In a session that lasted over two hours Tuesday evening two branches of Porter County government the county council and the board of commissioners agreed to summon municipal adviser Baker Tilly to next month’s council meeting to help them understand the county’s bonding options for a laundry list of serious needs.
The Porter County Board of Commissioners held an administrative meeting Tuesday afternoon to debrief members of the Porter County Council who are liaisons to the Porter County Highway Department on the need to replace the 63-year-old central garage and financing options for the estimated $23.6 million cost.
Also a priority is making sure employees are paid fairly. If high turnover can be solved by increasing pay, that deserves attention, new Porter County Councilman Andy Vasquez said.
The Porter County Council gave a slew of kind and grateful goodbyes to outgoing Porter County Councilman Mike Jessen, R-4th, at his final council meeting as an officeholder Tuesday evening. Jessen is leaving in his ninth year in office to take a job leading the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana.
That project is pegged at $7.5 million, with $5 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and the remainder from the Memorial Opera House Foundation.