Plans progress

The county is moving forward with plans to update local responders’ radio systems.

Jay County Commissioners approved a $178,500 contract with Ritter Strategic Services for planning, procurement, engineering, project management and other work related to switching the county to the Integrated Public Safety Commission’s 800 megahertz statewide system.

Upgrading radios for Jay County Sheriff’s Office has been a topic of discussion for the last few years. Ritter Strategic Services shared its findings June 20 with commissioners and Jay County Council regarding a study it conducted on the county’s emergency responder radio systems, detailing three of the current systems in use. For all three systems, the majority of their coverage is available only if users take their radios outdoors. 

The very high frequency system used by Jay Emergency Medical Service, Jay County Emergency Management Agency and local fire departments isn’t likely to be reachable via portable radio in portions of southern Jay County and northeastern Jay County. The ultra high frequency (UHF) 900 megahertz system used by Jay County Sheriff’s Office also stops short, leaving a ring of uncovered areas around most of the perimeter of the county.

Ritter Strategic Service’s initial study proposed options for upgrades or repairs moving forward. One of those options called for switching to the Integrated Public Safety Commission system, a change that is estimated at $3 million and will likely require adding sites, such as converting the Bryant and Salamonia radio towers to the system. (Barry Ritter of Ritter Strategic Services said earlier this month that it may take him up to three months to come up with a hard number on how much the transition will cost.)

Once the system is set up, the county would be able to utilize the state’s system at no extra cost. However, departments would need to purchase new portable radios, which may be a challenge for some with limited budgets. 

Commissioner Rex Journay met with representatives from local municipalities and townships June 26 to discuss the potential switch. He asked representatives at that time to let county officials know by the end of July whether they are comfortable with the switch — according to Jay Emergency Management Agency director Samantha Rhodehamel, all six Jay County fire departments have said they are on board — and if they are able to purchase new portable radios themselves.

Commissioners president Chad Aker voiced a desire to move forward with the project, which is expected to take 12 to 18 months.

“Ritter has the time to do it at this point, this is going to take quite a while to do, I know over the weekend, the radios weren’t the best,” he said. “We’re already starting to have issues with those, and I feel that we should probably start moving forward on this.”

In related news, commissioners paid a $12,000 claim from Ritter Strategic Services for a portion of its work with the radio study.

Commissioners also signed a memorandum of understanding with United Way of Jay County for receiving food from Second Harvest Food Bank for Jay County Country Living residents.

The move comes as an effort to cut costs at the residential center.

“I think it’s going to be a giant chunk out of the food budget,” said Jay County Country Living advisory board president and Jay County Council member Cindy Bracy.

Delivery fees range between $50 to $75 a trip. Utilizing Second Harvest Food Bank’s items, the residential center could order donated food at less than 20 cents a pound.

Second Harvest Food Bank requires an agency-sponsored program agreement — in this case the agreement with United Way of Jay County — to be in place in order for Jay County Country Living to serve as an additional distribution location to receive food from the organization.

County attorney Wes Schemenaur pointed out Second Harvest Food Bank has given the county the OK to move forward, and United Way of Jay County’s board has approved the agreement.

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

•Agreed to move forward with enacting a 30-day ordinance prohibiting truck traffic on county road 500 South between U.S. 27 and Boundary Pike. Highway superintendent Bob Howell noted the road has recently been repaired and needs a few more weeks to set, and he said a local resident shared plans with him to drive heavy equipment down the road within the next week. He expressed a desire to close the road until the ordinance goes into effect, which will take at least a couple weeks.

•Tabled a contract for 2025 with Jay County Humane Society, with Aker noting council still needs to appropriate an amount for the organization in the county’s budget. He also pointed to discrepancies in a cost increase from the current rate and voiced hopes to clarify the organization’s hours of operations.

•Took a bid from engineering company Egis of Indianapolis — it was formerly known as Beam, Longest and Neff — under advisement. Egis was the only company to apply for conducting building inspections and radon testing for houses undergoing repairs through the county’s owner-occupied rehabilitation program, a $1 million project intended to help residents pay for home improvements. Applications closed at the end of June and are being reviewed.

•Approved the following: a contract with consultant Charles Braun — commissioners also approved a $9,000 claim Monday from Braun —for updating standard operating procedures for employees at Jay County Sheriff’s Office and Jay County Jail; an $8,750 contract with plumbing service NuFlow Indy of Greenwood for repairs in Jay Circuit Court’s restroom at Jay County Courthouse; a contract with Dynamic Business Solutions for a new website for the sheriff’s office at $5,450 for initial setup and $215 in quarterly fees; spending up to $1,300 on a gas pump meter at Jay County Country Living; a $1,260 contract with Emergency Radio Service of Fort Wayne for annual maintenance on the county’s tornado sirens; and a 2025 contract with information technology worker Randy Cleaver for services to the county at a rate of $100 per hour and reimbursable mileage at 50 cents per mile.

•Agreed to host a public hearing Sept. 9 for raising tax rates to $3.50 an acre and $35 a plot for the following watersheds: Brooks Creek, AB Butcher, Foskul, Lowell Grissell, Ross and Days Creek, J Thornburg and WS Manor.

•OK’d the following: Jay Emergency Medical Service director John McFarland to pursue a mobile integrated health certification; Jay Emergency Medical Service executive director Gary Barnett to begin utilizing the county’s software management program from ESO Solutions of Austin, Texas, for timekeeping — Barnett noted the service, which will cost an additional $72 a month, will save him time and the county money — and Newton to begin paying for 15 new email licenses for jailers, an additional cost of $90 monthly coming out of the sheriff’s department budget.

•Listened to an update from Bill Walters of East Central Indiana Regional Planning District about the group’s work for the county. He noted Mainstream Fiber Networks did not receive grant funding through Indiana’s Next Level Connections program for a potential broadband project to install 395 miles of fiberoptic internet across Jay County, but he pointed to three more rounds of Indiana’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program intended to expand access to high-speed broadband. Answering a question from McGalliard, Walters also talked about the district’s efforts into attracting international businesses into Delaware County. McGalliard asked Walters to coordinate with Jay County Development Corporation executive director Travis Richards and review the county’s assets to determine if attracting international businesses would be beneficial to Jay County and, if so, to bring a proposal to commissioners.

•Heard remarks from Aker, who talked about commissioners’ role in determining how to spend economic development income tax (EDIT) dollars. He noted ongoing county projects, including the need for new radios, high-speed internet and housing. “It would be irresponsible for us as elected officials to hand out taxpayers’ dollars when we have this amount of projects for the county, the $15 million-plus that we’re trying to accomplish,” he said. “It’s not that these nonprofits are not deserving, they are all great organizations and contribute to the community … but it’s time to right the ship, in my opinion, and put the needs of the county first.”

•Heard a plea from Bracy to offer more warming and cooling stations for those in need. She noted Jay County Country Living has served as a station in the past, but its board feels as if the living facility should not be serving in that capacity for safety reasons. Bracy suggested others, such as the health department or faith-based groups, help fill the need.

•Received a mid-year review of the county’s health insurance from One Digital insurance broker representative Jessica Clayton, who noted the county has a 72% expense ratio currently. (The target ratio for insurance companies at renewal is between 70% to 80%.)