Stephanie Esenwein, Kosciusko County treasurer, said county offices have worked hard trying to get property taxes under control.

But because surrounding counties are behind, Kosciusko County again will have to send out provisional bills with a due date of June 18. Reconciliation bills will be sent out approximately Nov. 10.

Hopefully, this year, taxpayers will receive a more accurate figure on their provisional bills, but Esenwein said they won't be "true bills." The spring provisional bills will be billed at 45 percent of last year's tax bill.

Kosciusko County Auditor Sue Ann Mitchell said this year the county will be able to bill for mobile homes and personal property as part of the provisional bills where they were not able to last year.

Later, Mitchell said certified property values have been finalized.

Kosciusko County is being delayed, she said, because Whitko can't complete their process because Noble County hasn't completed their 2002 pay 2003 billing. Triton also has been slowed because of the remonstrance against the school corporation by patrons who did not want the school building program.

When school corporations cross county lines, counties cannot finish their tax billing process until the other counties they share schools with also are completed.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Approved a grant application for $5,076 for special respirators from the Department of Homeland Security as requested by Emergency Management Director Ed Rock. He said the devices will be for those trained on them at the operations level. Cost is $181 apiece and they will be used by firefighters, local law enforcement and EMS.

Rock also invited the county commissioners to a strategic planning session April 26 at 7 p.m. in the Justice Building meeting room. The county is required to have a strategic plan for emergencies written and to the state by April's end. Representatives from all the emergency services in the county are expected to be in attendance.

He said they should be there before 7:10 p.m. as doors will be locked at that time to the Justice Building.

"This is not going to be a short meeting," said Rock. "This probably will be a two- to three-hour meeting."

• Approved the agreement for Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson to purchase the department's petroleum from Coke Materials.

• Approved to renew the agreement with Ransbottom Excavating for Ransbottom to mow Lakeland Landfill. The agreement automatically will be renewed each year unless an alternate decision is made by Ladson or Ransbottom.

• Approved Kosciusko County Administrator Ron Robinson to spend $13,800 for the purchase of a UPS back-up system for the Central Dispatch Center. The back-up system will provide the center with more electrical hours if power in the center goes out.

• Approved Kyle Newcomer's petition to rezone 20 acres from agriculture to agriculture 2. The property is in Turkey Creek Township on the west side of CRs 500E and 900N. Newcomer agreed to place a restrictive covenance on the plat to prevent the 20 acres from being subdivided into more than three lots, including his own.

• Approved Inez and Omer Stutzman's petition to rezone 10 acres from an environmental to an agricultural district. The property is in Van Buren Township on the north side of CR 1300N and 710 feet east of CR 100E.

• Approved Chris Lozier's petition to rezone 13 acres from agricultural to residential. The property is in Wayne Township on the west side of CR 175E and 1,200 feet south of CR 200N.

Kosciusko County commissioners include chairman Ron Truex, Avis Gunter and Brad Jackson. Their next meeting is at 9 a.m. May 3 in the county courthouse, Warsaw. [[In-content Ad]]