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Two local companies want the Kosciusko County Council to approve tax abatements for them in May.
Thursday, attorney Rick Helm, representing both R. R. Donnelley & Sons Inc. and North Central Cooperative Inc., requested the council approve to hold hearings at the council's May 12 meeting on the abatement hearings, which the council approved to do.
Helm said Donnelley's tax abatement would be for $44 million in capital spending on two new presses and related equipment. About 35 new jobs will be created.
The Cooperative abatement is for a new rail site for fertilizer manufacturing. Three new jobs will be created and eight jobs will be retained.
The council also approved a resolution for the Kosciusko County Commissioners to proceed with the guaranteed energy savings contract with A. Hattersley & Sons for the county courthouse renovation project and to spend the required money from existing funds without borrowing additional money.
Ron Robinson, county administrator, said if the renovation project is to be completed this year, the county needs to proceed so the work can begin in May. The county commissioners also will need to approve a resolution Tuesday to proceed.
"Hopefully," said Robinson, "completion time will be in September." The project will take most of the summer and work will be done at night so it doesn't disrupt county business during the day.
"I think everyone would put up with it if they knew they were going to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer," said Charlene Knispel, county councilwoman.
The cost for the courthouse renovation will total $3,046,486.
The resolution also approves for the commissioners to go ahead with building the work release center's kitchen. That will total approximately $500,000.
"That's definitely something that's been needed since" the work release center opened, said council chairman Harold Jones.
In other business, the county council:
• Heard from wage committee member and councilman Brad Tandy that the wage committee believes $8.25 per hour for part-time wages is sufficient and no increase is necessary, except on a case-by-case basis depending on skill level and expertise. However, for eight positions, where requests were made, the employees will receive higher wages, in the offices of the Geographical Imaging Systems, treasurer, probation, housekeeping and prosecutor. A part-time county employee is someone who works fewer than 37.5 hours per week. The council approved the recommendation.
County highway department employees are paid as truck drivers. When they operate heavier machinery, they receive 81 cents more per hour. The council also approved for that amount to increase to 95 cents more per hour while operating heavy machinery.
• Heard from county sheriff Aaron Rovenstine that in the past 15 years, the county sheriff's department received a federal grant for the Drug Task Force. In the past five years, the Task Force received all the approximate $93,000. This year, Rovenstine said, they had to share the grant money, which had been cut, with Whitley County. Next year, it may be cut 30 percent more.
To pay off capital expenses, Rovenstine requested a $25,000 additional appropriation from the KCSD's seizure funds to the Drug Task Force to pay off debts, including money owed for a vehicle. The council approved the additional appropriation.
The grant pays for two officers. If the grant gets cut, the county may have trouble paying for the two officers, but Rovenstine said that is a matter to be considered at budget time.
• Approved the additional appropriations requested by the Kosciusko County Convention Recreation and Visitors Commission, which included: $168,208.46 for CVB Inc.; $34,000 for the City-County Athletic Complex; and $21,405 in grants.
• Approved the following transfer requests: county treasurer, $43,803 and $20,373; Tippecanoe Township, $19,940.12; county auditor, $5,267.28 and $2,000; county highway, $95,000, $3,000 and $500.
• Approved the following additional appropriations: Soil & Water, $13,018.32 for a grant-funded employee; KCSD, $35,000 in Indiana Department of Natural Resources grant money; county prosecutor, $23,000 for a receptionist and $25,116 for a case worker. Sixty-six percent of the prosecutor's employees' salaries will be reimbursed by the state. The prosecutor's incentive money will be used for the balance of the salary and benefits not returned to the county in incentive funds.
• Approved a resolution stating the Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District will not receive any County Option Income Tax funds. The council approves the resolution annually.
• Also approved was for council chairman Harold Jones to sign a declaration that the county's Economic Development Income Tax rate is $0.003 and County Option Income Tax is $0.007.
