Report details department’s handling of stormwater funds
Anyone who wants to know how Porter County is spending its stormwater funds need look no further than the2018 annual report for the Department of Development and Storm Water Management.
The department’s annual report, released Tuesday by the Board of Commissioners and the Storm Water Management Board (composed of the commissioners and the surveyor), details what the county is doing and why, and where and how stormwater funds are being spent, said Commissioners President Jeff Good, R-Center.
“This is a good report we’ll be putting out every year. It lets taxpayers and fee payers know how we’re spending the money,” he said.
Good said the report also assists with transparency for the 3-year-old department.
The report, which is available on the county’s website, explains the department’s structure and how the Storm Water Infrastructure User Fee is collected in unincorporated areas of the county.
The report notes that ex p e n d i t u re s for the stormwater program last year totaled more than $2.7 million, and 46% of that went directly toward projects and programs providing drainage, improving water quality, reducing flood damages and maintaining and enhancing the county’s stormwater infrastructure.
Another 26% of the expenditures went toward servicing the debt that was incurred as a result of the sale of $20 million in revenue bonds to fund capital improvements, including in South Haven, an area long prone to heavy flooding.
In all, according to the report, the stormwater program initiated more than 120 projects across unincorporated parts of the county, with a total contract value of more than $4.6 million.
The report also details the record flooding the county experienced in February and March last year because of severe storms in late February, including alltime or near all-time crests for the Kankakee River across the county’s southern border.
The report noted that stormwater staff “played a critical role in responding to, documenting and mitigating damage to both public and private infrastructure during the event,” as well as initiating efforts on more than 35 projects to repair damage to public stormwater infrastructure from the severe storms and flooding.
Data collected by the department helped ensure that disaster relief funding was available to both public and private entities.
Other details from the report:
Highway engineering managed approximately $1.5 million for future projects and around $1 million in construction activities, as well as being awarded $817,544 from the Indianan Department of Transportation’s Community Crossings Matching Grant Fund for paving work.
Building, planning and zoning issued 185 singlefamily residential permits, slightly less than the 190 permits issued in 2017. Union Township led the way with 36 permits. The total value of the residential permits is $68.7 million.
Four new commercial construction starts also were issued, with a construction value of $463,170. Commercial interior remodel permits totaled 12 for the year with a construction value of almost $6.3 million.