During its May meeting Thursday night, the Kosciusko County Council approved the filing of seven tax abatements.
G.I. Tape & Label; Bradican Real Estate Partnership; Thornburgh Family LP; NG Instruments; North Central LP; Biomet and Maple Leaf Farms were all approved for tax abatements.
Louis Dreyfus was on the agenda for a tax abatement but had not provided all of its information in time and was tabled until the June meeting.County Highway Superintendent Dennis Pletcher appeared before the council to remind them that with budgets coming up that the need for funds to repair bridges and small structures in the county was needed.
Pletcher he said he knew revenue was down, but he wanted to try and be proactive.
Pletcher said that currently the county has no roads closed due to bridge or small structure failure.
"We don't have any roads in the county closed yet but it may happen," said Pletcher.
There are 106 bridges in the county and 402 small structures, which are as small as 36-inch culverts.
Pletcher showed pictures to the council of the damage failed culverts can cause.
The council approved a $2,990.15 transfer for the sheriff's department from reimbursement insurance to repairs and maintenance for an April 19 collision with a squad car.
The council then approved a transfer of $5,202 to cover a shortfall in the counter deputy account.
An appropriation from the prosecutor's office for $8,423 was approved as was one for $31,251 for a sheriff's department fund.
Jason McSherry, county clerk, appeared before the council and asked for an additional appropriation to hire a part-time person.
"Having looked at this we saw that this will end up saving the county money," said council member Larry Teghtmeyer.
Appearing in place of Sheriff Rocky Goshert, Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department Capt. Aaron Rovenstine told the council that KCSD recently lost a jail officer and Deputy Derek Kreider to Milford.
The council approved replacing both positions. Both positions will start on the probationary pay level.
Milford Public Library's Julie Frew asked for and was approved permission to access money that had been saved in their 2011 Capital Projects Fund.
Even though the money is accounted for and won't cause a tax hike, Frew, by law, was required to get the permission from the council before moving forward.
Republican primary winners for county council, Doug Heinisch and James Moyer, were on hand at Thursday night's meeting and introduced by council president Harold Jones.
If Heinisch and Moyer win in November's general election, they sit on the council.
