District approved budget

Jay County Solid Waste Management District sailed through its budgeting process.
The district board Monday approved its 2015 budget after making slight adjustments for office supplies, educational materials and development of a new web site. The budget will go to Jay County Council for final approval.
Board members also scheduled a Jay County Landfill free day, learned about a series of composting workshops and heard a presentation from a new business.
Reviewing the preliminary budget financial director Freda Corwin presented last month, the board made only slight changes.
On a suggestion from its citizen’s advisory committee, the board bumped up the amount of money allocated for creation of a new web site to $3,000 from the original $500. It also moved $1,000 from the office supplies fund to the educational supplies fund.
The changes brought the budget to $224,895, which is up about $12,000 from 2014. Income is projected at $250,000
The board approved the budget unanimously.
Jay County Landfill’s free day for year was set for Sept. 20 after a discussion with operations manager Gary Schaublin.
Board members had expressed concern from citizens, who said it was difficult to make it to the district’s Tox Away Day and the landfill free day when they were scheduled together. Schaublin said separating the two events would not be an issue, and the board voted to hold the free landfill day a week after Tox Away Day.
Schaublin also said he would prefer to have just one free landfill day per year instead of the contracted two because of the added overtime cost. Board members tabled any decision on the issue, asking Schaublin to provide specific financial figures.
District educator Bettie Jacobs reported that she fielded a lot of questions about composting during the Jay County Fair, and has since talked with Larry Temple of Jay County’s Purdue University extension office. They will partner to hold composting workshops at the district’s recycling trailers Sept. 6 in Redkey, Sept. 13 in Dunkirk, Sept. 20 at Bloomfield Elementary School, Sept. 27 in Portland, Oct. 4 in Salamonia and Oct. 18 in Pennville.
Also, representatives from Alltogether Cleaning told the board about their new business and asked for its support.
The company, co-owned by Jane Hernandez, Telisa Remy, Ye Thu and Gary Weaver, will focus on electronics recycling. It is currently in business, but is still looking for a permanent location in Jay County, and committed to picking up electronic recyclables (TVs, appliances batteries) that the district collects.
“I know that we’d be more than happy to help you out with the stuff that we get and we’d be more than happy for you to come pick up what we’ve got,” said board member Milo Miller Jr. “We wish you a lot of luck.”
In other business, board members Jeannie Houchins, Dan Watson, Faron Parr, Bill Gibson, Jim Zimmerman, Randy Geesaman and Miller:
•Discussed the possibility of holding a free paper-shredding day. Board members said they are in favor of the idea and asked Corwin to look into the cost of holding such an event.
•Approved for Jacobs to attend and educator’s roundtable Sept. 5 in Avon. Jacobs also said attendance was strong at the district’s booth at the Jay County Fair, and she expects to hear from The Portland Foundation next month about her grant application for a seminar about how to make rain barrels.
•Paid claims totaling $12,544.08. It took in tipping fees of $27,421 during the last month, pushing its total balance to $347,476.09.
•Decided to wait to appoint a new member to its citizen’s advisory committee.
•Renewed the district’s advertisement in the St. Mary’s Catholic Church (Dunkirk) weekly bulletin.