Wayne County Council’s tax abatement committee found six entities with tax abatements have significantly met their performance requirements.
Beth Leisure, chair of the tax abatement committee, presented the findings to council during its July 2 meeting. The committee recommended council find the recipients in compliance after the annual review.
Taconic Biosciences, Sugar Creek Packing, ITD Engineering and Burkhardt Family Properties have county tax abatements that encourage their growth in the county. Vandor Corp. and Indiana Municipal Power Agency for its Centerville solar park have abatements with other entities that the county reviewed.
Leisure said the county generally would not give an abatement for a solar park because it would not create any jobs. She would like to see discussion among governing bodies to be on the same page with abatement requirements.
Council voted 7-0 that the companies were in compliance.
Commissary fund
Major Alan Moore reported that the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office’s commissary fund had a $159,367.58 balance after the year’s first six months.
The beginning balance was $158,133.99, with the fund earning $145,415.67 and the sheriff’s department spending $144,182.08 so far this year.
Max Smith, council’s president, said the county is fortunate to have that funding to pay some expenses that otherwise would drain the county’s general fund.
Finance committee
Mike Sharp, the county’s highway supervisor, requested $150,000 from council’s one-time expenses fund to help purchase a Gradall excavator vehicle.
Sharp said the county uses its current five Gradalls extensively year-round for a variety of tasks. The department has four Series 1 Gradalls and a Series 4. Sharp said finding parts for the 30-year-old Series 1 Gradalls is difficult.
A used Series 5 Gradall is available in Texas for $315,500, and council approved providing the $150,000 toward its purchase.
Personnel committee
Council approved an amendment to the 2025 salary ordinance that increases two clerk positions in the recorder’s office from 37 1/2 hours per week to 40 hours per week.
The positions’ annual salaries would increase to $42,432. Those wages are paid from the recorder’s perpetuation fund. A part-time position was eliminated, so the office actually saves money with the changes.
Moore also received permission to post a part-time civil process position. The part-time employee is moving to the full-time civil process position that has become vacant.
A version of this article appeared in the July 9 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.