WARSAW — It took a few extra months to do so, but the Kosciusko County Council has signed off on a request by the Syracuse-Turkey Creek Public Library for a $7.3 million bond needed to construct a new library.

On Thursday night, Council reaffirmed its vote on January 8, allowing the library to move forward with construction plans.

Concerns over the legitimacy of the January 8 vote arose over whether the proposal had been properly advertised. 

Concerns remained even this week, but County Attorney Ed Ormsby reported Thursday night that the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance was now satisfied with the library's December newspaper notice.

Council could have reconsidered its original vote, but at least two councilmen said that would look too political. 

“I mean, obviously, I voted against the last time, and my question to this whole thing has been: Was it … legal? And since it was, you know, I choose to accept that,” said councilman Joe Irwin.

Councilman William Stockdale offered his thoughts.

“I've looked at this from every angle, read statutes, talked with other attorneys, and the library did what they needed to do legally,” Stockdale said. “There's no valid legal reason ... to overturn the January 8th resolution.” 

“The vote to reaffirm was 6-1, with Dave Wokins opposing.

Councilmember Kimberly Cates made the motion Thursday to approve, and that was seconded by Kathy Groninger.

The January 8 vote supporting the resolution's passage, 4-3, with opposition from Wolkins, Irwin, and Rachel Rhodes.

The January vote did not generate any opposition at that hearing.

Thursday's vote was the second in three weeks by elected officials involving a major request to approve a bond for a library project.

The Warsaw City Council voted down a $17 million bond for major renovations to the Warsaw Community Public Library on May 18.

The Warsaw library vote faced opposition from some city council members and members of the public over concerns about uncertainty over future tax bills and a belief that property owners have already seen significant hikes in their tax bills as a result of property tax reform by the state lawmakers.

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WARSAW — Kosciusko County has reached an agreement on the sale of property needed for the proposed city-county parking garage in Warsaw.

County Attorney Ed Ormsby brought the issue to the commissioners on Tuesday for a deal with Snapping Turtle LLC, in which the county would acquire the parcel near North Buffalo Street and the American Legion Post 49 for $475,000.

The agreement concludes a process that began with the filing of eminent domain by the county.

The commissioners unanimously approved of the plan but did not discuss what happens next or their thoughts on the issue.

Ormsby pointed out that the agreed upon price is less than the appraised price of $553,000.

The city and county can now move forward with a final decision on working together to cover the cost of constructing a parking garage.

Just a week ago, several key supporters of the downtown spoke in support of adding the parking garage which is expected to improve parking accommodations for county employees and motorists vising the downtown.

The post County acquires land for parking garage at a price of $475,000 appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Just months after the Kosciusko County fired its Health First coordinator over policy concerns, another strong message was sent Wednesday night.

That’s when County Attorney Ed Ormsby made two strong pronouncements to the Health First Kosciusko Advisory Committee at the start of their meeting.

Rarely does the county attorney representing the county commissioners take such direct measures to convey policy issues to county boards.

The first was a reminder that under state law enacted earlier this year, only Indiana residents — and not illegal immigrants — are entitled to services provided by programs funded through HFI.

Documenting the status of recipients needs to be done on forms used for the programs, he said.

"That would satisfy our obligation that the funds are only going toward services for those persons and not those that are here illegally," Ormsby said.

The law states that funds can only be used for Indiana residents who are lawfully present in the United States.

That comes after the firing of Kurt Carlson in March over what was described as a lack of "philosophical alignment" with the county administration.

Carlson's firing came without warning and was delivered by Ormsby in a letter that informed him that it was immediate.

At the time, officials refused to elaborate on what those issues were, but the county's HFI budget last year included a program that provided prenatal vouchers for undocumented residents.

That service has since ended.

At the time, State Sen. Ryan Mishler had said some state lawmakers were upset with some of the Health First initiatives across the state, but did not specifically reference Kosciusko County.

Ormsby also clarified on Wednesday that all funding proposals must be initially reviewed by the county commissioners before HFI further considers the programs, and that final approval is also needed by the commissioners.

He also pointed out that all such programming plans across the county need the commissioners' approval.

Previously, in some cases, not all policies were previewed or approved by the commissioners.

"I think there was some concern that some activities of the health department were not in line with the public official's policies," Ormsby said.

"We don't want the health department acting in a way that is contrary to elected officials' policies who are responsible to the citizens who elected them," he said.

If the contract for services is with another group, the county does not have to verify residency unless money is directly given to recipients, he said.

The advisory committee had little reaction to the directives.

The committee is currently in the process of developing a budget for next year, which is expected to be much smaller compared to 2025 because of state cuts initiated at the state level.

Ormsby's comments are at the very beginning of the county live stream.

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WARSAW — Kosciusko County, seeking to construct a parking garage with the city of Warsaw, will move forward with eminent domain after the owner of a downtown property balked at the idea of accepting a purchase price that would have been based on the average of two appraisals.

The land includes the Ameriprize Financial, which is east of a county parking lot and west of South Buffalo Street.

Eminent domain the the power of a government or an authorized entity to take private property for public use, even if the owner does not wish to sell.

