County could see $2.6 million fund influx

At the end of what was an otherwise uneventful meeting of the Putnam County Council, President Darrel Thomas presented some good news from the Statehouse.

While news of additional funding from the General Assembly is often tenuous, a pair of actions in Indianapolis should give Putnam County an influx of some $2.6 million.

The legislature's one-time cash influx for road funding should provide the county with an estimated $1 million over a two-year period.

Additionally, a move by the General Assembly to release local option income tax (LOIT) money that had been held in reserve should provide an estimated $1.6 million.

The $1.6 million is money that has already been collected by local taxes. However, for reasons that remain unclear, the state has been holding it in reserve in a LOIT trust.

Over the years, the account for the entire state has swollen to $500 million owed to counties, municipalities, schools and townships across the state.

This distribution will also be largely tied to road money, as 75 percent will be required for road use or placed in the rainy day account. The other 25 percent is eligible to be spent on any legal purpose.

Like other acts from the legislature, the measures still require the signature of Gov. Mike Pence, and they are also subject to challenge. Even so, the overall tone of the news has county officials cautiously optimistic.

In other business:

* New hires were approved in three different county departments: two full-time positions in 911 Dispatch, two truck drivers and one mechanic at the Putnam County Highway Department and one part-time jailer and one full-time jailer for the Putnam County Sheriff's Department.

* The Putnam County Council has rescheduled its April meeting to Tuesday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m.

The council normally meets on the third Tuesday, but on the evening of Tuesday, April 19, Putnam County will host the Association of Indiana Counties district meeting at the Inn at DePauw.

A joint executive session of the council and commissioners will precede the April 12 meeting at 5 p.m.