Council leaves EDIT $ out of budget

Commissioners will need to approach council next year about spending economic development income tax (EDIT) dollars.

Jay County Council agreed on a split 3-2 vote Wednesday to allocate no specific funding in the local income tax economic development portion of the county’s 2025 budget. Instead, it decided commissioners can approach the council in January to request additional appropriations.

Jay County Commissioners discussed funding plans July 8, looking at applications. The largest request included $261,975 for Jay County Development Corporation, but commissioner president Chad Aker said he would like to see a contract between the county and JCDC signed before moving forward with its funding for 2025. 

At the meeting, talking about different applicants, commissioners questioned aspects of Jay County Fair Board’s operations and finances and heard from Aker about a conversation critical of Jay County Chamber of Commerce’s former executive director Tabby Sprunger.

In their budget for 2025, commissioners requested $323,000 in EDIT dollars for various entities or projects, which includes $260,000 in a fund labeled as contractual services and $63,000 split between John Jay Center for Learning ($25,000), Arts Place’s Arts in the Parks program ($15,000), Jay County Development Corporation services ($10,000), Jay County 4th of July Committee ($10,000) and East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center ($3,000).

Jay County is projected to receive a total of $741,818 in EDIT dollars by the end of the current year.

Jay County Council vice president Cindy Bracy noted Wednesday the county will have two new commissioners next year. (Commissioner Brian McGalliard was defeated in the Republican primary by Duane Monroe, who faces off against Democratic candidate Blake Watson in the November general election. Rex Journay chose not to seek re-election, and Republican candidate Doug Horn is running unopposed for the seat.)

Bracy suggested council grant no EDIT funding — specifically, council not approve the itemized list in the budget presented Wednesday — to commissioners for 2025 until January, when the two new commissioners take their seats.

Per Bracy’s suggestion, EDIT funding will still be available to commissioners, but they will need to ask council to make an additional appropriation for each request.

“So what is it in there that you’re not in favor of?” asked Aker.

“I’m not in favor of (the local income tax economic development fund) being made by two people and not being made in the way that it was designated and set up to be made, and that we haven’t followed the ordinances that we have, and so I think we’re just gonna need a hard reset, so let’s go to zero,” responded Bracy.

She subsequently made a motion to allocate no funding to the local income tax economic development fund until January.

Bracy and council member Harold Towell voted in favor, with council members Jeanne Houchins and Faron Parr dissenting. Council president Matt Minnich broke the tie, voting in favor of the motion. (Council member Randy May was absent, and council member Dave Haines didn’t arrive until after the vote.) 

Next year's budget is estimated at more than $24 million, which is up by nearly $2 million from the current year. Proposed increases include at least 3% raises or more for county employees, with some getting larger raises to meet the midpoint pay for their position per consulting firm Waggoner, Irwin, Scheele and Associates’ statistics. (Larger raises, which were approved by the department’s inter-local joint board, are also slated for employees at Jay/Portland Building and Planning.)

Other notable changes to the proposed budget discussed Wednesday include:

•Adding three correction officer jobs and another nurse position to Jay County Jail

•Decreasing to four budgeted public defenders

•An additional $500,000 in Jay County Highway Department’s bridge repair fund to help with matching potential Community Crossings grant funding for repairing bridges

•Two new part-time roles — environmental health specialist and administrative clerk — at Jay County Health Department as well as programs, which are being funded through Health First Indiana’s state funding. Jay County Health Department administrator and environmentalist Heath Butz noted through the initiative the county received $231,167 this year and will receive $445,396 next year.

Also, Jay County Sheriff Ray Newton explained he’s looking into options for an outside vendor to prepare meals for inmates at the jail. He noted difficulties keeping employees to manage the kitchen. A new fund, labeled as jail meal contract in the 2025 budget, earmarks $253,164 for a potential contract, which would first need to be approved by commissioners. 

Later in the meeting, Minnich suggested Newton connect with Jay County Country Living board of directors to see if the facility could also utilize the meal contract for its residents.

Also, although not recommended by Jay County Personnel Committee, Jay County Highway Department superintendent Bob Howell and administrative assistant Stephanie Klarer cited a need to hire a third heavy equipment operator in 2025.

Council also approved other budgetary requests Wednesday, including:

•Adjusting the local income tax public safety budget to allocate $200,000 — it had been marked incorrectly at $254,000 — for two new vehicles and a transport van for Jay County Sheriff’s Office

•Shifting a part-time employee at Jay County Auditor’s Office to a four-day work week

County auditor Emily Franks suggested council look at increasing the local income tax public safety tax rate to account for the additional positions at Jay County Jail.

Council meets next for its regular meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 11. A public hearing and first reading of the 2025 budget is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 25.