Wayne County’s commissioners named Clyde Moberly Road in 1977.
Since then, the county has treated the road as one of its own — maintaining it, plowing snow from it and putting new asphalt on it. Officially, though, it isn’t a county road, leaving it considered a private lane.
The dead-end road that drops south off Webster Road northwest of Richmond was never properly put into the county road system. During the March 13 commissioners meeting, seven Clyde Moberly residents asked commissioners to officially make their road a county road. They said one neighbor at times has blocked the road with a gate and with vehicles, preventing other residents from reaching or leaving their homes.
Gordon Moore, the county surveyor, has conducted a survey, and the next step is to run title searches on the 13 properties listed along Clyde Moberly. Commissioner Jeff Plasterer told the residents that more research is necessary about the process, but with a majority of residents favoring the county claiming the road, that’s the likely outcome.
HELP commitments
Commissioners approved an interlocal agreement with Milton and a memorandum of understanding with the YMCA related to Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program projects.
Milton is receiving $44,000 from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act contribution to HELP for a sewer upgrades project that now includes emergency repairs that have been made. The town is contributing $45,000 of its ARPA money to the project as well.
The YMCA is involved in the HELP project to expand the number of child care seats in Wayne County. The county is contributing $300,000 for that project.
HELP projects must be under contract or have an interlocal agreement or MOU by the end of 2024.
Ron Cross, the county’s attorney, has developed templates for interlocals and MOUs associated with HELP.
Make My Move
Commissioners expressed interest in continuing the Make My Move program that offers incentives for out-of-state remote workers to move into Wayne County. The city of Richmond’s contract with Make My Move is expiring and Richmond did not budget the $85,000 to extend the contract, said Valerie Shaffer, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County.
The county’s participation goal was to attract 20 movers. So far, 10 families have moved to Wayne County and three more are in the process of moving. Commissioner Brad Dwenger said the program has been well worth it.
Commissioner Jeff Plasterer said it might be worth exploring if similar incentives could be targeted toward specific high-demand skills, such as nurses or law enforcement officers. Shaffer said a locally run program would enable the county to attract workers from within Indiana.
Conversation will continue about extending the program.
Deed sale
Commissioners reviewed the list of properties eligible for the deed sale at 10 a.m. April 25. Commissioners must take ownership of the lots for them to be sold at the deed sale, and could be stuck with the properties.
After the review, commissioners decided to make 25 properties available at the deed sale. Two of the original 33 eligible properties were redeemed by their owners.
A version of this article appeared in the March 20 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.