Montgomery Council members received updates on several projects at a meeting Tuesday.
Council members were pleased to hear the Purple Heart Parkway was complete which was a combined city and county effort to bring to a close.
County Administrator Tom Klein reported the work at the courthouse is schedule to begin this week. Residents will soon see work on the war memorial and scaffolding along the outside of the building.
Klein also reported the work to improve ADA features at the Thomas K. Milligan Justice Center has begun.
The $7 million water line project running along Nucor Road to C.R. 500S is set to begin. The Redevelopment Commission closed on bonds before Thanksgiving to fund the project. The money will be paid from American Recovery Protection Act funds and a bond. The bond payments will be paid from funds raised with Tax Increment Financing.
TIF funds are collected from the landowners that live within the TIF district. Those funds must be spent for projects inside the TIF district.
“Using TIF money means Nucor, and a few other landowners, are basically paying the bill through their real estate taxes,” Klein said.
Work on the $22 million U.S. 136 East and Nucor Road overpass continues. The county will use a portion of ARPA funds and a grant secured from the Federal government. The timeline states the construction of the overpass will begin in 2026.
Klein reported all of the projects total nearly one-half a billion dollars.
“This is the largest investment in our community, at one time, in forever,” Klein said.
Purdue Extension Montgomery County director Monica Nagele presented a quarterly report to the council. She said her staff had successfully completed Chef University and Future Master Gardeners classes.
Nagele also reported record increases in youth enrollment into 4-H. The director reported student Kylee Reeves had been and Indiana 4-H Ambassador in 2023-24. County student Lennon Woods will serve as an Indiana 4-H Ambassador this school year through 2025. Only 10 Indiana youth are selected each year to be an ambassador.
County Auditor Mindy Byers reported the State Board of Accounts has approved the submitted 2025 budget. She also said the real property tax rates will decrease slightly beginning in January.
The meeting signified the final meeting for council member Jake Bohlander. Bohlander was elected in November to serve as a county commissioner. His term begins Jan. 1.
