Early voting for the May primary will be held on the second floor of the Clinton County Courthouse annex after commissioners unanimously approved the clerk’s request during their February 17 meeting.
Early voting at annex cleared
Clerk and Election Board member Stephanie Harshbarger asked commissioners to authorize in‑person early voting at the annex in the second‑floor conference room and to allow public posting of vote center locations, dates and times inside the building.
“I would like to ask the commissioners’ approval to have early voting here at the annex in the conference room on the second floor,” Harshbarger said. “I would also like to ask permission to post what I just gave you all… in the elevator and also on the… door coming in so people can see it.”
Commissioners quickly agreed, voting 3‑0 to approve both the annex early voting site and the posted list of vote centers. “We’ll entertain a motion to approve the annex for early voting, as well as the posting of the voting sites… Motion to approve that… Motion carries three‑zero,” the board president stated. (see 2026 Primary Vote Center Locations, Dates and Times for Clinton County at bottom of this story)
Dispatch reports higher call volume, sharp overtime drop
Central Dispatch Director Renee Crick presented her 2025 year‑end report, highlighting a 9 percent increase in calls for service alongside a steep reduction in overtime.
During 2025, dispatchers handled 37,630 calls for service for police, fire and EMS, with a combined total of 39,779 calls when 12,906 911 calls and 26,873 administrative calls are included. Crick said the county received 64 caller‑initiated text‑to‑911 messages and sent 1,071 outgoing texts to follow up on hang‑ups or “butt dials,” calling text‑to‑911 “a great tool for the hearing impaired or when people, if it’s not safe for them to make a voice call.”
The biggest operational change came in staffing and overtime. Crick said that since 2018 the center has struggled with “nonstop overtime,” often seeking additional appropriations, but 2025 broke that pattern. “This was the first year that we have never had to do an additional appropriation for our dispatch line item,” she told commissioners. “We saw a reduction of 72 percent in our overtime hours. So that is, that is huge.”
Crick credited added staffing and revamped hiring and training processes led by supervisor Chris, along with 1,400 hours of dispatcher training, including courses hosted locally with the Denise Amber Lee Foundation. The center also documented 13,992 traffic stops in 2025, separate from calls for service, and continued to send Nixle alerts for road closures and weather events.
She also answered questions about a recent brief evacuation of dispatch. Using a mobile phone “to go” kit and laptops, staff temporarily operated from Frankfort Police Department, with Boone County designated as 911 rollover if a full immediate evacuation is required. Administrative phone lines cannot be transferred, she noted, but 911 calls can be routed without interruption.
Roads, bridges and tall grass mowing
Highway Superintendent Rick Campbell reported ongoing crack sealing on County Road 800 North between State Road 75 and State Road 29, along with patching soft spots. He said contractors from CivilCon will begin work March 1 on Bridge 60, a six‑month project expected to reopen by the end of July. Road closure signs will go up near Kilmore, and dispatch, fire departments and schools will be notified of the closure of County Road 0 by Kilmore.
Area Plan Director Liz Stitzel confirmed the county’s tall grass mowing contractor will remain unchanged. Commissioners said “Exterior” would continue mowing under the tall grass ordinance and indicated the existing contract will be finished with “no changes for us.”
Annex payout, local grant and PIP agreement
Under old business, commissioners approved Payout No. 21 to KRM (Convoy) for courthouse annex work in the amount of 196,562.42 dollars, leaving about 45,613 dollars to fully close out the project.
They also awarded the remaining 2,000 dollars in community service grant funds to the Paul Phillippe Resource Center for its food and hygiene program, noting the request would “help provide food to seniors that come in hungry.” The motion passed 3‑0.
Commissioners then approved a memorandum of understanding with Partners in Progress, the joint city‑county economic development group funded by both governments. The MOU formally sets the dollar amount provided and runs through the end of 2026. One commissioner said the arrangement has been “efficient” and has “allowed a lot more open communication between county and city” and helped avoid “doubling up” on efforts.
Appointments, phones and emergency management grant
The board filled a vacancy on the Jackson Township Advisory Board after the political party’s appointment window expired. Following a recommendation from the trustee, commissioners appointed Ann Hazelett to serve the remainder of the term.
They also approved an annual Gibson Teldata quote for the county’s Mitel phone system, totaling 3,132 dollars for the core subscription plus 566.08 dollars for an additional component, to keep courthouse phones operational.
Emergency Management reported that the county will receive a 44,827‑dollar MPG grant reimbursement for salaries. The EMA director also described new “windshield assessment” training, using a state app to document storm damage in real time with photos and comments, and a National Guard briefing outlining potential disaster assistance, including highway teams that can help open debris‑blocked roads when local crews are overwhelmed.
EMS whole blood plan under review
County EMS leadership presented two agreements that would allow ambulances to carry whole blood for trauma patients through a partnership with Eskenazi Health and Versiti. The department head said, “We will be able to offer whole blood… There is a lot of data that shows that early access to whole blood in trauma patients reduces mortality,” adding that Clinton County would be among a small number of Indiana EMS systems with prehospital whole blood.
Under the approach described, Eskenazi would supply and manage the regulatory side of whole blood, Versiti would bill only for units used in the field, and unused blood would be returned before expiration. Whole blood units would be exchanged weekly, with a shelf life of roughly 21 to 35 days.
In a separate agreement, EMS is exploring changing its supervising hospital from IU Health to Ascension for EMS medical oversight. The department head stressed he was not seeking a vote yet: “I don’t care whether it’s IU, I don’t care if it’s Ascension, Eskenazi, whoever gives us the safeguards that we need to know that we can operate without a looming threat of… termination of agreement.” Commissioners agreed to have their attorney review the proposal before taking action.
Sheriff’s office repairs, staff and K‑9 retirement
Sheriff Rich Kelly updated commissioners on several issues, including three merit deputy candidates awaiting final medical and psychological clearance.
He requested approval of a 43,164‑dollar quote from QPH to replace leaking chiller coils at the jail, noting a 20‑week estimated lead time and recent standing water in the mechanical area. Commissioners voted to proceed using the jail’s existing repair line item for now, with the understanding that additional appropriations may be needed later.
Kelly also reported that the jail’s last records clerk has given notice and urged approval to hire at least one replacement to keep up with court orders, IDACS entries and receipting money coming into the facility. Commissioners indicated they were willing to move forward with one hire now and revisit the second position after the current clerk’s final day in mid‑March.
The sheriff further advised that K‑9 Bary, partnered with Sgt. Yoder, has about seven years of service and is being pulled from duty for retirement. Kelly said Yoder wishes to keep Barry as a pet and that a formal retirement resolution will be brought to a future meeting. “They do kind of fall in love with their canines,” Kelly said, adding he was glad the dog could stay with his handler.
Finally, Kelly mentioned several new Tahoes are awaiting striping and issue to deputies and reiterated his plan to provide courthouse security assistance once a new jail officer class settles in.
Health department regional grant work, claims and adjournment
The county health officer briefly informed commissioners that she will be tied up during future meeting times with the Rural Health Transformation Program, part of the state’s “Grow Indiana” initiatives, and will likely submit written updates while participating in the multi‑county regional grant effort covering Region 3.
Commissioners then approved claims dated February 6 and 13, a February 17 bi‑weekly claim totaling 1,249,488.90 dollars, a February 17 court claim of 23,188.07 dollars, and a corrective payroll from January 23 in the amount of 999.77 dollars. Minutes from the February 3 meeting were also approved.
The board set its next meeting for March 3 and adjourned after a motion and second.
