Commissioners hire consultant

For the second consecutive year, Jay County will get outside help in compiling its budget.

Jay County Commissioners on Monday approved hiring financial consultant Greg Guerrettaz of Financial Solutions Group to work with the county budget committee in 2017. Guerrettaz’s contract will be paid with economic development income tax (EDIT) funds and is not to exceed $25,000.

Commissioners also approved using funds to pay for a tile to fix drainage issues at Jay County Fairgrounds and authorized county engineer Dan Watson and county surveyor Brad Daniels to be inspectors for the Bluff Point Wind Energy Center project.

In November 2015, Jay County Council approved using EDIT funds to hire Guerrettaz, who worked alongside and shepherded the Jay County Budget Committee this year as it crafted the 2017 budget.

Amid concerns the county was over-spending and depleting its rainy day fund — council used $500,000 from its rainy day fund in an attempt to balance the 2016 general fund budget — the budget committee was formed in early 2016 and held a series of meetings from May to August to review the budget months earlier than usual.

“I think we had a very, very good year of being able to go through a lot of details in the budget and I think accomplish a lot of different things,” Guerrettaz said Monday.

With Guerrettaz’s help, the budget committee proposed two dozen recommendations to county council.

Acting as drainage board, commissioners heard from Jay County Fair Board member Brian Aker about a drainage issue at the track at the fairgrounds.

Aker said that flooding occurs at one of the track’s turns and causes problems during harness racing events.

“What I found was a 12-inch tile set down to 10-inch tile set down to a 5-inch tile. Every bit of that was completely packed with sand,” said Aker, who inspected the location.

He talked with fair board president Rob Weaver and recommended the tile be replaced.

“And in doing that is of course the cost. The fair board has suffered the last couple years so we’re here to ask if we can get some help from you guys,” Aker said.

Members of the fair board are willing to complete the digging if the county can get help paying for the tile, he said.

Commissioners approved paying for the tile, with the source of the funds to be determined.

When asked by commissioner Jim Zimmerman, Aker said the cost of materials would be less than $5,000 for the project.

Meanwhile, commissioners named Watson and Daniels as inspectors for construction of the Bluff Point Wind Energy Farm in Southern Jay County.

Commissioner Doug Inman said NextEra Energy, which is heading the project, needs an inspector and that Watson came to him with the proposal for the commissioners to authorize him to hold the position.

“I think that not only are we going to need Dan involved, but we are probably going to need Brad involved as the county surveyor also, because it’s going to require both of them in their day-to-day workings and what they deal with to pull this off smoothly,” Inman said.

Commissioners approved for Watson and Daniels to each receive a $5,000 salary plus benefits in 2017 for the position. Those funds will be reimbursed by NextEra. Inman said a contract with NextEra calls for paying the county $75 per hour for the services of the inspector.

“It’s really not costing the county anything,” Inman said.

Per the commissioners' action, the money reimbursed from NextEra will go into the county’s general fund and any left over money from the contract will remain there.

County attorney Bill Hinkle stressed that Monday’s action is contingent upon the wind farm being constructed in 2017, as is currently planned.

In other business, commissioners Faron Parr, Zimmerman and Inman:

•Approved the Jay County Bicentennial Committee to plant a tulip tree in the county, with the location to be determined. Inman said the committee approached him about planting a tree on the Jay County Courthouse lawn.

•Reappointed Dr. Jerry Whetzel as Jay County Health Officer and Barbara Downing, Dale Widman and Dr. Robert Robinson to four-year terms on Jay County Board of Health.

•Approved claims for the veterans service office.

•OK’d raising the assessment rates on the Loblolly Watershed, following a public hearing on raising the rate on parts of the watershed in Wells County. There was no public comment during the hearing. One written objection was received.

•Appointed Inman to the Jay County Regional Sewer District board.

•Heard from resident Carter Leonard, who commended the commissioners and all those involved in how they handled the more than two-year process to alter the county’s zoning regulations regarding confined feeding operations.

•Met in executive session Thursday for approximately 30 minutes at the office of county attorney Bill Hinkle to discuss an employee evaluation. No decisions were made, Hinkle reported Monday.