JCDC reviews housing, worker needs

The discussion was wide-ranging, but it all centered around a key question: How can we attract people to live and work in Jay County?

Jay County Development Corporation’s board focused on that topic Tuesday as its members talked about a potential homebuyer/renter incentive program, the need for housing in the county, a local employment website and area revitalization efforts.

JCDC executive director Bill Bradley presented the idea of creating a pilot program based on Grant County’s Grant for Grads initiative. The program would create incentives for those with an associate’s degree or higher who decide to live and work in Jay County.

The Grant County version of the program offers up to $5,000 for a down payment on a home or up to a 20-percent reduction in rent costs. Both are contingent on the recipient committing to spending a set amount of time in the county — five years for the down payment and at least one year for the rental assistance.

Bradley proposed the using $100,000 of the nearly $1 million in economic development funds from the Bluff Point Wind Energy Center project to create a pilot program. (He said Grant County used economic development income tax funds to support its initiative.)

The board could not take any action on the proposal as it did not have a quorum present, but the idea launched a discussion about the county’s ability to attract residents and workers.

Bradley noted that there is a developer who has shown interest in building market-rate apartments and has looked at several sites.

The need for housing, he added, connects to the county’s need for people in general to fill open positions at local industries and businesses. He referenced a Wall Street Journal article printed Sunday that detailed the problem throughout the Midwest, where there are more job openings than there are unemployed individuals.

Jay County’s unemployment rate has been below 4 percent for 10 of the last 11 months.

Bradley reported that the Hoosier Opportunity website, a partnership with Wayne and Randolph counties in an effort to draw potential employees to the region, is ahead of the pace in terms of participation of the Hometown Opportunity (Mercer, Auglaize and Darke counties in Ohio) site that it was based on. He added that a billboard advertising the site is now up near the intersection of Indiana 67 and Indiana 28 in Albany.

Board members also discussed the Redkey and Portland revitalization efforts that are in process. Ami Huffman, director of community development, noted that a meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 16 at Key Palace Theatre in Redkey to discuss plans that are being developed by Remenschneider Associates of Indianapolis.

Bradley gave several other updates, noting that:

•The final touches are being put on JCDC’s five-year strategic plan.

•Ball State University president Geoffrey Mearns will be the guest speaker at JCDC’s annual meeting in June. A time and date have not yet been finalized.

•He and Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman are continuing to work to attract a grocery store to Portland followed the closing of the Marsh store last year.