Milestone Contractors is set to begin work for the City of Columbus’ 2018 Overlay Phase 1 project. The Columbus City Engineer’s Office says the schedule is as follows:

Friday, July 13:
Patching
1st Street from Franklin Street to Lafayette Street;
5th Street from Lafayette Street to Pearl Street;
7th Street from Franklin Street to Lafayette Street

Monday, July 16:
Patching
Forrest Drive from Maple Street to 27th Street ;
Illinois Street from Brooks Street to Gladstone Avenue

Also on the Monday, crews are scheduled to begin replacing concrete cross gutters on Flintwood Drive at the intersections of Yellowwood Drive, Magnolia Street, 29th Street and Miami Drive. Officials say that construction will take place one intersection at a time. That intersection will be closed. Approximately one week later, crews will begin installing underdrains at these same locations.

City officials say that you need to be aware of workers and any “No Parking” signs that will be temporarily posted in the area.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has issued an Air Quality Action Day for our area and is forecasting high ozone levels for Friday.

Those sensitive to changes in air quality may be affected when ozone levels are high. Children, the elderly and anyone with heart or lung conditions should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors.

If you have to be outside, remember to hydrate and take frequent breaks in the shade or inside an air-conditioned room.

Columbus police will be holding their second annual Blue Line Motorcycle Ride on Saturday.

Lt. Matt Harris, says the ride is another way to support the department’s DARE program. Each year, the department spends between $15 and $20,000 dollars from donations and fundraisers for the drug abuse education program, he said.

Last year’s motorcycle ride drew more than 200 riders. The ride is police-escorted through its entire 85-mile scenic route. It will include a mid-ride break at the Storey Inn in Brown County.

The ride will leave from Mann’s Harley Davidson in Edinburgh at 11 a.m. Registration starts on site at 9 a.m. and there will be no advance registrations. The ride will end at Donner Park at about 2 p.m. with lunch provided by Texas Roadhouse.

Harris says the event will be held rain or shine.

Tickets are $20 for a solo rider or $30 for a rider and passenger. You can get more information on the Columbus Police Department’s Facebook page

The Bartholomew County Council is receptive to a plan from the county commissioners to move the county highway garage.

Commissioners say the current facility on State Street is landlocked with little room for expansion. Commissioners are looking at purchasing 11.25 acres neighboring the Clay Township Fire Department on 25th Street on the east side of Columbus. The property is currently owned by the Solid Waste Management District.

During last week’s council work session, commissioners asked the body to consider bonding $8 million for the project. Under the commissioners’ proposal, the bond would be paid back out of CEDIT revenue. When the county council met in regular session Tuesday night, they indicated a desire to limit bonding to $6 million with any overages split between the council and commissioners.

The commissioners agreed to pursue the project with these bonding guidelines. While there are no plans officially in place, Commissioners President Larry Kleinhenz offered his hope that a new garage facility could be constructed and ready to be moved into by the spring of 2020. He adds that the plan is for the existing garage complex on State Street to be sold. Proceeds from that sale would go into the county’s general fund.

A wanted North Vernon man was arrested by Columbus police on drug charges and a parole warrant Tuesday night. Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department, says that at approximately 10:45 p.m., officers responded to the 1100 block California Street in regards to a report of a person requesting to speak to an officer. Police spoke to 26-year-old Nicholas L. Tackett, who was reportedly sweating profusely and appeared to be under the influence. Harris says that officers confirmed that Tackett had an outstanding warrant and arrested him. As he was being taken into custody, officers allegedly found methamphetamine and syringes in Tackett’s clothing.

Tackett was taken to Columbus Regional Health before being transported to the Bartholomew County Jail on new preliminary charges of Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of a Legend Drug Injection Device.

A driver is under arrest, accused by Columbus police of taking off from a crash scene downtown, despite leaving one of the wheels of his vehicle behind.

54-year old Kyle Fillmore of Columbus is facing preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and possessing both marijuana and methamphetamine.

An off-duty state trooper saw the crash between Fillmore’s vehicle and another driver at about 5:25 p.m. yesterday afternoon at 16th Street and Lafayette Avenue. A passenger in the second car suffered minor injuries.

Columbus police found Fillmore and his vehicle at Noblitt Park. He allegedly had slurred speech and alcohol on his breath. And, as he talked to officers they report that he dropped a container on the ground that contained marijuana and methamphetamine.

