An ordinance amending Wayne County’s zoning regulations no longer limits how many female dogs a commercial breeder may have.
During their Jan. 14 meeting, the county commissioners voted 3-0 to remove the limit, which had been added in November by the Wayne County Advisory Plan Commission. A final version of the ordinance will be presented to commissioners for adoption.
Steve Higinbotham, the county administrator, recommended the cap of 40 female dogs age 1 or older be removed from the zoning amendments. Without the limit, the county ordinance mirrors state regulations.
Commercial breeders are monitored by the Indiana Department of Animal Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Canine Care Certified program through Purdue University; however, if the county adopted a stricter regulation, the county would be responsible for monitoring it. Higinbotham said the county lacked personnel to enforce a dog limit.
The plan commission added the limit at the urging of member Theresa Scruggs. She voted against giving the updated ordinance a positive recommendation with no limit included. Because only five plan commission members were present, all five needed to support the ordinance for the plan commission to recommend commissioners pass it.
The other plan commission members in attendance that day supported Scruggs’ amendment for the 40-dog limit; therefore, a second vote yielded the 5-0 result necessary for the plan commission to recommend passage.
During the commissioners’ public hearing on the ordinance, Stephen Stoltzfus represented a group of Amish men asking commissioners to continue forward without a cap. He pointed out the regulation commercial breeders already face and asked for the zoning to continue as it is.
Commissioner Brad Dwenger said it made sense to follow state guidelines.
“I don’t want to overregulate our citizens in any way,” Dwenger said.
Commissioner Aaron Roberts agreed there’s no reason for the county to make itself regulate something the state already regulates.
Coroner loses Tahoe
Commissioners voted 3-0 to remove a Chevrolet Tahoe from the coroner’s fleet, deciding Coroner Brent Meadows violated county policy by using it for transportation to another out-of-county job.
Commissioner Jeff Plasterer said he’s had conversations with Meadows about violating policy, and despite the coroner promising he’d “never do it again,” it happened days later. The Tahoe is not equipped to transport people who have died.
Dwenger said the county’s liability with Meadows’ use concerns him. The county updated its fleet and driver policies based on recommendations from its insurance carrier.
On Jan. 15, Meadows posted a statement on Facebook that said commissioners are targeting him because he did not fire an employee “they had personal objections to.” He wrote that upon taking office he was told he could drive the Tahoe “at my pleasure,” including to the other job, then the new policy was adopted. Meadows said the vehicle enables him to respond quickly to scenes for the families and to support his office’s investigators.
Drainage board
During the Jan. 14 meeting of the county drainage board, which is composed of commissioners, Surveyor Gordon Moore spoke about a city of Richmond study into a Backmeyer Trace subdivision retention basin that overflows.
Recommendations costing $1.8 million and more are not top priorities for the city, Moore said. The county might need to increase capacity in its Scott Ditch, which runs from Wernle Road along South 37th Street to the shopping areas, if there’s further development in that area, he said.
Other issues
- Adding a sixth camera in the chambers of the Wayne County Administration Building was approved 2-1, with Plasterer opposing. The contract with Wilco Custom electronics will now be $19,672, an increase of $3,778.
- Commissioners set the certificate sale of properties not sold during a tax sale for 10 a.m. April 16.
- The rental fee for a Wayne County Fairgrounds exhibition building was waived for the HELP The Animals shelter’s vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 11.
A version of this article appeared in the January 21 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.