The Wayne County Highway Department invests more than $10,000 when it hires truck drivers without Class A commercial drivers licenses.
The new drivers are enrolled in a six-week course to obtain their CDLs. Tuition costs $5,245, and the drivers earn $22.27 per hour while taking the class. Those drivers are required to pay back some of the money if they leave before working two years, but the amount owed will now increase.
During their Feb. 6 meeting, Wayne County’s commissioners approved including class-time wages in the amount the county tries to recoup from drivers who leave. The county, which has been only collecting tuition reimbursement, will start seeking reimbursement at $9,600 and reduce that $400 for each month the driver works with the county.
Mike Sharp, the county’s highway superintendent, proposed the new policy. He said four drivers have taken advantage of earning CDLs after they were hired, but only one remains with the county. The others left for higher-paying employment, and the county did collect repayments.
The policy was to begin with a driver starting Feb. 10. That hire leaves one more truck driver position open.
Capital development
Commissioners also approved a two-year capital development plan for economic development income tax revenue.
The state-required plan covers 2025 and 2026, but it does not require project details. The county simply listed economic development and infrastructure development as the areas for the spending.
The county will receive $2,724,182 in EDIT funds, contributing half — $1,362,091 — to the consolidated EDIT fund that pays the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County’s operating budget and funds EDC projects. The plan splits the remaining half between the economic development and infrastructure development projects, with each assigned $681,045.50.
Other issues
- Commissioners approved waiving the rental fee for First Bank Kuhlman Center when Wayne County Emergency Management Agency hosts National Weather Service weather spotter training from 5 to 9 p.m. March 17. The training rotates among Wayne County and Preble and Darke counties in Ohio. About 100 people are expected to participate.
- Obsolete EMA equipment, such as computers and monitors, were assigned no value by the commissioners. That allows the county to dispose of the equipment.
- The Wayne County Council and commissioners meetings were delayed a day because some members attended Association of Indiana Counties meetings Feb. 4 and 5 in Indianapolis.
A version of this article appeared in the February 12 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.