Seeking to fix mix-up (02/09/2009)

Jay County Commissioners will reconsider a recent appointment after learning they may have inadvertently replaced a standing board member.

Commissioners' president Milo Miller Jr. said this morning he received phone calls concerning an appointment to the Jay County Planning Commission. The commissioners, while thinking they were filling one vacancy left by Don Loy, were unaware that Loy's position had been filled mid-term by Jon Campbell.

Paula Confer was named to the planning board at last week's meeting in the thought-to-be Loy seat.

"I had a couple phone calls and one was pretty irate," Miller said. "We forgot he took Don Loy's place."

"I thought the position was open," added commissioner Faron Parr, who along with Miller and then-commissioner Gary Theurer appointed Campbell to the planning commission in January 2008.

The commissioners made the appointment last week at the request of Jay/Portland Building and Planning director Bill Milligan, who said the commission wouldn't be able to meet until the openings on the board were filled.

"If they have a quorum they can still have a meeting," said attorney George Lopez, informing the commissioners that the nine-member commission would be able to conduct business with five members present.

The commissioners were working from an outdated roster of the planning commission, which still had Loy as one of the standing members, thus creating the mix-up.

The commissioners plan to contact Campbell and see if he's still willing to serve, and if so, will keep him on the board and backtrack on appointing Confer.

"We ought to hear from him," Parr said.

In other business this morning, the commissioners:

•Signed a resolution approving an increase in drainage assessments for seven watersheds. The Jay County Drainage Board held public hearings on the increases Jan. 12.

•Received an annual report from The New InterUrban van service. The group made 97,242 total trips in 2008, serving 2,064 individuals. A total of 39,308 of those trips served 207 Jay County residents.

•Were informed by Miller that the City of Portland agreed to vacate the alley sitting in the path of the proposed Jay County Jail expansion.

Miller also said environmental crews began removing some asbestos from the former car dealership at the expansion site on Main Street on Saturday. Miller said workers discovered additional insulation while removing some ceiling board, which they took to test for hazardous material.

•Were informed by Jay County Auditor Nancy Culy that no one had bid on two small pieces of property on Blaine Pike at the intersections with Honeysuckle and Dogwood Lanes. Attorney Bill Hinkle said the commissioners can now deal directly with the adjacent property owners to reach an acceptable price to sell the land.

•Made Jay County Prosecutor Bob Clamme purchasing agent to buy a new copier. Clamme estimated a cost between $1,000 and $1,400 and the commissioners gave permission for a purchase not to exceed $2,000.[[In-content Ad]]