Commissioners approve routine dockets, contracts and honor Mary Alice Edwards; votes at a glance
January 27, 2026 | St. Joseph County, Indiana
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The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 27 to approve routine financial dockets and several contracts and agreements, and adopted a resolution honoring community volunteer Mary Alice Edwards.
The board approved the accounts payable docket after a motion and voice vote. It also approved a negotiated settlement in a claim involving Carlton Alfonso Collins, following a presentation by attorney Peter J. Agostino that said the settlement amount was substantially less than expected federal litigation costs and stemmed from a mistaken hold resulting from two people sharing the same name. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve that settlement.
The board adopted Resolution R-2-C-2026 honoring Mary Alice Whitlock Edwards for years of community and church service; the resolution was read into the record and passed unanimously.
The board approved Change Order No. 1 with Reath Riley Construction for project R&S 92501-D (Community Crossings matching grant), reflecting a $28,142 deduction after county crews hauled chinestone for certain contract items.
Two as-needed consultant agreements were approved: Abbot Marsh Consultants and Jones Petrie Ruffinski, each structured as task-order contracts with a not-to-exceed amount of $100,000 to provide preliminary engineering services as needed.
The board also approved a contract proposal with AT&T to replace copper 911 trunks with fiber, upgrade telephone and internet systems, and add redundancies between the main and backup 911 centers. Sal Parisi of the St. Joseph County 911 center told the board the upgrades were expected to save about $3,400 per month (roughly $41,000 per year) while improving reliability.
Votes at a glance
- Accounts payable docket — approved by voice vote (Commissioner Morton, Commissioner Hazen, Commissioner Baxmeyer: Aye).
- Settlement with Carlton Alfonso Collins — approved (Commissioner Morton, Commissioner Hazen, Commissioner Maxmeier: Aye).
- Resolution R-2-C-2026 (honoring Mary Alice Edwards) — adopted (Commissioner Morton, Commissioner Hayden, Mister Maxmore: Aye).
- Change Order No. 1, Reath Riley Construction (project R&S 92501-D) — approved; deduction $28,142 (unanimous Aye).
- Agreement with Abbot Marsh Consultants (prelim. engineering) — approved (not-to-exceed $100,000; unanimous Aye).
- Agreement with Jones Petrie Ruffinski (prelim. engineering) — approved (not-to-exceed $100,000; unanimous Aye).
- AT&T contract proposal for 911 upgrades — approved (Commissioner Morton, Commissioner Hazen, Commissioner Baxter: Aye).
The meeting record shows each of these items was moved, seconded and decided by voice vote. No final votes were recorded against these actions; the highway division collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local 364 was not approved and is handled separately.
The board approved the accounts payable docket after a motion and voice vote. It also approved a negotiated settlement in a claim involving Carlton Alfonso Collins, following a presentation by attorney Peter J. Agostino that said the settlement amount was substantially less than expected federal litigation costs and stemmed from a mistaken hold resulting from two people sharing the same name. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve that settlement.
The board adopted Resolution R-2-C-2026 honoring Mary Alice Whitlock Edwards for years of community and church service; the resolution was read into the record and passed unanimously.
The board approved Change Order No. 1 with Reath Riley Construction for project R&S 92501-D (Community Crossings matching grant), reflecting a $28,142 deduction after county crews hauled chinestone for certain contract items.
Two as-needed consultant agreements were approved: Abbot Marsh Consultants and Jones Petrie Ruffinski, each structured as task-order contracts with a not-to-exceed amount of $100,000 to provide preliminary engineering services as needed.
The board also approved a contract proposal with AT&T to replace copper 911 trunks with fiber, upgrade telephone and internet systems, and add redundancies between the main and backup 911 centers. Sal Parisi of the St. Joseph County 911 center told the board the upgrades were expected to save about $3,400 per month (roughly $41,000 per year) while improving reliability.
Votes at a glance
- Accounts payable docket — approved by voice vote (Commissioner Morton, Commissioner Hazen, Commissioner Baxmeyer: Aye).
- Settlement with Carlton Alfonso Collins — approved (Commissioner Morton, Commissioner Hazen, Commissioner Maxmeier: Aye).
- Resolution R-2-C-2026 (honoring Mary Alice Edwards) — adopted (Commissioner Morton, Commissioner Hayden, Mister Maxmore: Aye).
- Change Order No. 1, Reath Riley Construction (project R&S 92501-D) — approved; deduction $28,142 (unanimous Aye).
- Agreement with Abbot Marsh Consultants (prelim. engineering) — approved (not-to-exceed $100,000; unanimous Aye).
- Agreement with Jones Petrie Ruffinski (prelim. engineering) — approved (not-to-exceed $100,000; unanimous Aye).
- AT&T contract proposal for 911 upgrades — approved (Commissioner Morton, Commissioner Hazen, Commissioner Baxter: Aye).
The meeting record shows each of these items was moved, seconded and decided by voice vote. No final votes were recorded against these actions; the highway division collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local 364 was not approved and is handled separately.
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