Wayne County Council spent more than three hours Aug. 25 scouring departmental budget requests for possible cuts. Their efforts removed $440,094 from the published general fund budget, but there’s more to do before the budget’s final approval in October. The published budget began at $44,625,627 and the special meeting ended with it at $44,185,533. Council […]
Author Archives: Mike Emery
Mike Emery is a reporter and layout editor for the Western Wayne News.
Posted inNews
Animal contract was doggone expensive
Richmond spent $1,961.90 per animal last year to shelter 21 animals at the Henry County Humane Society. Since 2022, the city has contracted with the New Castle shelter after local shelters could not accept the volume of animals the city housed. The renewable annual contract has cost $41,200 for up to 400 animals, with each […]
Posted inNews
Riders using Whitewater Valley service
With four months remaining in 2025, Wayne County ridership on Whitewater Valley Regional Transit exceeded the 2024 total. Trisha Dearth-Adkins, the executive director of the Union County Council on Aging and Aged, provided Wayne County commissioners with an update Aug. 27. Through Aug. 22, 4,308 rides were provided Wayne County residents, closing in on 2024’s […]
Posted inNews
Hire the best person for the job, or the cheapest?
Whitewater Gorge activation work has begun at the Test Road trail head, but two more phases remain in the complicated and expensive project. To help with the upcoming phases, Richmond Parks and Recreation Department asked Richmond Common Council on Aug. 18 to consider an alternative method to engage a contractor. The ordinance would enable all […]
Posted inNews
Couple tries to stop parking problem
A Williamsburg couple will take its request for Wayne County to vacate an alley to the county commissioners. During its Aug. 21 meeting, the Wayne County Advisory Plan Commission approved a resolution providing a positive recommendation for the alley vacation. Daryll and Lilah Webb brought their request before the commission in June. They asked that […]
Posted inNews
County will help animal shelter’s kennel project
Wayne County commissioners plan to provide $30,000 for a HELP the Animals Inc. project. Commissioners saw a draft memorandum of understanding between the organizations during their Aug. 20 meeting. Funds are available in the 2025 budget’s animal welfare line item. The county contracts with HELP to accept animals from the county’s animal control officer. HELP’s […]
Posted inNews
City denies negligence in RCS student’s lawsuit
The city of Richmond denies any negligence, knowledge of or responsibility for the alleged bullying of a David W. Dennis Middle School student last school year. Lawyers representing the student and parents filed a lawsuit June 23 in Wayne County Superior Court 1 claiming the student was seriously injured and sexually assaulted during four separate […]
Posted inNews
Who pays for progress?
Expanding the Midwest Industrial Park’s sewer capacity might be a worthy endeavor, but several Richmond residents addressing Richmond Common Council on Aug. 18 balked at being asked to pay the $38 million price tag. “If this is for the industrial park, let the industrial park occupant pay for it,” Nick Wilson said during the public […]
Posted inNews
County council adopts vehicle taxes
Wayne County residents will pay between $7.50 and $212.60 in new taxes for each of their cars, motorcycles, trucks and trailers beginning next year. With a 5-2 vote, Wayne County Council enacted local option highway user taxes Aug. 25 that will provide tax money and, beginning in January 2027, access to the state’s lane-mile distribution […]
Posted inNews
Thousands of kids missing required vaccines
About 3,800 Wayne County schoolchildren are missing required vaccinations. Beth Newton, the Wayne County Health Department’s deputy director of clinical services, updated the county’s health board about the department’s efforts to vaccinate children during the board’s Aug. 12 meeting. Newton said postcards are being sent to each student ages 5 to 18 missing a vaccination. […]