Restrictions updated

Jay County Commissioners made truck traffic restrictions official Monday.

On a split vote, with commissioner Mike Leonhard dissenting, commissioners Chuck Huffman and Chad Aker approved an ordinance that renewed restrictions on some roads, added a couple of new roads to the list, defined critical terms, outlined exceptions and boosted fines for those in violation.

“I go to Randolph County, I go to Wells County, and I don’t see roads closed to trucks,” said Leonhard, who has voiced concerns about creating headaches for famers hauling their grain to market.

The county began restricting trucks in the mid 1990s because of the volume of traffic to Jay County Landfill. Those restrictions have expanded because of traffic to POET Biorefining and a number of confined animal feeding operations.

At Huffman’s urging, the ordinance, which will be incorporated into the Jay County Code, calls for a $500 minimum fine for a second violation. The fine for an initial violation is set at a minimum of $50.

The ordinance will take effect July 1 to allow county engineer Dan Watson time to have new signs installed.

The list of no-truck roads was developed by Watson over the past several weeks and is not significantly different from the list in a previous version of the ordinance. 

“We did attempt to get additional information on 800 East,” said Huffman, but it was not included in the ordinance as passed Monday.

Truck traffic — with many truck drivers lost and baffled by detours — has been a headache during reconstruction of a bridge on U.S. 27 just north of county road 500 North. But Watson told commissioners the bottleneck may soon be over.

Indiana Department of Transportation pledged to get the work completed within a month and appears ready to make good on that promise. Watson said the concrete on the bridge is curing and while some tests need to be run and asphalt work finished, it’s possible that U.S. 27 traffic between Portland and Bryant could return to normal by the end of this week.

One problem, Watson noted, has been the lack of communication between INDOT and its counterparts in Ohio. Truckers passing through the county often found themselves learning about the bridge work too late to make a sensible detour and ending up on county roads.

“There has to be some communication there,” said Watson. “There has to be a lot more communication.”

Commissioners were unanimous in approving Donnie Corn as the new Jay County Highway Department superintendent replacing Ken Wellman, who is retiring after 15 years. Corn, a Portland resident, has been with the highway department for nine years.

In other business, commissioners:

•Established a committee on courthouse security that will include county council member Amy Runyon Barrett, prosecutor’s investigator Curt Compton, county clerk Jon Eads, Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison, Sheriff Dwane Ford, Emergency Management Director Jessica Ooten, courthouse superintendent Bruce Sutton and Aker.

•Heard a quarterly update on county employees’ health insurance from Jessica Clayton of Platinum Benefits. “You are trending really well,” said Clayton, noting that over the past seven years the annual increase in premiums has averaged 4.5 percent. “That is literally unheard of,” she added. Commissioners said the county will continue to stress employee wellness programs as a way of keeping premiums under control, and Jay County Auditor Anna Culy had praise for PHP, the current insurance carrier. “PHP has been one of the best ones we’ve worked with, period,” Culy said.

•Approved the monthly report from Jay County Retirement Center and reviewed an analysis by Huffman of the facilities revenues and expenses over the past three years. “We need to be mindful of expenses,” said Huffman. “It’s becoming more like a nursing home operation. … I probably will continue to monitor that.”

•Took under advisement bids on a new tandem truck for the highway department and bids for emulsion product used in chip and seal work.

•Congratulated community developer Ami Huffman for the Jay! region being named a finalist in the state’s Stellar Communities competition. “It means a lot coming up in the next few months,” said Huffman. “This has been the majority of my time since January.” The county’s full Stellar proposal will be submitted to the state on Sept. 20, a presentation to state officials will be made in November and final word will be received on Dec. 5. Jay’s proposal is one of four finalists.

•Approved the purchase of a 10x12 metal storage building from JaMar, Portland, to be placed on the county’s Walnut Street parking lot and used for storing lawnmower and snowblower equipment. Those items, which have gasoline in their tanks, had been stored in the past in the basement of the courthouse. That practice was deemed a fire hazard.