City to join Main Street program

Portland will soon be designated as a Main Street community through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

Portland City Council expressed its support for the designation at its meeting Monday.

Council also rejected a resolution to lease a spray patcher for the street department through the Indiana Bond Bank.

Ami Huffman, director of community development for the Jay County Development Corporation, asked council to support Portland’s application to the program. Currently 130 communities in 81 Indiana counties are part of the Indiana Main Street Program. It has been around since 1985, a part of OCRA since 2005 and is an offshoot of Main Street America.

Huffman told council OCRA is now requiring its grant recipients to be designated as Main Street communities.

“The reason why we’re doing this right now is because we submitted our grant for our downtown revitalization planning study,” Huffman said. “Now you need to be a Main Street before they’ll approve it, so everything has been approved on our downtown revitalization grant but they want us to be a Main Street first.”

Being in the program brings benefits such as grant opportunities and the possibility of funding for streetscaping and facade repairs. To apply, Huffman had to include a history of Portland’s downtown, pictures of the area, proof that it is a historic place and a description of how the economy has changed over the past 100 years.

Council approved the resolution. Huffman said the revitalization grant will be finalized shortly after she submits the Main Street application.

Council members also discussed a resolution to lease a new spray patcher for the street department. Portland Mayor Randy Geesman told council that he learned that leasing could be easier on the city’s budget.

“Instead of paying cash for a lot of large capital needs that you might have, you might want to consider leases,” Geesaman said. “Indiana Bond Bank has a really good four-year program … that at the end of the lease period we have the option to purchase it or just turn it in and get a new one every four years, so we’re taking advantage of that.”

The old spray patcher has had mechanical problems over the past few years, Geesaman said.

It is needed to fill potholes in the city.

Council member Judy Hedges requested more information on the different spray patcher bids the city looked at. Treasurer Lori Ferguson said it was the lowest bid and that the bond bank was coming to sign paperwork today for the lease.

Hedges asked that Geesaman let council members know more about the leases in the future.

“I think next time it would be really nice though, when you bring stuff to us, to present us with all of the information, not just, ‘We made a decision, we need your signature,’” Hedges said.

Council members Judy Aker, Michelle Brewster and Don Gillespie voted in favor of the resolution, but with Hedges voting against it and Kent McClung, Janet Powers and Bill Gibson absent, the measure did not pass.

Geesaman said after the meeting that the resolution will be revised and presented at the next city council meeting.

In other business, council members:

•Heard a tax abatement request from Fort Recovery Industries for an almost $3.2 million project. Bill Bradley, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation and Fort Recovery Industries vice president of finance Larry Holmes presented the abatement request for the project, which will retain 48 jobs and add seven new ones. The company is adding an aluminum die-cast machine and a zinc die-cast machine, along with support equipment for both.

The project is slated to start this month and will finish in June 2019. The abatement would save the company about $85,000, Bradley said.

Council voted to send the request to the tax abatement advisory committee, who will review it and present a recommendation to council at a later date.

•Tabled a vote on joining a class action suit. Geesaman presented council members with a contract to join dozens of other counties and cities in Indiana in a suit against pharmaceutical companies who manufacture opioids.

The goal of the suit is to recover costs from dealing with the opioid epidemic, from treatment to incarceration, and to help pay for recovery and education. Cohen and Malad LLP out of Indianapolis is handling the suit, and will only receive payment if the cities and counties win the case. Jay County Commissioners voted to join the lawsuit last week.

•Voted to approve three additional appropriations in the budget.

The city received $462,559 from its previous insurer after it switched carriers, and that amount will be added to the insurance surplus fund. Council also voted to move $34,191 to the street repairs and maintenance fund to pay Milestone Contractors for its work on the Wayne Street and Portland Industrial Park projects, and $100,000 to the Economic Development Income Tax fund for future projects, including efforts to bring a new grocery store to the area.

•Approved the closure of Main Street for the Arch Bridge Kroozers Car Show from noon to 9 p.m. on May 19.

•Paid $914,970.79 in disbursements.