoop said.
In other developments stemming from the virus, county Auditor Pia O’Connor was given permission to pay some of the county’s bills without seeking the commissioner’s formal approval. The change recognizes that the commissioners may or may not meet every week.
The commissioners won’t meet next week. Their next public meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on April 20.
