Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners Meeting
DRAFT AGENDA
Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners
December 2, 2025 – 9:30 a.m.
Room 301, Civic Center Complex
1. Call to Order
2. Attendance
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. Action Items
A. Engineer
1. 2. 3. Financial Commitment Letter for Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)
Community Crossings Matching Grant Application: Darmstadt Road Bridge #400
Change Order #13: Oak Hill Road Reconstruction
Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Report of Contract Final
Inspection and Recommendation for Acceptance
i. Oak Hill Road Reconstruction
ii. Boonville-New Harmony Bridge #252
B. Auditor
1. C. Burdette Park
1. D. Clerk
1. 1. Service Agreement with Nyhart Company, Inc.
Three i Design Proposal for Restroom Building Design Services
Collection Agreement with Eagle Accounts Group
E. Superintendent of County Buildings
Amendment #2 to Old Courthouse Lease Agreement: David Miller and Zach
Evans
2. Old Courthouse Lease Guaranty and Agreement: Kristen Elise Photography
F. 2026 Contractual Services Agreement with Purdue Cooperative Extension Service
5. Department Head Reports
6. New Business
7. Old Business
8. Consent Items
A. Approval of November 18, 2025, Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes
B. Employment Changes
C. Auditor
i. 1. Claims Voucher Reports
November 17, 2025 – November 21, 2025
November 24, 2025 – November 28, 2025
ii. D. Circuit Court
1. Surplus Request
E. Engineer
1. Report and Claims
F. Superintendent of County Buildings
1. Amended Amendment #3 to Old Courthouse Lease Agreement: Laura Symon
d/b/a Into the Light Mental Health and Consulting Services, Inc.
Drainage Board Immediately FollowingG. Treasurer
1. October 2025 Innkeeper’s Tax Report
H. Board Appointments
1. Board of Examiners of Construction and Roofing
i. D.G Asay
ii. Matthew Pruiett
iii. Peter Winzeler
2. Burdette Park Advisory Board
i. Christen Mogavero
ii. Denise Peyronnin
iii. Kyhle Moers
iv. Ryan Kremer
3. Evansville-Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Advisory Council
i. Deavron Farmer
ii. Noah Robinson
4. Vanderburgh County Redevelopment Commission
i. Hobart Scales
ii. Wayne Kinney
9. Public Comment
10. Adjournment
12. Members of the Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners
i. Justin Elpers, President – District 2
a. Term: January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2026
ii. Amy Canterbury, Vice President – District 3
a. Term: January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2028
iii. Mike Goebel, Member – District 1
a. Term: January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2028
Drainage Board Immediately Following
G. Treasurer
1. October 2025 Innkeeper’s Tax Report
H. Board Appointments
1. Board of Examiners of Construction and Roofing
i. D.G Asay
ii. Matthew Pruiett
iii. Peter Winzeler
2. Burdette Park Advisory Board
i. Christen Mogavero
ii. Denise Peyronnin
iii. Kyhle Moers
iv. Ryan Kremer
3. Evansville-Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Advisory Council
i. Deavron Farmer
ii. Noah Robinson
4. Vanderburgh County Redevelopment Commission
i. Hobart Scales
ii. Wayne Kinney
9. Public Comment
10. Adjourn
Indiana cigarette consumption down, quit program enrollment up after tax hike
Cigarette consumption in Indiana dropped 40% during the first three months of a long-sought tax increase, according to the Indiana Department of Health. Enrollment in the agency’s smoking cessation program jumped almost 40% over that time.
“(Cigarette) use impacts, really, every aspect of health,” said Miranda Spitznagle, director of IDOH’s Division of Tobacco Prevention and Cessation. But it’s a risk factor that is “fully preventable.”
Using taxes to raise the price of tobacco helps current users quit and may dissuade others from starting, Spitznagle said.
“It’s a huge policy factor for public health,” she added.
State legislators stuck a $2-per-pack hike into the two-year budget, House Enrolled Act 1001. They also proportionally increased taxes on electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Spitznagle said that across-the-board approach prevents users from switching products instead of quitting or pulling back.
“This year, Indiana lawmakers stood up to Big Tobacco” by boosting the taxes, said Allie Kast Gregg, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
But public health wasn’t the only motivation.
The Indiana Senate resisted for years, but in the wake of a dismal budget forecast, agreed to include the hikes in the budget’s final draft.
The boost to a nearly $3-a-pack tax on cigarettes went into effect July 1. And it is already paying off.
Indiana has collected $188 million in cigarette taxes from July through October, according to the State Budget Agency’s latest monthly revenue report. That’s almost three times the $68 million earned over that time period last year.
IDOH used the first three months of data — July, September and October — to calculate a 40% drop in consumption.
Meanwhile, Hoosiers are flocking to the state’s cessation help program, Quit Now Indiana.
“The month of July specifically, we doubled our enrollments,” Spitznagle said, compared to that month last year.
Participation was up 38% over those first three months, rising from 620 to 1,241 people.
Quit Now Indiana is up to eight times more effective than solo efforts, Spitznagle noted. Going it alone has a single-digit success rate, while the state program has a 32% quit rate.
“What Quit Now Indiana offers is multiple touch points with a trained quit coach who knows how to talk through and make a quit plan … that understands nicotine addiction,” she said.
The program can also provide two weeks of nicotine patches or gum and helps enrollees see if their employers or health plans can offer further medical support.
The American Cancer Society also runs an email-based Empowered to Quit program.
