BEDFORD – The Lawrence County Commissioner had a full agenda this morning.
Rich Kosmala, director of the Lawrence County CASA program informed the commissioner he would be seeking two grants.
The local CASA programs provide trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court, helping to ensure children’s needs are met while they are in foster care and that these children have a safe and permanent home as quickly as possible.
The first Victim of Crime Act is a two-year grant in the amount of $300,000. This grant will be used to fund three full-time staff members and has no cost to the county.
The second grant is a $35,000 Wellness Project grant and will be used to employ one full-time person who will check on the wellness of those children who need services but who are not in dire need.
Sarah Turpen, representing Bedford Revitalization Inc., asked permission to use the courthouse square during the Limestone Heritage Festival.
She asked permission to use the square beginning Thursday, June 23 at 4 p.m. to prepare for the event until Sunday, June 26th at 1 p.m. to allow time to clean up after the event. The Farmers’ Market will be held on the east side of the square. Food trucks and vendors will be set up on the west side of the square. The commissioners granted Turpen’s request.
County Surveyor Cory Allen requested permission to conduct a Lawrence County Corner Perpetuation Project. the purpose of the proposed surveying project is to perpetuate the location of section corners, quarter-section corners, or center quarters by marking and verifying existing monuments or re-establishing the corners with new monuments if necessary in sections 3, 4, 5, 6, in Township 6 North, Range 2 West.
Highway crews are cutting brush and preparing roadways for the paving season which will begin as soon as the asphalt plants open.
Emergency Management Director Valerie Luchauer was not present at the meeting. She was speaking at a cybersecurity event.
Sheriff Mike Branham presented the commissioners with a copy of the 2021 Jail Report. He also reported 20 inmates were transported from the local jail to the Department of Corrections. Today there were 139 inmates in the jail, of those 113 are male, 26 female, two Level 6 felons, and 11 DOC holds.
The commissioners signed a resolution to allow the county to actively engage in pursuing damage caused by the manufacture, sale, and distribution of opioids throughout the counsel in multidistrict litigation, and recent legislation amending Indiana Cod 4-6-15 has been adopted by the Indiana legislature and signed into law by Governor Holcomb. The resolution allows Lawrence County to opt back into the opioids settlements. A certified copy will now be sent to Attorney General Todd Rokita by July 15, 2022.
After the commission’s meeting was adjourned those attending were asked to leave the room for a special meeting called by the State Board of Accounts for an exit session after they completed an audit for 2020.
