Commissioner Meeting Notes, Oct 4, 2023
Gnaw Bone Regional Sewer District. The district does not have the support needed to manage the sewer plant. The two current board members have also been working to make needed repairs to help keep the costs down. No volunteers to serve on the board. The RSD may be consolidated with the Brown County RSD or could be sold to a private entity. Commissioner Pittman provided a good summary of the history of the plant and current challenges.
Policy Coordination. Good to see an awareness by the commissioners of the need to coordinate proposed changes with those that will be affected. A proposed new personal policy will be shared with county employees for comment. The Judge will be asked for input on the display and placement of the historic courthouse bell. A display will be built to allow people to “ring the bell” and donate money. No idea if the “bell ringing” could be a distraction when trials are in progress.
Indian Hill RR Crossing. INDOT returned the crossing to the county and identified conditions that will need to be met before it is re-opened. Details regarding what needs to be done and the required funding will need to be worked out within the next few weeks. This will need to be followed with an action plan that will include a target date for re-opening.
Background: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In May 2020, a former commissioner with the support of the local GOP and highway superintendent advocated to close the crossing. They chose not to hold a public hearing or inform all the stakeholders that would be adversely affected by the closing. The county’s legal representation – Barnes and Thornburg, did not identify at a public meeting, the risks to the county of fast-tracking this closing. The pushback from stakeholders over the past three years led to the petition to INDOT to re-open. Background details and history.
Decision making. Unfortunately, this decision-making process where the interest of the few outweighs the many is not unusual. For instance, the only public meeting that elected officials had regarding public input on approving the Music Center was at the meeting where they voted to approve the venue. Another example – a “county” wastewater strategic plan was developed and approved by “appointed” officials without any public meetings. This plan is the basis for “Phase 1” of a proposed $50 million dollar sewer expansion project. Further disrespect for citizens and potential customers is demonstrated by the ongoing delay in providing responses to questions about the project. This may play a factor in citizens’ support for agreeing to needed easements. The public hearing on the project was on July 8, 2023, and the deadline for providing questions was July 14, 2023.
Expect Better? Interesting that the trends to centralize and abuse power at the national level are just as prevalent at the local level. The centralization of political power always corrupts and Brown County is not immune to the addiction and its consequences.
2024 Primary Elections and additional information on the county’s political culture
Brown County Leader Network (BCLN). Methods and tools that provide an alternative path for improving our government and quality of life within our community. The premise? We the People are top management. Application of the better methods will more likely result in better outcomes.
Independent Voters of Brown County IN 