• Vermillion County is awarded $500,000 to demolish three buildings in the Town of Dana that have had long-term structural stability issues, broken glass windows, non-securable windows and entryways, and exposed mold and asbestos. The project will eliminate environmental hazards, improve community safety and promote downtown revitalization. 

• The City of Auburn is awarded $750,000 to assist with the rehabilitation of damaged masonry, deteriorating lintels, and windows and doors of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum showroom facade preservation project. This restoration is an essential component in maintaining the safety, stability and functionality of the building.
• The Town of Silver Lake is awarded $750,000 to construct a new community center, which will serve as a social and recreational hub through planned activities and programs. The community center will improve the quality of life for the residents and help ensure the town’s long-term viability.
• The City of Logansport is awarded $750,000 to renovate the historic Logansport-Cass County Memorial Center, including improvements to building insulation, water damage and wood rot areas. The building will maintain its historical appearance and functionality as a community center.

• The City of Elwood is awarded $750,000 to make necessary improvements to its drinking water infrastructure in the Dulleville neighborhood. Improvements include rehabilitating water mains, hydrants and valves to better public safety and water system reliability.   
• The City of Montpelier is awarded $750,000 to make necessary improvements to its water utility system. This project will replace a leaking filter at the water treatment plant, replace failing residential water meters and install a Gateway system to receive data from the water meters. The water treatment plant will return to full capacity and increase water use efficiency for its customers.
• The Town of St. Joe is awarded $750,000 to make necessary improvements to its water distribution system. The project will replace remaining asbestos cement water mains throughout portions of the town, install water main looping on the north side of the system and install new fire hydrants. This project will increase efficiency of water utility service, improve water quality and enhance resident safety.
• The Town of Syracuse is awarded $700,000 to improve its water utility infrastructure system along Huntington Street and adjacent side streets. The water improvement project will replace the undersized and deteriorating water supply lines and gooseneck connections. This will increase treatment capacity, improve the system’s efficiency and fire protection capabilities, and eliminate health risks.
• The Town of Michigantown is awarded $750,000 to make necessary improvements to its wastewater collection system, which consists of upgrades to it’s lift station, pump, submerged attached growth reactor system, disinfection system and electrical system. These improvements will increase the reliability of the town’s wastewater treatment plant and project the health of the residents.
• The Town of Otterbein is awarded $750,000 to complete a wastewater utility improvement project that includes the installation of slip-lining in over 6,000 feet of sanitary sewer lines, the rehabilitation of 28 manholes and upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant. This project will increase the overall efficiency of the wastewater system and improve residents’ health and safety.
• The Town of Birdseye is awarded $750,000 to complete improvements to its wastewater system by rehabilitating manholes and mains, installing an emergency bypass connection at a lift station and dredging lagoons. This project will address critical compliance and health and safety concerns.
• The Town of Cynthiana is awarded $673,500 to make necessary improvements to its water utility system. The project includes improvements to the water tower, meters, lids and valves to improve the system’s ability to provide reliable clean drinking water for the community. 
• The Town of Bloomingdale is awarded $700,000 to make necessary improvements to its water utility system. The project includes improvements to the water tower, distribution system and booster station that will increase water quality and enhance fire protection capabilities.
• The Town of Cloverdale is awarded $750,000 to make improvements to its water utility system, including upgrading the water treatment plant, booster station and water main in order to better serve the Stardust Hills neighborhood.
• The Town of Thorntown is awarded $750,000 to make necessary improvements to its water utility system. The project will rehabilitate the community’s aging water treatment plant and add an additional water well to efficiently provide quality drinking water to residents.

BY: WHITNEY DOWNARD The Indiana Capital Chronicle

An interim legislative task force wrestled with the state’s hundreds of boards and commissions Tuesday, struggling to learn more about their finances and meeting schedules. Such groups can include powerful boards who can grant professional licenses, review an inmate’s parole application and approve utility price increases while others were designed to be one-off planning committees or exist in name only.

“I don’t think it’s a controversial statement to say we have too many,” said Adam Battalio, a senior policy advisor for Gov. Mike Braun. Battalio, whose Tuesday presentation was limited to just boards and commissions, counted at least 224 such bodies with a gubernatorial appointment.

For years, leaders have sought to tamp down on the state’s various councils and task forces, most recently in a house bill that ultimately didn’t advance in the 2025 legislative session. Last year, a similar committee scrutinized various groups, which itself came from 2023 legislation. But determining which groups merit keeping — and which to phase out or combine with others — has been more difficult.

Such bodies have roughly doubled in the last 25 years, Battalio said, across Republican and Democrat administrations and legislatures.

“It’s not bad intentions that are behind this growth. In fact, it’s probably important for us to recognize good intentions, over time, grow government,” Battalio said. “… Those same good intentions can help address this problem (and) reshape government to be more responsive, more efficient.”

But some lawmakers were perturbed to learn that the state’s Legislative Services Agency has trouble tracking spending and other activities for some boards and commissions.

“One of the first things that came out is they almost no visibility on some of these boards and commissions. Can’t track them; can’t see them,” said Sen. Chris Garten, R-Charlestown. “… Which is a problem.”

A “low-ball” estimate pinned those cumulative costs at $700,000, but that doesn’t include per diem or travel costs for legislators, coffee or lunch for members or program funding, Battalio said.

“… you will notice on those (legislative services agency) fiscal numbers … There are no aggregated totals. Part of that is because they’re concerned they can’t see everything, so they’re worried about the accuracies or inaccuracies,” Garten added.

A better-informed total would be forthcoming, he said.

Measuring boards and commissions

Measuring meeting frequency and outcomes proved more difficult, as 56 boards didn’t have any online information at all. While that category would need further scrutiny, Battalio said, the average for other groups was 12 meetings per year in 2024.

Outliers with dozens — or even hundreds — of meetings included the parole board, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, and Nursing Board. However, Battalio cautioned against using the data without the full context.

“Meeting frequently does not make you important; meeting infrequently does not make you unimportant,” Battalio said.

Battalio also noted that as states reviewed their own groups, including Iowa and Arkansas, some were necessary to draw down federal funds.