Economic development discussed at GC Commissioners meeting

Greene County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Brianne Jerrels shed light on broadband coverage across the county at the Greene County Commissioners' regular meeting on Sept. 19.

Jerrels spoke on collaborating with an expert in order to navigate creating a new list of addresses and information from OCRA and the Next Level Connections Broadband grant program.

Reflecting on a prior conversation she had with Indiana Broadband Association Deputy Director Earnie Holtrey, Jerrels agreed “It’s a lot to put on the county to figure out how to find the gaps: What addresses are missing? What ones are unserved or underserved? It’s a huge undertaking.”

Having an area expert will help navigate the difficult process, as mentioned by Jerrels.

She acknowledged the importance of broadband availability, whether it be for students in our local schools or community members who work from home.

As a result of GCEDC’s focus on retention in terms of businesses, youth and population, broadband access is crucial in order to attract citizens from other areas, as well as to maintain the satisfaction of ones already here.

Commissioner President Nate Abrams recognized the difficulty of the project with “My thoughts are that people don’t really understand how big and troublesome this broadband situation is until they get into it.”

Education about the subject, according to Jerrels, is important in order for members of the community to realize the importance of density and expenses as two factors in the equation. Density is not readily available within certain regions of the county, as analogized by the example of disconnected phone calls while traveling.

Commissioner Vice President Edward Michael presented a question commonly asked by prospective home buyers that is “Do they have broadband available there?”, thus reflecting the economic development piece previously mentioned by Jerrels.

Nonetheless, the expert’s aid is projected to allow the address collection process to run more smoothly.

In other business:

• Claims, payroll and minutes from the public meeting on Sept. 5 were all approved.

• A contract with the software company EXSOFT was unanimously approved by the board.

The new program, to be utilized by the county auditor, assessor and treasurer, will provide “automatic streamlined updates in real-time or nearly real-time” according to County Attorney Marvin Abshire. As opposed to the prior monthly payment setup, this contract will be annual, including price deductions after five years.

• The Commissioners Board ratified the purchase of an ambulance, resulting from the service’s need for another vehicle.

• The HFI and Sycamore contracts were approved to provide ventilation, control work and water softeners at the Greene County Jail through the use of ARPA funds.

• Approval was given for the use of ARPA funds in the Jasonville EMS station remodel. In conjunction with the town of Jasonville, a new roof will highlight the complete remodel.

• Dennis Cullison was appointed to the Land Bank Committee, filling one of the last two open spots.

• As mentioned in last month’s regular meeting, approval was given for the termination of the contract with Pictometry, thus allowing for the entrance of an agreement with geographical information system EagleView.

• Discussion was tabled regarding funding of the Economic Development Corporation Services contract as well as approval of an updated County Employee Human Resources Department.

• The Commissioners Board approved to go out for bids on bridge #240, located on County Rd 400 S. The BFNS for bridge inspection was also approved for the next four-year cycle, 2025-29.

• Public comments were voiced on topics including restoration of Greene County’s covered bridge and recommendations to adjust a landlocked property.

The next public meeting of the Greene County Commissioners will be held on Oct. 3 at 9:30 a.m. in the Commissioner’s Room on the third floor of the Greene County Courthouse. A live-stream video option will be available at the Greene County, Indiana, government channel on YouTube.