In an account in the county’s Economic Development Income Tax budget, money was set aside for economic development projects for 2023.
Tuesday, Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO) CEO Alan Tio asked to use a total of $195,000 of that budgeted $250,000 for four items, three of which are projects KEDCO is working on. Previously, $5,000 was spent out of that budget.
For the Entrepreneurship Initiative, Tio requested $50,000. He reminded the commissioners that 18 months ago he made a presentation asking for a three-year commitment to help fund the MedTech Accelerator Studio, working with a partner called Next Studios, along with a few other partners. The $50,000 request is the 2023 contribution toward that three-year effort.
He said the Entrepreneurship Initiative also has support from the Don Woods Foundation, city of Warsaw and others.
The Accelerator Studio encourages more medical device companies “that are doing cool things with technology that are way beyond what I understand” to start in Kosciusko County, Tio said.
The commissioners approved the $50,000 request 3-0.
The second request was for $60,000 for the Housing Initiative. Tio said it was a continuation and expansion of their efforts to promote housing development in areas of the county that have not seen development in the past.
“This is funding that helps us continue that work and, actually, be able to support some of the increased costs we’re seeing as we’re keeping up with that work, so our increases in bookkeeping and staffing that we do to help us with the Housing Initiative,” he said.
He said it was a one-time request toward the Housing Initiative.
In making the motion to approve the funding, Commissioner Cary Groninger said, “I know that housing is still a very key thing we need to be focusing on, and I know, Alan, you’re working on trying to get some good measurable metrics to really see our lot on this going forward.”
The commissioners approved the request 2-0, with Commissioner Brad Jackson abstaining because of possible conflict of interest.
The third project Tio presented was a combination of two feasibility studies KEDCO wants to take on, for a total of $85,000. The investments are to help study and plan for new developments in the future. Tio said it’s upfront work to help them understand how and where is the county’s growth.
“So there’s two what I call Strategic Vision Projects. One is to look at the feasibility or development in downtown area, in downtown proper, but around parking specifically and to do a feasibility study on a parking facility as part of a bigger project in the downtown area,” he said, adding that they certainly would like to have the county as a partner in that.
The second piece of that, Tio said, is looking at a “much-larger scale, call it an innovation district-style development, somewhere in the unincorporated part of the county, toward the west part of the county.” He said it would really help them set up more areas for development, including housing, amenities, innovation and industrial.
Tio said both of the studies would have other partners involved, with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation on board to help with a portion of the innovation district.
The commissioners approved the funding request 3-0.
Groninger said he knows that there are some parking issues downtown that need to be addressed and the parking study would help determine what needs to be done, whether that’s a parking garage, parking lot or whatever it might be. With the strategic development west of Warsaw, he said there’s a lot of opportunity out there.
“I’m excited for this work,” he said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer, who sometimes attends the commissioners meetings, later told them, “I just appreciate you considering that study out west. Not only is that going to help with the economic development future of the county, but we’re looking at U.S. 30 going right through that area out there and this will be a big part of that. I appreciate that. Thank you.”
In a separate item, Tio said that as the commissioners start planning for the 2024 budget, KEDCO will be proposing an increase in the county funding toward KEDCO. He said it would be the first increase KEDCO has requested since 2019 and they have significantly expanded the scope of their operations since then. According to paperwork provided, the 2024 funding proposal will be $300,000, a $75,000 increase in funding for the fee-for-service agreement between the county and KEDCO.
In other business, the commissioners approved:
• The 2023 road program for the Kosciusko County Highway Department, as requested by Superintendent Steve Moriarty. He provided them a list of everything that’s been completed so far and are doing this road construction season to finish up.
• Moriarty’s request to auction off four of the KCHD’s dump trucks that have a lot of mileage and have been “used up,” and take five to the junkyard.
The trucks go back to 1997 or older. Moriarty said they think they can get more value from auctioning the four trucks off than trading them in.
“Also, with that, there’s a few that we kept because we did not get the trade-in value that we thought we could use, so we parted a few of these trucks out. There’s five trucks that we parted out for the last 10 years, so we’d like to take those to the junkyard,” Moriarty said.
• The reappointment of Carol Boone to the Syracuse Public Library Board. Her term expires June 24, 2027.
• The next commissioners meeting is 9 a.m. July 18.