The meeting began with the normal approvals.
Tim Ortman, Decatur County Highway Department, provided an update on what his crew has been working on. Tim stated that they have most recently been focused on storm repairs, with 24 trees coming down and flooding in the area. Ortman was glad to report that the county suffered no damage to any county roads or bridges.
Ortman stated that the Battery Storage Facility’s widening of the intersection off of Highway 3 has been completed. He said his department is working closely with the project to ensure things are done correctly. The facility now has someone escorting all deliveries into the project area, where they ensure that no one is speeding or being unsafe. He stated that things are going to start ramping up for the project, and we can expect to see 10-12 deliveries per day for approximately a month.
Doug Westerfeld, Area Plan Director, stated that due to the weather events from last week, they rescheduled the Comprehensive Plan meeting from last week to this week. The meeting is scheduled for August 18, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The public meeting will be held at the Annex building. This meeting is a time for citizens to hear a presentation and make comments on the Comprehensive Plan before it is completed and presented for final approval.
Westerfeld also stated that he is meeting with Rush County to talk about their blight programs and how funding looks for the remainder of the ARPA funds they have available. He also stated that they have gone to court regarding eight different properties and are working to get those clean-ups started. They are expecting five more properties to go through the court system so that clean-up efforts can begin.
Sean Durbin, Decatur County Health Department Director, highlighted his department’s 2025 and 2026 accomplishments. He also presented and received the commissioners’ approval of his 2025 Annual Report. Durbin stated that the report is a bit late due to waiting for the state to publish statistics that he included.
Brian Wenning, Decatur County Commissioner, stated that the Long Range Planning Committee has discussed several projects, including the Annex. Brian stated that they are looking at doing exterior updates to the building. A publication requesting RFPs will be published on August 26, 2026, and September 2, 2026. Those RFPs are due back on September 11, 2026.
Dennis Fogle stated that the Community Building has been used several times since its first use in February.
Gabe Nobbe, Decatur County Commissioner, provided an update on the Decatur County Community Pool project. Nobbe stated, “The county pool project is progressing quite well. While there were some delays and rising costs that have contributed to not opening until next year, we knew opening this year would have limited amenities available. Now we can have a full grand opening next year and have everything functioning for the community to enjoy.”
