City requests blight help

Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman has requested help from the county to acquire a property the city hopes to include in the Blight Elimination Program it received a grant for.
A home at 1007 W. Main St. is one of seven Portland wants to demolish with funds received through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Geesaman told Jay County Commissioners on Monday morning.
The property didn’t sell in a tax sale on Oct. 13. Richard and Marilyn Sue Bond, both deceased, are still listed as the owners, and the county has a lien on the property for the amount of taxes owed.
The money from the $126,000 grant could be used to pay the $4,014 owed on the property, Geesaman said.
The property owners on both sides of 1007 W. Main St. are interested in splitting the land between them, Geesaman said.
Commissioners Faron Parr, Jim Zimmerman and Doug Inman decided to have county attorney Bill Hinkle find the fastest way to assist in turning over the property to the city.
The commissioners also:
•Voted to keep Anthem health insurance coverage for county employees, following a recommendation made last week by Jennifer Heckman, a benefit specialist with Platinum Benefit Consulting Group. Health insurance costs will stay the same, while life insurance rises 90 cents per month, bringing the monthly total for both to $57.50 for an individual and $902.86 for a family.
•Heard from Emergency Management Agency director Ralph Frazee that residents affected by this summer’s floods can apply for money from the state’s disaster relief fund. To qualify, homeowners must have been previously denied assistance from the Small Business Administration, which makes loans to citizens as well as businesses. Residents in 27 eligible counties may receive up to $2,500 from the $307,000 the state plans to distribute.
•Issued a proclamation that Dec. 11, the 199th anniversary of Indiana being admitted as a state, will be Indiana Statehood Day and the official kickoff of bicentennial celebrations.
•Approved county engineer Dan Watson’s plan to have culverts in Jefferson, Madison, Pike and Richland townships inspected this fall. Watson told the commissioners Sept. 28 that 367 culverts in Bearcreek, Greene, Jackson, Knox, Noble, Penn, Wabash and Wayne have been inspected. About one in seven needs to be replaced.