A Wayne County fee collected annually for more than 425 horse-drawn buggies could increase beginning July 1 next year.
Since 2003, residents have paid $40 a year for each buggy traveling Wayne County roads, said Commissioner Jeff Plasterer. Commissioners discussed with Wayne County Council members raising that fee in fairness because council enacted local option highway user taxes this year on resident-owned motor vehicles.
Commissioners engaged in a preliminary discussion about the buggy ordinance during their Oct. 21 meeting. They plan to review all aspects of the 23-year-old permit ordinance, including the per-buggy cost currently paid by about 375 households and the size and type of permit placed on the buggies. The annual permit is valid from July 1 through June 30.
Ron Cross, the county attorney, reviewed other county buggy ordinances and found fees ranging from $55 to $250. He provided commissioners a copy of Allen County’s ordinance for reference.
As they move forward, commissioners plan to conduct a public hearing to receive feedback from buggy operators and to consult with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office about ordinance enforcement.
Veteran services
Stephen Andrews, the central district service officer for the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs, provided commissioners an annual update about Wayne County’s veterans services. Within the past year, the county added 242 veterans to the benefits system, so about 1,900 of the county’s more than 4,000 veterans are in the system.
Those veterans in the last year received about $69 million in benefits from the federal government, Andrews said. Michele Padgette, a Wayne County veteran services officer, said that represents a 15% year-over-year increase.
Mobile health unit
Dan Burk, director of the Wayne County Health Department, received commissioners permission to move forward with acquiring a new mobile medical unit as a special purchase within the county’s purchasing policy.
High Level Enterprises in Wakarusa quoted $266,123 for the motor-home-style unit with a 150-day delivery window. The health department received funding for the mobile unit through the state’s Grow Rural Health Program.
A version of this article appeared in the October 28 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
