Commissioners to consider EDIT plan in Tuesday meeting

With requests already submitted by various agencies throughout the county and region, the Putnam County Commissioners will spend Tuesday deciding how an estimated $1.076 million in economic development funds will be spent during 2020.

The county will bring in an estimated $1,075,641 in Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) funds during the year, and the responsibility falls to the commissioners to decide how to spend the money.

One big question for the commissioners to consider in 2020 is whether to return to devoting part of the fund to the West Central Indiana Economic Development District. Though technically remaining a member of the district, the county pulled its West Central funding in 2019 over a perceived lack of communication and commitment to Putnam County from the Terre Haute-based organization.

West Central has since undergone a leadership change and new Executive Director Ryan Keller has attended several recent commissioners’ meetings in an attempt to get the partnership going again.

West Central is requesting $16,191 in funding from the county.

Locally, the Greencastle-Putnam County Economic Development Center is requesting $50,000, the same amount contributed by the county last year and the figure that the Greencastle City Council approved for the center in its most recent meeting.

The annual payment for the Edgelea paving project is down nearly $2,000 from 2019, with an amount of $29,356.25. Edgelea debt contingency funding remains at $10,000.

Other requested amounts that remain unchanged include $15,000 for the Putnam County Senior Center and $10,000 each for Rural Transit, Beyond Homeless and the Putnam County Emergency Food Pantry.

People Pathways, which received $11,000 in 2019, is requesting $20,000 this year.

Should all of these be funded at their requested or required (in the case of Edgelea) amounts, it would leave $905,093.75, which is similar to the amount left last year that was split between $400,000 for the courthouse annex project and the EDIT Warchest, which would receive $505,093.75.

The annex fund currently has $1.4 million as county leaders look toward the purchase or construction of an annex to the Putnam County Courthouse in the future.

With the old Jones School property (the former annex) continuing to degrade as the purchase agreement on it was delayed again this month, the commissioners may need to look into building a storage facility before a new annex can be built.

Additionally, Commissioner President Rick Woodall told the Banner Graphic he would like to see some of the warchest money spent on upgrading the county website in 2020.

The commissioners will meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21 on the first floor of the Putnam County courthouse. This is a change from their normal Monday meeting due to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Another issue the commissioners will be considering in the session is how to move forward with the county zoning ordinance.

The Putnam County Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals have been struggling with outdated zoning laws.

Zoning was first adopted in Putnam County in the early 1990s and while many things have changed in the world of planning and zoning in nearly 30 years, the county law has remained mostly unchanged, except for some recent updates made to address specific issues.

In 2008, the Plan Commission contracted with a company to upgrade the comprehensive plan and the zoning ordinance. While the comprehensive plan was passed, county officials were not pleased with the zoning ordinance and it never passed.

At this point, even the 2008 documents are out of date, but officials are hesitant to undertake another pricey upgrade.

The answer could be grant funding. Last July, Kristy Jerrell of Jerrell Consulting was at a commissioners meeting on other business when the planning issue came up. She informed the commissioners that funding is available for such projects and she would be willing to work with them on it.

As such, Jerrell will be in attendance on Tuesday to talk further about the possibility.

Additionally, Woodall and County Attorney Jim Ensley have spoken with some consulting firms that could assist the county in upgrading its planning and zoning materials.

Writing and approving new plans would be a lengthy process, but Woodall, newly appointed the commissioners’ liaison to the Plan Commission, hopes it’s something that can get started in 2020.