Tim Ortman of the Highway Department provided an update on their new Enterprise contract. Tim said he expects to receive quotes on the cost of new large trucks within the next two to three weeks. The department is working on new CCMG grants. Tim continues to work with EMA on the FEMA documents from the storms earlier this year.
Tim stated that he was made aware that the I-74 project will be closing the westbound lanes. He and the commissioners spoke about the increased traffic that US-421 will see and said they will continue talks with the state to request an official detour, as the increased traffic will cause additional wear and tear on the highway.
Tim said he was able to purchase 300 tons of road salt.
Doug Westerfeld, Area Plan Director, presented Area Plan rezoning petitions that were sent to the commissioners with a favorable vote from the Area Plan Commission. The commissioners approved all of the petitions. Doug also provided an update on the Comprehensive Plan and stated that they will be wrapping up their editing period shortly before moving to the public hearing phase.
Jeramiah McAdams of Court Services received approval to apply for a $2,000 grant through the Decatur County Community Foundation.
Sheriff Meyerrose submitted the Commissary Report for April through June to the commissioners.
A representative from the Department of Natural Resources presented to the commissioners. The topic was Watershed Development Commissions. At this time, Indiana has five commissions in the northern part of the state and one in the southern part of the state. Currently, there is not one that includes the Flat Rock watershed.
A Watershed Development Commission (WDC) is a regional legal entity established by local governments to manage and improve water resources within a specific geographic watershed. It coordinates projects across county or municipal lines to handle flood damage reduction, stormwater management, drainage, and related water infrastructure. (Definition was pulled from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources website.) The commission is supported by taxing property owners who connect to the specific body of water. The tax would be a property tax.
The commissioners heard from a handful of local homeowners voicing their opinions against a WDC being formed. After the commissioners heard the presentation and the citizens’ opinions, they voted not to pursue creating a WDC.
The commissioners revisited their vote from the last meeting to pass Ordinance 2026-14, vacating a public roadway. This was the second reading of the request, and it was approved.
The commissioners reviewed the 2027 Salary Budget. The commissioners made a recommendation to the Council to give all employees a 3% raise.
Brian Wenning stated, “Our employees are our most valuable resource we have here in Decatur County.”
The commissioners voted to re-certify that Decatur County has one covered bridge, which is the bridge in Westport.
Chad Crowder requested that the commissioners vote to create a Data Center Moratorium or an ordinance to ban data centers. Chad spoke about the concerns that he and others have about data centers, which include noise, water consumption, and the use of farmland, just to name a few.
Chad stated, “If we get rid of farms, we get rid of food.” He stated that they have a petition online that has received over 900 signatures to stop data centers. He offered to provide the petition to the commissioners.
Jeremy Pasel, Commissioner President, stated that if they were to create an ordinance, it would not stop incorporated municipalities in the county from allowing data centers. The commissioners stated that the county is currently undergoing a revision of its Comprehensive Plan, which will provide an outlook on what Decatur County wants to focus on for its future. Once that is completed, they will be looking at revising, rewriting, and likely creating new ordinances that will go along with the Comprehensive Plan.
