New Economic Developer Elizabeth Martz said that she enjoyed the relaxed lifestyle of Worth County after having lived in St. Joseph for 12 years. She introduced herself to Worth County Commissioners for the first time Monday. She said that she and husband, Superintendent Dr. Matt Martz, liked the friendly environment and planned to stay here until they retire. Ms. Martz plans to swing into her new duties right away, working on a wood chipper grant for the county as well as attending Great Northwest Days with the rest of Worth County's delegation in February. Clerk Roberta Owens said that the county didn't have the kind of infrastructure needed for a huge manufacturing plant, but that they were looking for more small businesses to locate here. Another project that Martz will work on is a Safe Routes to School program which will provide funding for sidewalks leading up to the school. Superintendent Dr. Matt Martz and Janice Borey are also working on the project. Commissioners and Martz also discussed ideas for the Business Directory as well as the county website.
The commissioners responded to a query regarding winter heating assistance. There are 10 Worth County families who are out of fuel assistance funds due to the extreme cold. The Red Cross will not help them out unless there is an actual disaster. Commissioners said that there were no funds in the budget for winter heating assistance.
Road & Bridge Foreman Jim Fletchall reported a bracket on the V plow needed fixing. He said that cost of rock this year could be 75 cents a ton higher this year.
Associate Circuit Judge Joel Miller submitted his office's budget request for this year. The state is transitioning to an electronic court system for all court systems in the state. It will cost an estimated $5,000 to $6,000 to get the courtroom ready. All filings will be done by computer. While the target date for implementation is 2015, Miller said that 4th Circuit Judge Roger Prokes wanted all of the circuits to get ready ahead of time. Judge Miller said that there were adequate funds that the court had collected over the years so that the county would not have to pay anything.
Commissioners spend much of the meeting focused on the budget. Jail keep will rise to an estimated $25,000 this year. The county is struggling with flat revenues and making small cuts in order to balance next year's budget. The county will not be rehiring a second clerk for Roberta Owens. Current custodian Leonard Roush is retiring in February and the county will drop that position to part-time to create more savings.
The sheriff hit a deer with his vehicle Monday morning at around 1 a.m.
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