After a blood draw at the hospital, he was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail.

The Board of Directors of Cummins Inc. on Tuesday approved an increase in the company’s quarterly cash dividend on common stock from $1.08 per share, to $1.14 dollars per share. The dividend is payable on September 4th to shareholders of record on August 22nd.

“The increase in our dividend reinforces our commitment to increasing returns to shareholders and reflects our confidence in our long term performance,” said Tom Linebarger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We will continue to produce strong returns by providing outstanding products and support for our customers, investing in our future and executing our growth strategy.”

The Bartholomew County Council will likely take advantage of a change in state law that allows counties to retain a portion of local income taxes to dedicate to their jails.

The change in the law, which went into effect on July 1, allows counties take up to 0.2 percent of the LIT and apply it towards jail needs. County Council President Mark Gorbett says the change came about after counties continued to see rising expenses and diminishing revenues. He pointed to the growing number of tax-increment financing (TIF) districts that allow cities to capture all of the LIT revenue for the area, lowering revenue for counties. The city of Columbus recently chose to capture all of the tax dollars in its TIF districts. Gorbett also cited the recent change in state law that requires low-level felons to be housed in county jails instead of with the Indiana Department of Corrections as another major expense for the county.

If the county council approves the maximum amount, the change will take effect in 2019 and is expected to allow the county to keep an estimated $2.7 million per year instead of passing it along to other entities. This would reduce the distribution to other taxing units in the county, with the city of Columbus taking the biggest hit. Figures provided to the council by Umbaugh & Associates show the city’s distribution reduced by nearly $2.5 million per year.

Barb Hackman, county auditor, explains that this is not an additional tax. It is merely a change in the distribution of tax-dollars that go to local units of government. Based on this year’s figures, the city of Columbus and towns throughout Bartholomew County will see a hit to their revenue:

Columbus – an estimated loss of $2,476,226
Edinburgh – an estimated loss of $108,850
Hope – an estimated loss of $26,719
Hartsville – an estimated loss of $1,914
Clifford – an estimated loss of $966
Elizabethtown – an estimated loss of $916
Jonesville – an estimated loss of $705

The council voted to move forward with a plan to ask the state for permission to capture the maximum amount of the Correctional and Rehabilitation Facilities Expenditure Rate. This change is not a done deal as it requires approval at the state level. In addition, the change requires the county council to hold a public hearing. That hearing is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 11.

North Vernon city officials continue their work addressing the city’s park and pool situation. Earlier this year, the city council voted to support a request from the parks board’s to close the city pool. Officials noted numerous repairs that needed to be made to the pool and surrounding facilities to make it acceptable to be reopened.

North Vernon is considering issuing bonds to cover the expense of repairs or rebuilding. The city council gave final approval Monday night for an ordinance that would allow it to pledge funds out of a recently expanded Tax-Increment Financing District to cover the repayment of these bonds. City officials say that the plan is to pay back any bonds out of the general fund, but they need a secondary method available in which to make the payments in order to get the bond.

While a final proposal to replace the pool and make other park improvements has not yet been approved, the work on putting together options is ongoing. Council member Trent Wisner noted that the project can be funded, so long as it comes in at under $3 million.

There’s been no word as to when a final decision on the pool and park will be made.

A Columbus woman was hurt Monday night in a crash on I-65 in Bartholomew County. Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department, says that at approximately 11:43 p.m., deputies responded to the crash scene near the 59.5 mile marker. Authorities say the driver, Angel Tucker, was lying near the vehicle which was in a ditch on the east side of the roadway.

Jackson says that Tucker told investigators that she was driving northbound when a southbound semi came into her lane. As Tucker attempted to avoid the semi, she hit the end of the guardrail and rolled into the ditch. Moments later, she crawled out the passenger side window and was transported to Columbus Regional Health.

Major Chris Lane says this incident illustrates the importance of paying attention while driving, especially in and around construction zones. “Please slowdown in construction zones and proceed with caution whenever signs of road work are present,” says Lane. He adds, “Our highway workers’ safety, and our safety, depends on how well we drive in these areas.” Major Lane adds that construction workers on State Road 46 have contacted the sheriff’s department to complain about speeding drivers in the area.