County attorney Ed Ormsby introduced the subject at Tuesday's meeting of the county commissioners.

The commissioners had minimal discussion on the issue. The decision was unanimous.

You can see the entire county commissioner's meeting here. The discussion about the parking garage starts at the 4:23 mark.

The post Kosciusko County seeks eminent domain for land needed for parking garage appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — City and county officials are eyeing a tract of property as they consider constructing a city-county parking garage in Warsaw.

Kosciusko County Council approved plans to seek appraisals for property currently used by Ameriprise Financial, which is north of the American Legion on Fort Wayne Street.

The proposal would be partially funded with money set aside by the state for OrthoWorx, with additional funds from the city and county.

County Attorney Ed Ormsby said the county will make an offer based on the average of two appraisals and alluded to a backup plan that councilwoman Kimberly Cates then asked about.

"Do I understand that your proposal is that we make an offer, and if they don't approve it, we take it by eminent domain? Is that what your intentions are?" Cates asked.

"That's likely, but the commissioners haven't decided to institute an eminent domain. We go down this procedure first," Ormsby said.

No other elected officials provided any other insights on the plan on Thursday night.

The land is east of a county-owned parking lot, which sits at the corner of Lake and Fort Wayne streets and would likely be part of the overall parking garage design.

Council President Tony Ciriello pointed out that Thursday night's move does not mean the county is committed to constructing a parking garage.

[caption id="attachment_113106" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Here is a view of the county-owned parking lot to the west of the property the county is trying to acquire for a city-county parking lot. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

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WARSAW — Kurt Carlson, who served as the executive director for Bowen Center for nearly four decades, was terminated immediately last week by Kosciusko County in his role as coordinator of Health First Kosciusko after 14 months in the position.

Carlson was informed of his termination on Thursday with a hand-delivered letter in which he was told the county and health Department determined that he lacked "a philosophical alignment" with the county in the administration of funds and services.

[caption id="attachment_106924" align="alignright" width="350"] Kurt Carlson (R) is pictured last year in a story for New Now Warsaw about Health First Kosciusko. Carlson was fired this week by Kosciusko County in his role as coordinator of Health First Kosciusko coordinator. Liz McCollough, left, the assistant administrator in the office, was named to run the office on an interim basis. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

The letter was written by county attorney Ed Ormsby.

Carlson was instructed to clean out his office by the end of the day and return all county property.

The letter added, "Since you are an at-will employee of the county, no cause is required for this termination.

The letter added, "We understand that this news may be difficult, and we want to thank you for your contributions during your time here."

News Now Warsaw reached out to Cary Groninger, president of the county commissioners and Bob Weaver, county health administrator. for comment. Weaver referred any questions to the commissioners for comment and Groninger did not return a phone call on Monday.

Carlson did not return a call on Monday.

Weaver did confirm that Liz McCollough, an assistant administrator in the office, will serve as interim.

Carson retired from Bowen Center — now known as Bowen Health — in 2022 and is credited with expanding services throughout northeast Indiana over several decades.

He also played a key role in the county's establishment of testing and vaccinations during the pandemic.

Health First Indiana was established about three years ago and heralded by then-Gov. Eric Holcomb, with the goal of vastly increasing health care programs through county health offices.

The Health First Kosciusko budget, under state guidelines, grew from roughly $900,000 in the first year to $1.8 million in the second year.

Carlson led an expansion of health services with the funding in his role.

The office relies on approval and support from an advisory committee and the county health board.

The post Health First Kosciusko coordinator Kurt Carlson fired by the county appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW —  An ordinance approved in August that prohibited cell phones from the entire Kosciusko County Justice building was revised Tuesday after a local resident objected.

The county commissioners approved new security measures in August that aimed to prohibit deadly weapons and cell phones — as well as other items  — in the Justice Building.

But Matt Banta, of Warsaw, objected to the ordinance and still was not happy with the revised version concerning cameras on the second floor that was approved on Tuesday.

Trying to limit firearms and phones is an attempt to provide better security for the courtrooms which are on the second floor.

Banta told the commissioners he doesn't expect to ever need to be on the second floor, but if he was there in regards to somebody else, he should be allowed to sit in the lobby with a phone while waiting.

The commissioners indicated they looked for a specific  area on the second floor for that purpose but were unsuccessful. Commissioner Bob Conley suggested he could sit on the first floor and use a phone, but Banta found that unsatisfactory.

He made the argument on Constitutional grounds.

Banta said he understands the reason for the ban in courtrooms.

"Judges should deal with behavior on a case-by-case basis, but if you deny the public access to their own property in a place they are allowed to be in public, that's a Fourth Amendment violation and you're looking for a lawsuit," Banta told the commissioners.

Afterward, Banta admitted he found some satisfaction in the revised policy.

"Absolutely, they did what's right. You're in a public building. You're allowed to record. It's a First Amendment right," Banta said.

After addressing the commissioners, the three-member panel had little to say other than to thank Banta for his input and that they respect his opinion.

The commissioners also agreed to reduce the penalty for possession of a mobile phone on the second floor from a fine of $2,500 to a fine of up to $100 as well as a $250 fine for subsequent violations.

County Attorney Ed Ormsby presented the revised plan.

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