Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation Chief Executive Officer Peggy Simmons and Talent and Housing Manager Jessica Hauck gave the Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission updates on housing, hiring and growth within the county.
Commission President Doug Hanes thanked Simmons and Hauck for attending the meeting and said he had asked KEDCO to recommit to engaging with the commission on a regular basis to help maximize the partnership.
Simmons stated 2026 will be a little different from 2025, but there will still be a lot to celebrate. She thanked the commission and gave an outlook for what they have to look forward to for this year.
“We’ve had a lot of momentum and stability,” said Simmons. “I appreciate working with you all and being able to have partnerships for economic development.”
Simmons stated not only is KEDCO looking at how it can help getting housing for the new Slate Auto employees, but also businesses have been looking to move into the area. She stated there were no empty spaces, but they will be working with developers and landowners so they can start building new places for the businesses to set up.
“We’re excited for the addition of Slate because it diversifies the businesses here. We have a very strong orthopedic sector … and there are 10 times the amount of orthopedic workers in Kosciusko County than other concentrations. We take seriously being the orthopedic capital, and we also have to spend time with all of our other businesses,” Simmons said.
She told the commission she has been talking to a developer about the CR 1300N corridor and stated there has been a lot of work done. She stated this will be a big focus for KEDCO this year. Simmons said she is proud of her team, and the work that they have been doing to make all the projects in the county successful.
Hanes asked Simmons if most of the municipalities and communities have reengaged with KEDCO after a couple years of pulling back. Simmons responded the communities are responding and reengaging with KEDCO after the period of uncertainty. She also stated since having a full-time chief financial officer, it has allowed them to have an extra level of oversight, which has helped give that sense of security to the communities.
Hauck said KEDCO has partnered with Rollie Jobs, which was a Notre Dame startup, to help KEDCO work with companies across the county on promoting their open positions.
“This is something we’ve done on our own as an organization,” said Hauck, “but this is a very robust system. As long as a company gives us permission and its URL for its unique hiring site, we can put that information out there, connect it to the county and serve and market open positions countywide.”
This information will be available on the KEDCO website under the Career Opportunities section starting this week. Hauck stated if any company wants to be involved in this new posting, they can reach out directly to the KEDCO office. Hauck also said the information will be pulled from the company sites, and the information about the jobs will be automatically updated every 10 to 14 days.
Housing
Claypool has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), and KEDCO is moving forward with due diligence on land that is adjacent to the municipality with annexations being included.
Pierceton is finalizing an MOU, and Hauck said KEDCO will have more information in the next meeting, since the MOU will be executed in March.
Mentone is working with KEDCO on alternate site options. Hauck said there was a potential site and there may be a move to a different location. KEDCO is working with the town on what will be feasible, affordable and available.
Hauck gave updates on a new program they are using for career tracking.
A developer has been identified for the South Shore project. KEDCO is working on scheduling a stake-holder meeting to begin the developer agreement on that property.
Hanes asked if there was a total on the number of units that is being discussed between the four communities, to which Hauck responded that there are no figures yet because of the need of site plans and identifying committee members to serve on those committees.
Commission attorney Adam Turner asked how Senate Bill 1 will factor in, and Hauck said KEDCO has chosen not to have discussions about leveraging tax increment financing (TIF).
“Because of SB 1, most of the predevelopment funding we’re working with is coming directly out of special project dollars from the community,” said Hauck. “We’re engaging with more of a working here, living here perspective as opposed to just property ownership and the tax implications that come with it.”
Dan Brown, commission member, asked what the price range would be for these new housing developments. Hauck responded that they are aiming for mid $200,000 to $300,000. She also stated their goal is to make these homes as affordable as possible. Hanes asked if KEDCO had applied for funding and when the funds would be allocated, to which Hauck stated the letter of intent and costs for the projects have been included, but there was no confirmation on when it would take place.
Further Business
Hanes brought up he and Jan Orban, vice president, met with two of the three county commissioners. During that meeting, they talked about the economic impact maps and how they should differ from the assessed map for the TIFs. They will look at redrawing those maps. The county commissioners challenged them to look at places where TIFs would be beneficial. Hanes brought up they will be working with Dawn Wilkinson from KEDCO to help with planning out those areas.
Matt Sandy, plan commission director, gave the commission updates on what’s been happening at Board of Zoning Appeals.
The county commissioners stated their support with FaB Labs and also recognize the constraints on how the redevelopment commission supports those projects. Hanes stated they will be working with Wilkinson to direct money to FaB Labs in an appropriate way.
The commission will be revisiting the 1300 TIF because of Polywood expanding its property. Hanes said new TIF boundaries will need to be drawn.
Sandy updated the commission on a hearing regarding the PWI expansion in Nappanee and a new business moving into the former Pie-Eyed Petey’s restaurant.
Sandy also discussed land banks, which are used to redevelop blighted properties. He said the K21 Health Foundation completed a feasibility study to see if it would be practical for the county, which it is, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done.
Other Business
The commission voted to have Hanes serve as the president, Orban as the vice president and Dan Thystrup as secretary for the this year.
The commission approved Turner to represent the Redevelopment Commission for 2026.
The Dreyfus bond payment has been paid off.
The next meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. April 4.
