Roger Moynahan reviewed his and Joy McCarthy-Sessing's appearance at last Thursday's county council meeting during the Kosciusko Development Inc. board of director's meeting Wednesday.

Moynahan, outgoing chairman of the board, said he thought the council was supportive of additional funding for the organization.

Moynahan and Sessing first approached the county council in February, asking for a total of $100,000 per year for four years to foster economic development. One year ago the county council advised them to solicit support from other city and town councils, too, which they did.

Moynahan repeated the request for additional funding during the county budget hearings.

When the county-KDI contract arrived, the only financial guarantee was for a maximum of $33,250. KDI will receive $25,000 and the county matches fundraising efforts, up to $33,250.

The council advised Moynahan that the commissioners must make a recommendation regarding the additional funds.

"Roger did a great job presenting the case," said county council representative Bob Sanders. "He was like a bulldog, but we turned it over to the commissioners.

"They should recommend it to us, then we make a decision. We haven't heard from them."

The commissioners received KDI's course of action, job descriptions and budget in December. Commissioner Ron Truex is the commissioner's representative on KDI's board of directors.

Moynahan said the council members asked a lot of questions about mechanics.

"I think the general consensus is the council feels positive about the proposal," he said. "There's no reason why the decision hasn't been made (by the commissioners) unless they're going back and forth within their group."

Sanders was asked when the council expected to hear from the commissioners. He said he couldn't answer that.

"I expect to hear from them before the next meeting, but I don't know."

"If they don't respond, and I can't believe they wouldn't," Moynahan said, "what do we do? Go back or step up our efforts? Do we rely more heavily on the private sector?"

A new executive board was elected with a slate of Jim Tinkey, chairman; Wayne Luchenbill, vice chairman; John Boal, secretary; and Roger Moynahan, treasurer, approved.

The board also:

• Welcomed Silver Lake Town Clerk Angela Glass to the board.

• Reviewed small business counseling figures for 2005, provided by the Small Business Development Center in South Bend. SBDC staffers are Jim Acheson, Jan Fye, Jim Gregar, Wayne Lauer, Staci Lugar Brettin of Notre Dame and Mell Waks; 74 local people were assisted this year, a 17 percent increase over the number of clients seen in 2004.

• Heard the Community Development Action Grant was approved for 2006, but the contract had not arrived for signatures.

• Heard reports from Sessing about the aggressive Indiana Economic Development Commission's marketing plan.

• Heard the director search committee met.

• Expressed concern about Kimble Glass closing.

Max Courtney said he understood one local company is closing a department, effectively laying off 80 employees, and another is moving a division to a facility in another state.

The next KDI meeting is Feb. 22 at noon in the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce meeting room. [[In-content Ad]]