MUNCIE, Ind. — The Muncie Board of Sanitary Commissioners on Nov. 26 announced that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has provided written approval for the district’s long-term control plan for combined sewer overflows, a yearslong effort the board said will reduce costs compared with earlier proposals. District Administrator Rick Conrad, speaking at his final board meeting, called the IDEM sign-off a milestone after work that began "since at least 2012."

Conrad said the IDEM approval gives the district more flexibility in addressing combined sewer overflows and credited dozens of board members, engineering firms and legal teams for the result. "It has been a long haul to get to this point," he said. "I'm very appreciative." Chair (unnamed) later framed the financial implications, saying the district will spend about $160,000,000 to comply under the approved plan compared with prior proposals the chair described as roughly "half 1,000,000,000" or about $750,000,000, characterizing the approved approach as a substantial savings for residents.

The board also used the meeting to adopt several routine but consequential items. Sanitation Superintendent Jason Donati presented Resolution 2025-15, an interlocal agreement among the Muncie Sanitary District, the Board of Public Works and the City of Muncie Parks Department under which the sanitation and recycling department will assume regular trash pickup at city parks, overlooks and some community sites (the reservoir was explicitly excluded). In exchange, the parks department will transfer a 2020 small packer truck to the sanitation fleet to replace aging equipment. The board approved the resolution by voice vote.

In personnel matters, the board approved Resolution 2025-16, the 2026 salary resolution, which applies a 4.5% pay increase to positions across the district. Board discussion noted the board had originally proposed a 3% increase; the additional 1.5% ties to changes in the extended sick policy.

The board approved the 2026 meeting schedule, which keeps the existing cadence with the first meeting set for Jan. 7, 2026, and moves the November meeting to Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, because Veterans Day falls on a Wednesday.

On capital work, the board approved Task Order No. 2 with engineering firm T Y Lin. Conrad said the overall plant project has $3,500,000 previously authorized and that this task order covers $1,698,000 for basis-of-design reports, contract documents (up to 90%), engineers' opinions of probable construction costs and permitting assistance. The board moved and approved the task order by voice vote.

Public comment included resident John Barlow, who congratulated the district on the IDEM approval and praised Conrad while criticizing a prior administrator’s handling of the plan. "Congratulations on getting the long term control plan approved by IDEM," Barlow said. "If your previous district administrator had probably been more on the ball, this would have been taking care of a long time." That critique was not disputed in the meeting record.

Several board members offered remarks to Conrad on his departure. "Thank you for your servant leadership," Mister Clark said. Conrad responded that it had been a privilege and invited final questions before the meeting moved on.

The chair closed the meeting by reminding the public about an upcoming sanitary closure at Weiser and High Street tied to long-term control work, anticipated to last two to three weeks and include a detour. The board adjourned after the final motion.

Votes at a glance
- Minutes of Nov. 12, 2025: approved (voice vote).
- Register of claims: $782,297.62, approved (voice vote).
- Resolution 2025-15 (parks sanitation interlocal agreement / truck transfer): approved (voice vote).
- Resolution 2025-16 (2026 salary resolution, 4.5% increase): approved (voice vote).
- 2026 board meeting schedule: approved (voice vote).
- Task Order No. 2 with T Y Lin (covers $1,698,000 of plant design/engineering work as part of a previously authorized $3,500,000): approved (voice vote).

Next steps
The district will move forward on design and permitting work under the approved T Y Lin task order, implement the approved interlocal agreement with Parks, and proceed with advertised sanitary work at Weiser and High Street; no deadlines for contract execution or further public hearings were specified in the meeting record.