New setbacks are approved

Applause greeted the approval of an ordinance amendment for confined feeding operation setbacks for two local towns.
Jay County Commissioners approved Monday CFO buffers, which were recently recommended by Jay County Plan Commission, of 1 mile for Redkey and a half-mile for Salamonia. They also approved raising subsequent fines on zoning violations to meet the state maximum.
Commissioners also met as Jay County Drainage Board to hear discussion about a flooding bridge in Redkey.
Residents fought back against a half-mile buffer suggestion for Redkey at a public hearing held Nov. 13, and with final approval by commissioners, those in attendance at Monday’s meeting thanked local officials for hearing their plea.
These now make the fourth and fifth municipalities with setbacks, joining Pennville’s 1 mile, Portland’s 2 miles and Dunkirk’s half mile.
Commissioners Milo Miller Jr., Jim Zimmerman and Faron Parr also approved an ordinance amendment increasing the maximum fine for subsequent zoning violations, which was also recommended by Jay County Plan Commission.
The change states the maximum will be equivalent to state statute, which is currently set at $7,500. The original maximum was $300. This fee pertains to any violation of the Jay County Building and Planning code.
Also on Monday, commissioners met as the county’s drainage board, hearing discussion about worries of flooding from a dammed creek.
Redkey resident Dottie Quakenbush asked commissioners to fix the High Street bridge, which she said is so low to the bank below it is beginning to act like a dam when debris flows through. The damming causes flooding in the street.
“Can we dig it any deeper?” said Quakenbush. “It is horrible. It’s overgrown.”
She added that houses were underwater after the most recent flood, even though they weren’t in a flood zone because of the bridge.
County surveyor Brad Daniels told Quakenbush the county has cleaned around that bridge multiple times over the past few years, but it seems there’s an invasive plant that can’t be killed by the chemicals they’ve used. He said trying to dig the creek any deeper would be difficult as the department’s equipment is too large to be used.
“Can they do it manually with shovels?” asked Miller.
Daniels said he’d look into how to solve the problem and come back to commissioners with suggestions.
In other business, commissioners:
•Released infrastructure funds to the Town of Pennville. Town officials sent commissioners a letter explaining that they will use the one-time allotment of $11,172 to pave roads.
•Transferred the titles of 10 vehicles to LifeStream Services. The vehicles were acquired through a capital grant in 2009 and placed in the commissioners’ name, and have since been used to transport clients. All 10 vehicles need to be replaced, and transferring them allows LifeStream to own, replace and maintain them.
•Authorized Jay Emergency Medical Services director Pat Frazee to sign an agreement with Delaware County EMS for intercept services. Delaware County will charge JEMS $200 for every instance where assistance is needed on a run to IU Health Ball Memorial. There is a clause in the contract that states if JEMS isn’t paid enough through insurance to cover that cost, the charge can be negotiated and adjusted.
•Were informed by Frazee that she is applying for a $133,000 grant for four new monitor/defibrillators, one for each ambulance. The ones currently being used are 20 years old, and the supplies to maintain them will soon stop being made. The grant comes with a 10 percent match, but Frazee said the equipment cost may come in under the grant allowance, meaning a lower price to match. Commissioners approved the application.