Coleman picked as president of county council (01/12/06)

Marilyn Coleman was elected president of the Jay County Council Wednesday night when members met for the first time in 2006.

Jack Houck, who has served in that seat for the past two years, said, “I’ve been here two years. That’s enough.”

Additionally, Jim Zimmerman was elected vice-president.

In council appointments, members voted to remain on the same boards and committees as in 2005, as well as be responsible for the same county departments.

“If everyone likes where they’re at, we’ll keep it the same,” Coleman said.

Those appointments include: Todd Wickey, Community Corrections Board; Zimmerman, Coleman, George Meehan, and Houck on the EDIT Advisory Board; Judy LeMaster and Gerald Kirby, Tax Abatement Advisory Board; Houck and Wickey, Jay County Development Corporation; Meehan, joint zoning board; Kirby and Coleman, personnel committee; Zimmerman, planning commission; LeMaster, road committee; Kirby, Solid Waste District Board; and Wickey, public defender board.

The council also appointed Richard Whitesell, Dunkirk, to another term on the Alcohol Beverage Commission Board, and LeVara Clifton, Portland, Jay County Tourism Commission.

Additionally Wednesday night the council tabled a request from Jay Emergency Medical Service director, Teresa Foster-Geesaman, to transfer $26,564 in her department budget to paramedic squad leader from paramedic squad.

“I move we table this until it is properly presented,” Kirby said, pointing out the council’s policy that any transfers should be presented by a department representative or through the department’s council representative. Foster-Geesaman was not present for Wednesday’s meeting.

Also Wednesday night, Houck made a suggestion he has also posed to Jay County Commissioners, about using the infrastructure money paid by the Jay County Landfill to help in other county needs.

“We could use that money to set aside, like for Dunkirk (which is experiencing a financial crunch) or the schools,” Houck said, “or to help farmers who want to produce methane gas off their confined feeding operations.”

“We’re not a bank,” Kirby explained, adding, “your thoughts are noble, but the action is risky.”

The money the council discussed is the $400,000 generated annually through an agreement with Waste Management, which pays the county 10 percent of gross gate revenue collected on trash dumped in the Jay County Landfill. The largest percentage of the money, $150,000 annually, is used for road work.[[In-content Ad]]