Circuit breaker study approved

Umbaugh and Associates will conduct a circuit breaker and local income tax rate study in partnership with Jay County, Portland, Dunkirk and Jay School Corporation. Jay County Commissioners approved a $10,000 contract for the study at its meeting Monday morning.

Commissioners also heard an update on work at the Bluff Point Wind Energy Center, discussed possible improvements at the Jay County Retirement Center and discussed progress on improvements to the Upper Salamonie River Watershed.

The approved contract with Umbaugh and Associates will be funded with $2,500 each from the county, Portland, Dunkirk and Jay School Corporation. County officials said they expect the study to be completed in late June, and will hold a series of joint meetings with municipal and school representatives in order to discuss the findings. The information will be used to help local leaders understand the impact of changing agricultural base tax rates and gauge the impact those changes will have on county, municipal and school funding.

The cuts to state base tax rates for agricultural land will have an inverse effect on business and homestead property taxes in counties with high agricultural tax bases. Those increases in other tax sections will cause homeowners and businesses to reach tax caps that have been constitutionally mandated by the state. That could leave municipalities and the school corporation with lower tax revenue than in previous years.

County Engineer Dan Watson also updated commissioners on the progress of work by Blattner Energy on the new Bluff Point Wind Energy Center. Work has already begun on 16 turbine locations, after approval of 42 building permits by the Jay/Portland Building and Planning Department in April, for a total construction value of $82,720,000.

Watson said turning radius installations are completed on all access roads to the build sites, and that work on adding cement stabilization for access roads will begin this week. He also told commissioners that Blattner will add dust control in front of all residences on the haul route.

Tammy Davis, assistant director at Jay County Retirement Center, presented commissioners a claim for the purchase of a new squeeze chute, and also discussed necessary improvements to the center’s facilities at the request of Farmers Mutual Insurance.

Davis said insurance agents pointed out concerns with the barn and granary at the retirement center. She presented three bids for repair work. The low bid came from Hatzel Brothers of Redkey, at $68,500. Eicher Construction submitted bid for $71,500 and Schwartz Building Supply submitted a bid at $129,670. Commissioners tabled the decision on repairs until after a new commissioner is chosen to replace Doug Inman.

Tim Kroeker, of Kroeker Consulting, presented an update on the Upper Salamonie River Watershed grant work. Kroeker said that the county has developed a cost-sharing program to improve water quality and protect and enhance natural resources, and is seeking individuals living within tier one critical areas along the watershed to participate in the program. The county’s tier one areas include sections of land between Pennville and Dunkirk, and the areas surrounding Salamonia.

Kroeker said Indiana Department of Environmental Management recently changed requirements to only allow tier one properties participate in the cost-share program.

“I’m hoping by next year we can open things up to tier two,” Kroeker said. “That just depends on IDEM and the EPA.”

In other business, commissioners:

•Appointed Ken Fredericksen to the board of directors for the John Jay Center for Learning.

•Approved removal of a damaged hard surface dust mat on county road 900 South, east of Indiana 1. The decision was made in line with previous policy on removal of damaged mats.

•Discussed the possibility of creating uniform right of ways along the county’s roads. Commissioners will check with Bill Hinkle on the legality of establishing uniform right of ways depending on the size of a given road.

•Approved the closure of the parking lot north of the courthouse from 9 a.m. to noon on September 21 for the Jay County Solid Waste Management District to hold a free shred day.

•Awarded $2,595 for the purchase of a new copier machine for the county coroner’s office.

•Approved $2,456,459.26 in claims.