County reviews EDIT $ requests

Commissioners discussed plans to fund different organizations in 2025 during a meeting following their regular session Monday.

The discussion, which was recorded along with the regular session via livestream on the county’s website, included applications for county funding next year. 

Commissioners had advertised for a special session to discuss economic development income tax (EDIT) funding to start at 10:30 a.m. Monday. Their regular meeting continued past 10:30 a.m. amid talk with Jay County Development Corporation, lasting until almost 11:30 a.m. At that time, Aker announced commissioners would be holding an administrative meeting to talk about EDIT funding and informed the crowd the meeting was open to the public.

Entities applying for county funding from commissioners in 2025 were:

•Jay County Development Corporation, $261,975

•John Jay Center for Learning, $70,000

•Jay County Fair Association, $26,050

•Jay County Chamber of Commerce, $25,000

•Jay County 4-H Clubs, $17,936

•Arts Place’s Arts in the Parks, $15,000

•Jay County Development Corporation’s Launch Jay! business pitch competition, $15,000 

•Jay County 4th of July Committee, $5,000 

•East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center, $3,000 

•Redkey Fireworks Committee, $2,500 

•Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department, $2,500.

While no votes were formally taken at the meeting, commissioners voiced support for giving requested amounts from EDIT funding to Arts Place, East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center, Jay County 4th of July Committee, Redkey Fireworks Committee and Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department.

They talked about allocating $10,000 in EDIT dollars toward Launch Jay!. They also talked about allocating $8,000 out of the county general fund to Jay County 4-H Clubs and $1,500 to Jay County Fair Association, as well as allocations for contracts paid out of the county general fund, such as Jay County Humane Society. (Jay County 4-H Clubs asked for additional funding to cover insurance, locks, bookkeeping software, a laptop and sound deafening panels, and Jay County Fair Association asked for funding to cover insurance. The $8,000 and $1,500 were allocated in years past.)

Commissioner Rex Journay noted the request from 4-H came in at 100% of the cost for the project. He noted efforts in the past to fundraise a portion of the price.

Commissioner Brian McGalliard said the fair association’s request is for an infrastructure project.

“They use the fairgrounds, they’re in charge of all maintenance and so forth for the fairgrounds because we give it to them for free,” he said, noting the county allocated funding in past years for the fairgrounds Christmas lighting project.

Questions ensued on how much of that funding was spent on the lighting.

Commissioners president Chad Aker questioned why the fair association didn’t go to The Portland Foundation for funding. McGalliard also questioned how the group could afford hosting high-ticket performances.

“I see all these new shows coming in, and renovations … as a business owner, you wait on that kind of stuff until you have a pot of money, or you go out,” McGalliard said.

Aker also accused the fair association of favoritism in regard to how it leases out its buildings. He shared a conversation he had with a former board member, who he said told him a local family that is heavily involved at Jay County Fairgrounds — “we all know who it is,” he said — takes precedence with rentals.

“The Bubp building, for example,” he said. “They put their name down on the list all year, and then if something comes up, they can control who gets to use that building.”

Commissioners verbally agreed not to commit EDIT funding toward Jay County Chamber of Commerce, with Aker questioning why the organization asked for a larger amount of funding than in previous years. He talked about the director’s pay and shared a conversation he had with a board member about the director’s work performance.

“(They said), ‘Tabby is really good at about 30% of her job’ … That person inquired, ‘Well, is there something commissioners can do about making changes?’ I said, ‘You’re dictated by a board. We’re just funding. To me, your board needs to, I’m sorry, but it needs to grow some balls and they need to address the issue,’” said Aker.

Commissioners did not decide on JCDC’s full funding request, with Aker noting he would like to see a contract with the group before moving forward with funding for 2025. (The same had been discussed during the commissioners’ regular meeting earlier in the day.)

They discussed giving a smaller amount ($25,000) to John Jay Center for Learning but also expressed a desire to speak with the organization about the funding request, which was submitted to help pay for High School Equivalency classes.

Answering a question from Aker, county attorney Wes Schemenaur advocated for not contacting groups about funding plans.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to give them a heads-up for what you’re going to do, because then you’re going to find yourself in the same situation, PR-wise, that you did with JCDC,” he said. “I think you just present your budget, and you move on. I don’t think you’re required to offer them any kind of explanation.”

Aker also explained that in 2023 the county received $636,967 in EDIT dollars and spent $444,900 of that amount. He suggested investing in projects with the leftover funding, such as doing road conversions, getting a new public safety building, creating infrastructure on the county owned 68 acres on the west edge of Portland, buying new emergency responder radios or setting up broadband across the county.

“We’re giving away all this money, but we can’t do our projects,” he said.

He noted that the county has allocated $368,500 in EDIT dollars so far in 2024. The county is projected to receive a total of $741,818 by the end of the year.

“Roughly, there’s another $400,000 we can put in our coffers,” he said. “So we can put it toward some of these projects we want to do.”

County departments are putting together their 2025 budgets, which must be approved by Jay County Council. The budgeting process includes a public hearing, along with first and second readings of the budget.

Recordings of commissioners’ meetings are available to watch by visiting jaycounty.net. 

Starting in July 2025, Indiana government entities are required to record their public meetings.