Putnam READI to partner with Hendricks, Boone, Montgomery

Thursday, July 8, 2021

With $50 million at stake for the area, four Central Indiana counties have banded together to form a regional partnership.

While Putnam County had already announced its intentions to join with Hendricks County in applying for the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI), it was unclear what other counties would be in the fold.

However, prior to the July 1 deadline, both Boone and Montgomery counties announced their intentions to join the partnership as well.

Through READI, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. will dedicate $500 million in state appropriations to promote strategic investments “that will make Indiana a magnet for talent and economic growth.”

While Hendricks had been committed to starting its own region from the beginning, there was some question over what direction other contiguous counties might go, with Putnam pulled to the west toward the Terre Haute region, Boone to its east toward Hamilton County, Montgomery to the north toward Lafayette and Morgan to the south toward Bloomington.

The Putnam County Commissioners made their decision to partner with Hendricks during their second June meeting. Boone and Montgomery also chose to join the coalition in late June.

On Tuesday, the Commissioners discussed what comes next with Greencastle/Putnam County Economic Development Director Kristin Clary.

Clary said the next step will be for the counties and communities to meet together to develop a plan for how the money might be used, should this be one of the 10 regions selected for funding.

The idea is to encourage neighboring counties, cities and towns to partner to create a shared vision for their future. This includes mapping out programs, initiatives and projects to retain talent and attract the workforce of the future.

However, the $500 million in total state funds is only one piece of the puzzle. The state wants READI projects — which are supposed to advance quality of place, quality of life and quality of opportunity — to use only 20 percent state funding, alongside 20 percent local government funding and 80 percent private investment.

With that in mind, Woodall emphasized that this would not simply be free money heading the county’s way, but would mean investment from both local government and private investors.

In other business:

• The Commissioners agreed to pay up to $500 to help with the preservation of the Putnam County charter.

The document, which dates to the early 1820s, has been stored between books behind a filing cabinet in the Putnam County Clerk’s Office.

However, the Putnam County Museum is proposing a more fitting storage method.

A quote from Signature Conservation indicated that preserving the document and displaying it in a two-sided case (it is a two-sided document) would cost $855 plus supplies.

Though the county would retain ownership, the Museum would then display it with the county’s bicentennial approaching.

• The county renewed its agreement with the Humane Society of Putnam County to continue the partnership at the Putnam County Animal Care and Control Shelter.

Only minor changes have been made since the last agreement.

• Appointed Mike Mahoy as the newest member of the Walnut Creek Fire Protection District.

Mahoy, the former Roachdale town marshal and member of both the Roachdale Fire Department and Roachdale Town Council, now resides in the district that encompasses Monroe and Clinton townships.

His term will run through Jan. 4, 2023.

“We appreciate it,” Commissioner Rick Woodall said. “We appreciate anybody who volunteers, that’s for sure.”

• The county continues to investigate the possibility of enacting a noise ordinance.

• Woodall took a moment to assure county taxpayers that the county is not giving $12 million to the Van Bibber Lake community to upgrade its water and sewer system.

While the county sponsored the grant application to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, it has no financial stake in the matter.

“We have partnered with OCRA on that but there are zero dollars from the county,” Woodall said.

• County Attorney Jim Ensley addressed the recent news that Frontier Communications is suing the county.

The problem dates back two years to some Frontier lines being cut as the Putnam County Highway Department was doing ditch work.

While Frontier says the county should pay for the damage, the county’s ongoing position is that Frontier does not properly bury its lines and in some cases simply leaves them exposed in the bottoms of ditches.

Ensley said he and County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts have been working with Frontier on a resolution.

However, Ensley said the statute of limitations on filing a suit was approaching for Frontier, which led them to file the suit at this time.

The Putnam County Commissioners will next meet at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 19 at the Putnam County Courthouse.

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