Expressing excitement

With a full staff for the first time in three and a half years, Jay County Development Corporation is excited about the year to come.

The organization’s board started its first meeting of 2026 on Tuesday by welcoming new community development director Colby Cline and spent some time brainstorming about what success looks like moving forward.

Cline’s first day on the job was Tuesday and he addressed the full board of directors for the first time.

“I’m very excited to be here,” said Cline, who has a master’s degree in urban design and most recently worked for architectural firm Fanning Howey of Celina, Ohio. “I’m really excited to bring my architectural background and urban design background … and join all the efforts. … Jay County’s a wonderful place to live.”

He steps into a role that has been vacant since August 2022, as the county instead shifted to contracting services through East Central Indiana Regional Planning District.

Jay County Development Corporation executive director Ceann Bales noted that Cline will begin training for Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs certification in the spring. Bales said plans are also in the works for Cline to undergo training at Ball State University’s Indiana Communities Institute.

Bales later asked board members to jot down ideas answering the question: “What would success look like?” They then discussed those ideas with those sitting next to them before sharing them with the group.

A recurring theme in the ensuing discussion was to create a defined mission with measurable goals.

Bryan Alexander, who also serves on Jay County Council, pushed for a countywide strategic plan and advocated for a focus on quality-of-life issues.

Chad Towell, a Jay School Board member, advocated for Jay County Development Corporation being the constant in a leadership role for the county. He said the organization can serve to bring local government leaders together and keep major projects on track as elected officials change.

Other ideas that came from the discussion included supporting young leaders in the community, developing a cohesive plan for housing development and considering merging JCDC, the chamber of commerce and the visitor and tourism bureau into a single entity.

Bales also updated the board about the state’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) 2.0 following a regional steering committee meeting earlier in the day. She reported that READI funds that have been designated for projects can be reallocated to other projects within the county. The process to do so involves making a presentation to the regional steering committee for approval, followed by permission from Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

The discussion involved the proposed housing development on 68 county-owned acres on the west side of Portland. It was preliminarily slated to receive $1.2 million in READI grant funding, but county officials have been moving to pull the plug on the project.

Bales noted that three other counties — Blackford, Randolph and Henry — in the region have already made successful proposals to reallocate funding slated for their communities.

In other business, the board:

•Elected Angela Paxson as president, Ron Laux as vice president, Barb Street as secretary and Trent Paxson as treasurer. Also elected were Mike Medler, Faron Parr, Christina Schemenaur, Aaron Clark and Bryan Alexander to three-year terms on the board.

•Heard from visitor and tourism director Mary Adair that 2026 festival guides are available at her office in Community Resource Center, 118 S. Meridian St., Portland.

•Discussed funds that had been allocated to the Make My Move initiative that was an effort to attract new residents to Jay County. JCDC returned $17,700 in funding to the state, leaving about $12,000 in local matching funds that had been allocated to the project. Bales said she plans to put together a proposal for Jay County Commissioners that those funds stay with JCDC and be used for marketing the community.

•Heard from Bales that she is continuing to pursue infill housing projects in several Jay County municipalities.