Nearly 15% of adults in Indiana smoke, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2023.
Thousands of Hoosier deaths annually are attributable to smoking. An oft-cited CDC estimate from 2014 places the death toll at 11,000 a year.
Spitznagle said that for every one death, however, 30 people live with chronic health conditions linked to their smoking.
Evansville Police Department, Pension Board Meeting
For your general information, below is a list of planned dates and times for the 2026 monthly meetings of the Evansville Police Department Pension Board. The meetings are generally held on the first Wednesday of each month at 8:15 a.m. in Room 307 of The Evansville Civic Center Complex located at #1 NW M L King Jr. Blvd. The meeting for February is held on the first Wednesday following the annual election that is held on the 2nd Monday of February. As the need arises, an executive session may be held before the beginning of the regular session and will be closed as provided by I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1(7). For discussion of records classified as confidential by state or federal statute.
Immediately following the Executive Session, a regular Open Session will be held on.
January 7 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307
February 11 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307 (Second Wednesday)
March 4 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307
April 1 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307
May 6 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307
June 3 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307
July 1 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307
August 5 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307
September 2 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307
October 14 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307(Second Wednesday)
November 4 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307
December 2 Wednesday 8:15 am Civic Center Room 307
HOT JOBS
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EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Screaming Eagles race by Thorobreds, 93-56
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball raced by Kentucky State University, 93-56, Saturday at Liberty Arena. The Screaming Eagles go to 3-5 in the non-conference schedule, while Kentucky State is 2-3.
USI raced out in front to start the game as senior guard Ismail Habib scored the first Eagles’ first eight points of the game and propelled the squad to a 12-2 lead before the first media timeout.
After Kentucky State cut the margin to one point, 14-13, the Eagles exploded on another run to push the advantage back to double-digits and beyond. USI, behind the seven points of junior guard Kaden Brown during the run, took the margin to 12 points, 30-18. The USI lead would go to as many as 22 points before the halftime score of 44-27.
Habib and Brown led the USI scorers during the first 20 minutes with 14 points and 12 points, respectively. Junior forward Tolu Samuels reached double-digits in rebounds for the third-straight game with 10 first half boards.
The second half saw USI rapidly expand the first half margin to as many as 40 points during the second half, 87-47, with 4:21 left in the game. The Eagles on the second half, 49-29, led by the 11-point effort off the bench by senior guard Cardell Bailey.
For the game, USI controlled the glass by outrebounding Kentucky State, 58-38, and held the Thorobreds to 31.4 percent from the field (22-70).
Brown led USI for the game with a season-high 20 points. He was seven-of-12 from the field, a blistering five-of-10 from beyond the arc, and one-of-two from the line.
Habib and Bailey followed with 17 points and 16 points, respectively, while senior forward Ola Ajiboye and junior guard Sheridan Sharp posted 10 points each to round out the double-digit scorers. Five players in double-digits was the second time for USI this season and the second time in three games.
Samuels, who is averaging 14.0 rebounds per game in the last three contests, posted a team-best 13 boards in the win. Bailey recorded his first double-double as an Eagle and the first of the year for the team by grabbing 10 rebounds off the bench.
Next Up For USI:
USI goes back on the road for the next two games, beginning with Western Michigan University Wednesday in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at 6 p.m. (CST). The Broncos saw their record go to 3-5 overall after losing to Valparaiso University, 84-55, this afternoon.
The Eagles lead the all-time series with WMU, 1-0, after winning the first meeting in 1982-83, 101-99, in a four-overtime contest.
USI concludes next week’s road swing December 7 when it visits Indiana State University for a noon (CST) game in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Sycamores are 4-4 overall, having lost their last two games and will be hosting Eureka College Tuesday before welcoming the Eagles to the Hulman Center.
The Eagles lead the young series, 2-1, after taking a second-straight at Liberty Arena from the Sycamores last year, 87-77. Indiana State won the meeting in Terre Haute in 2023-24, 98-54.
ABBATE SCORES TWICE IN 4-3 LOSS TO RIVERMEN
The Word 120 , Are You Sober?
Are You Sober? by Jerome Stewart 
The word of God is the most sophisticated spiritual weaponry available to mankind, with the capacity to navigate us through the situational difficulties within this life. Which begs the question? Who are you placing your trust in?
Proverbs 30 vs. 5 says; “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.”
The words in Numbers 23 vs. 19 still hold true today, because He is the exact same God today. The bible says; “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Psalm 46 vs. 1 says; “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”
For those who know and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, we must hear and obey His words, even if we are in the minority as related to our convictions. We must follow the words of Jesus!
We often hear the words “the devil is busy.” But Jesus is busier! 1st Peter 5 vs. 8 says; “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.”
Whenever we see or hear the word sober mentioned, we usually think of it as referring to someone who has a drinking problem, or suffers from the many different forms of substance abuse.
It is much more wide ranging than that. Sober means; having a clear mind, a vigilant mental state, clarity, sound judgment and self-control. The definition of sobriety means, “the quality of being serious, sensible, and solemn.”
The Apostle Peter said to the brethren in 1st. Peter chapter 1 vss. 13 thru 16; “gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
The definition of holy means set apart, pure, and sacred. Followers of the teachings of Jesus Christ must strive to be holy everyday. That want be the case for those who have rejected the gospel and will suffer the consequences of their actions.
1st Corinthians chapter 1 vs. 18 says; “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
The Apostle Paul said to the brethren in Philippians 3 vss. 17 and 18; “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.”