Kosciusko County Council approved $1 million in road projects during its meeting Thursday. Highway Superintendent Scott Tilden told the council he has identified about eight to 10 miles of roadway in the county for paving and 30 miles for chip sealing. He said he will supplement the $1 million with money from the local roads and streets funds. “It will still be short, but it still helps,” he said. Council also voted to allow tax abatements to continue for 10 companies who demonstrated they are meeting the terms of those abatements. They accepted statements of compliance from Biomet Inc., Louis Dreyfus Agricultural Industries LLC, Maple Leaf Farms Inc., Custom Engineered Wheels Inc., NG Instruments, Bradican Real Estate Partnership, North Central LP, Thornburgh Family LP, Cass Holding LLC and G.I. Tape and Label Inc. Council additionally approved Claypool-based Louis Dreyfus’ request for a public hearing to consider including in its existing abatement assets added between 2009 and 2012. The soybean processing and biodiesel plant was originally granted an abatement in 2006 prior to construction, and has additional improvements planned for the next few years, according to attorney Steve Snyder. Snyder remarked that he didn’t know why the company didn’t file for inclusion of the $30 million 2009-12 improvements at the time, but said their inclusion now wouldn’t affect taxes already paid. He also noted the plant has exceeded original projections, with 86 employees on a $7 million payroll and close to $155 million in expenditures. Original projections were for 60 employees on a $2.9 million payroll and $120 million in expenditures. Plant Operations Manager Dave Selig said the location is considered a benchmark for other Louis Dreyfus plants and wants to continue to grow, and that it represents a lot of opportunity for Claypool. The public hearing will likely be set for sometime in August. And council returned to discussion on County Assessor Laurie Renier’s request to contract with Pictometry International Corp. for aerial photography of the county. Last discussed in September, the request would come at a cost of between $257,935 and $652,505, depending on the proposal accepted. Renier said the oblique photography would be more detailed than existing photos and allow her to track unreported changes on property in the county. She said she has about $900,000 in her budget to cover it, and would like to start the cycle of flyovers in the southern part of the county in the fall. Councilman Jim Moyer said he would rather see the money spent on hiring additional inspectors for property visits because “there are a lot of things you can’t tell from a photo.” “I don’t feel a photo provides an accurate assessment,” he said, noting that he doesn’t trust a photo to give reliable measurements of a structure. “An on-site assessment is more accurate and fair to taxpayers.” Councilman Jon Fussle agreed, remarking also that aerial photos taken in 2011 are recent enough and that the cost is too high. Renier responded that there have been a lot of new developments in the county in the past two years, such as the construction of the shopping complex on North Detroit Street in Warsaw and the Meijer on Lake City Highway. “Right now the photos just show a field with an address dot on it,” she said. Pictometry’s software would also allow overlay maps of utilities such as water and sewer lines, she said, which many city and county agencies may find useful. Council agreed to continue the discussion next month, when they will hear about potential economic development benefits.
