County Council 1-15-19

The first order of business for the Jasper County Council on Tuesday evening was election of officers. The Council stayed with Rein Bontreger as President and Andrew Andree as Vice President.

Stephen Eastridge from Jasper County Economic Development Organization addressed the Council about three items. He discussed the community task force that he has assembled to prepare for the scheduled closure of NIPSCO's Wheatfield plant. Eleven people have agreed to serve and he is close to getting a twelfth and final member. There will be six monthly meetings, with the first in DeMotte. The second will probably also be in DeMotte and he would like to schedule the third in Remington.

Next he suggested to Council Members that the County should have a tax abatement policy that encourages some kinds of investment over other kinds. He proposed a scorecard that gives points for things that the County desires. This would take some of the subjectivity out of the abatement process and would give companies more certainty when considering investment in the County. For example, right now employment is tight and existing companies are having a hard time filling positions. So attracting a company with a lot of jobs might not be as desirable as it might be at other times. Instead the County might prefer companies that have higher wages and make more investment. A scorecard could reflect these or other preferences.

Finally, he said at the next Commissioners meeting he will be presenting a proposal to make the County a broadband ready community. This taps into something that the State is promoting. Two neighboring counties, Benton and Newton, are working on it. A solid infrastructure supporting telecommunications and Internet access is important for attracting new development.

Next was a discussion of pay and job descriptions for deputy coroners. There are eleven and all are part-time, paid based on work done.

The Council expressed appreciation for the work done by three jail inmates in cleaning the attic and basement of the Court House. The recent energy upgrades to the Court House are almost finished. There was only one bid received for remodeling the former PNC building and there needs to be at least two. The work will be rebid. With that, the meeting was adjourned.

The Rensselaer Library has an unusual exhibit for the next few days, a replica of the coffin of Abraham Lincoln. It is sponsored by the DAR, Jackson Funeral Chapels, and the Library and will only be here until January 21. On Thursday evening at 6:00 pm the Library will host a program by Lincoln presenter Danny Russel.

The Fendig Gallery's first exhibit of the year is the annual Primary School Art Show.

Among the schools represented are Rensselaer Primary, St. Augustine, South Newton, Lake Village, Demotte Christian, and DeMotte Primary.

The pictures are from Kindergarten, first, and second graders. It must be hard for the teachers to select what items to display. As the exhibits continue through the rest of the grades, one can see just how much ability increases through the years.