County signs pact for aid across state line

Jay County Commissioners signed a new agreement for emergency assistance across state lines Monday.

Commissioners approved an agreement for mutual aid with Mercer County, Ohio. The new agreement, which was approved by Mercer County Commissioners in November, takes effect immediately and serves as a formal document to legally allow for emergency personnel to offer mutual aid beyond the Indiana-Ohio state line.

“Because of that state line, there’s a lot of legalities that go into them coming to us and us going to them,” explained Jay County Emergency Management Agency director Samantha Rhodehamel.

“That’s just an on-paper agreement that allows us to travel back and forth,” she later added.

The agreement covers fire departments, emergency medical service workers, EMA employees, hazardous materials removal workers and other public health employees.

Rhodehamel noted that mutual aid and assistance has come from across the state line for emergency calls, typically those on the east side of Jay County. She also pointed to calls that may come from Fort Recovery, with commissioners president Chad Aker — he also serves as a firefighter for Portland Fire Department — recalling the fire at JR Manufacturing in April 2023.

Rhodehamel noted plans are in the works to create a similar agreement with Darke County.

Commissioners also approved a mutual aid agreement Monday with Indiana Department of Homeland Security District 6, which includes Jay, Blackford, Grant, Delaware, Randolph, Tipton, Howard, Union, Madison, Henry, Fayette, Rush and Wayne counties.

The agreement formally allows counties to share resources, such as in the event of a natural disaster, Rhodehamel explained.

In related business, Rhodehamel:

•Talked about recent trainings she has hosted and meetings she has attended, including meetings for the cybersecurity task force created to identify a cybersecurity plan for the county and a meeting that consisted of Indiana and Ohio radio officials discussing interoperability across state lines. (Jay County is looking into joining Indiana Integrated Public Safety Commission’s statewide radio system in the coming years. Ohio does not utilize the same system.) She shared hopes for establishing an agreement between Ohio and Indiana regarding the issue.

•Noted her department received two annual grants, approximately $18,300 from Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness and $29,213.05 from Emergency Management Performance grant programs of Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

Also Monday, highway superintendent Bob Howell asked to look into the process regarding conditional contracts for prospective employees to receive their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). He said there has been interest for open positions from applicants who don’t have their CDL. Howell suggested the county could pay for training and hire the prospective employee on the condition they obtain the specialized license within a certain timeframe. He also pointed to a grant available for covering training costs.

Journay suggested the county require such employees to stay on the job for a period of time after receiving their license.

Jay County Personnel Committee will review Howell’s request before it goes before Jay County Council — it would require an amendment to the salary ordinance — and back to commissioners for final decision.

In other business, commissioners Brian McGalliard, Journay and Aker:

•Approved the following: a four-year, 5.75% interest loan with The Farmers State Bank of Portland in the amount of $192,240 for a new Case front end loader; leasing 293.8 acres of tillable land around Jay County Country Living to Schoenlein Brothers at $376 an acre ($110,468 total) for three years; tabled decision on leasing the county’s 68 acres as farm ground next year, with commissioners noting uncertainty about plans with the housing infrastructure project in the area; paying an additional $1,320 to Hays + Sons Complete Restoration of Muncie to remove old carpeting in the prosecutor’s office and recorder’s office at Jay County Courthouse; paid a few other claims, including $1,286 to Air Xray of Fort Wayne for radon testing associated with the owner-occupied rehabilitation program in Jay County.

•Accepted bids from US Aggregates and IMI Aggregates for stone to be used by Jay County Highway Department in 2025.

•Reappointed doctor Joseph Vormohr to Jay County Health Board.

•OK’d a right-of-way agreement with American Electric Power for work along Red Oak Court between White Oak and Bur Oak streets at Oakwood Manufactured Home Community.