Poplar Creek Road repairs underway

Poplar Creek residents, who have been dealing with a recurring slide problem on their road, are about to get some relief.

During its regularly scheduled meeting Dec. 20, the Whitley County Fiscal Court reviewed five bids ranging from $22,200 to $68,400, to stabilize a portion of Poplar Creek Road, and awarded the low bid to Shelton Contracting.

Whitley County Projects Director Amber Owens said that the problem is actually two reoccurring slides on Poplar Creek Road.

“It’s been repaired in the past but it continues to slide. It is basically widening and relocating a portion of the road,” Owens noted.

Work on the project is expected to start this week and weather permitting will likely take about two weeks to complete.

In other business, the fiscal court:

• Amended the Whitley County personnel policy to allow up to two hours off work for employees to vote on Election Day.

• Approved the 2017 budget for the Whitley County Clerk, which is $6,997,067, and a $585,000 maximum spending cap for deputies and assistants. The clerk’s budget is largely comprised of collecting taxes and fees that it later distributes to the other agencies and taxing districts.

• Approved the 2017 budget for the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, which totals $1,593,767.02, and a $1,033,099.64 maximum spending cap for deputies and assistance for the sheriff.