County declines lobbyist

Jay County has said no thanks to the opportunity to be part of a regional effort to hire a Washington lobbyist.
Jay County Commissioners unanimously declined a request Monday from East Central Indiana Regional Planning District to contribute $15,000 over each of the next two years to help hire Washington lobbying firm Keller McIntyre and Associates.
The planning district is seeking multiple government units in the region to cover the costs of hiring the firm, which it hopes can lure federal funds back to East Central Indiana.
This summer, the City of Portland pledged a two-year commitment of $30,000 toward the effort. With Monday’s decision, the county has decided to keep efforts to secure federal funding in house.
Project manager Brad Bookout told commissioners Faron Parr, Jim Zimmerman and Doug Inman in late September the cost to hire the firm will run about $90,000 annually.
The planning district has secured $55,000 of the initially $90,000 it needs to hire Keller McIntyre, Bookout said in September.
Bookout told commissioners that joining the lobbying effort would likely mean the county prioritizing one to three projects, with the hope that at least one receives federal funding.
Inman, who submitted the motion to bypass the lobbying venture, said he’d rather the county have personal relationships with Indiana’s representatives in Washington.
“I just fail to see what they do for us that we can’t do for ourselves,” Inman said of the lobbying firm.
Following Monday’s vote, Zimmerman suggested the county should lobby on its own behalf and keep in touch with its officials in Washington.
He also commented that commissioners and county council members should be encouraged to use economic development funds annually to make a trip to Washington D.C. on the county’s behalf.
Parr and Inman both signaled agreement with Zimmerman’s suggestion.
Meanwhile, a report from county engineer Dan Watson informed commissioners the county’s road asset management plan is about 50 percent completed. Field work has finished for the road inventory, which will be required to seek matching grant funds for road work.
Watson also reported that he hopes to have most culverts replaced in the footprint of the impending Bluff Point Wind Energy Center before winter begins. Construction on the wind farm is slated to take place next year.
In other business, commissioners:
•Acting as drainage board, heard from Robert Franks, Jr., who asked surveyor Brad Daniels about plans for the Loblolly Watershed and also submitted to the board a plan for beautification of the Salamonie and Wabash rivers.
•Approved keeping Matrix Integration as the company for the auditor’s office cloud service.
•Learned the county has received a written warning from Indiana Department of Homeland Security Division of Fire and Building Safety for having lawnmowers, weed trimmers and snow blowers stored in the basement of Jay County Courthouse. The violations must be corrected by Oct. 21.