Retirement center ups rates

Residents of Jay County Retirement Center will see their rates increase in 2016.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration raised the amount it will reimburse the facility for caring for residents on one of its programs, Tammy Davis, assistant director of the retirement center, told Jay County  on Monday morning. To keep rates consistent for all residents, those paying privately will have to pay more too.
The commissioners also learned county engineer Dan Watson plans to convert two intersections along county road 200 South to four-way stops.
The FSSA will pay $40.75 daily to the retirement center for residents on its Residential Care Assistance Program, an increase from $37 daily.
Living at the facility previously cost $1,155 monthly for privately paying residents. That will increase to $1,239.
Though private payments come in monthly and FSSA payments are figured on a daily rate, the total amount for a year is the same regardless.
Davis told the commissioners she only anticipated one privately paying resident having trouble with the new cost. He may be put on RCAP.
Watson told the commissioners he would like to change county road 200 South’s intersections with Boundary Pike and county road 200 West to four-way stops. Both are currently two-way stops.
The Boundary Pike intersection has had 35 accidents since 2001, 12 of which resulted in injuries. At the county road 200 West intersection, 19 out of 54 accidents since 2002 caused injuries.
Watson informed the commissioners he will order stop signs, and county attorney Bill Hinkle will draft an ordinance for the commissioners to approve.
Commissioners Faron Parr, Jim Zimmerman and Doug Inman all expressed the importance of making drivers aware of the changes, using methods such as “stop ahead” signs, flashing lights, rumble strips and supervision by Jay County Sheriff’s Office.
“Visually is one thing, but when you actually feel your car start to jostle around that maybe would alert someone” to the need to stop, Inman said when suggesting rumble strips.
In other business, the commissioners:
•Decided not to impose a fee for taxpayers requesting exemption from filing tax returns on business personal property for which they paid less than $20,000. While they don’t have to file returns, they do have to complete exemption paperwork.
If they don’t have paperwork filled out by May 15, there is a $25 late fee, but if they fill it out on time, the assessor’s office collects no money despite the extra work. Assessor Diana Stults brought that concern to the commissioners Nov. 9.
The commissioners decided to see how the paperwork goes in 2016 and revisit the idea of imposing a fee if necessary.