JOINT SESSION OF THE JASPER COUNTY COUNCIL AND BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS NOVEMBER 19,2024 PAGE 498 The Jasper County Council and Board of Commissioners: met this date at 5:00: P.M. C.S.T at910 S. Sparling, Rensselaer, Indiana witht the following Commissioners; present: Rein] Bontreger, James Walstra and. Jeffrey DeYoung. Council members present were: Stephen Jordan, Gary Fritts, Jason Armold, Brian) Moore, Paul Norwine, Eric Kidwell and. Jacob Misch. Alsoj present were. Auditor, Donya Jordan, Deputy Auditor, Treasure Gilbert, Deputy Auditor, Diana Boersma and Eric Beaver, the Attorney that represents the Commissioners. Those present stood and recited the NICK DEKRYGER & DAVID MYERS /PROPOSAL FORI NORTHERN JASPER COUNTY SPLASHPAD: Mr. Myers, Wheatfield' Township Trustee, said he was theret to talk about aj project they've been working on. He passed out al booklet that showed their proposals for a new splash pad in Northern Jasper County. He said the Wheatfield Township owns about five acres of land on State Road 101 half way between DeMotte and Wheatfield. He said they've had a vision and desire tol build a fire station sO, one willl bej put ont the other half oft the property. He said they are Mr. DeKryger said he is wearing three different hats, the first one being the Treasurer of the DeMotte K.V. Rotary Club. He said the mission of the Rotarians is to provide service to others, goodwill and peace through their fellowship of! business, professional and community leaders. He said recreational areas are really good for the economy and communities. He said he thinks this splash pad would be a great benefit tol Northern Jasper County. He said aftert they are built, they're low-cost, clean, safe and affordable. He said! his second hat ist the Vicel President atl Belstra and an employer inl Northern. Jasper County with about 210 employees that reside in Jasper County. He said they are always in the need of young, next generation, talentedi individuals to come work for them. He said one oft their struggles withl keeping and finding employees is getting them to stay in the area.. Hes said there'sal lot of activities, sports,) restaurants and shopping centers up north that's attracting these people to other areas. He said this splash pad would be great for the community, current residents andt the future generation. He said! hisl last! hat is as a father of three kids under the age ofs six. He saidl he grew upi inl DeMotte and moved away for eight years but, he came back. He said! hel has a great passion for the town and this projecti is something he wants toj provide for his kids for a quality oflife. Hes saidt they're always looking for things to do for their kids and get them out oft thel house and off ofs screens to provide social interactions, outdoor activities and burn off Mr. Bontreger asked how much they have raised so far and what their timeline is. Mr. DeKryger said their fundraising efforts are kickstarting now. Hes said they do have some commitments from ai few private companies. Hes said they've been working with the Jasper Newton Foundation and Economic Development. He said they'rel hoping that 2025 will be their big fundraising year sO they can begin construction in 2026.1 He said they willl have the ability to pay over two years. Mr. Bontreger asked afteri itsi installed, what the annual budget willl bet tor maintaini it andi runi ita and who will be covering it. Mr. Myers said Wheatfield Township. Mr. Bontreger said it wouldn'tp put too Mr. Bontreger askedifthere willl bet trails ors sidewalks withl bike and walking access tot thei facility. Mr. Myers said this would be aj part oftheir second phase. He said) Prairie) Ridge and Valley View already have sidewalks installed amongst the residential area SO, through their design they are being mindful of State Road 101 being busy. He said the splash pad portion will have hills and a swale and they will consider fencing. Mr. DeKryger said he wanted to addt that they willl be using local contractors for thej parking lot, sidewalks, pavilions, concrete and landscaping. He said they willl have to go beyond the local contractors for the splash pad with the aquatics and mechanical Pledge of Allegiance led by Mr. Bontreger. asking the County for $500,000.00: for the 2-million-dollar project. energy. much ofal burden ont the Township. Mr. Myers said no, its cost affective. building but, theiri intent ist to go local as much as they can. JOINT SESSION OF THE JASPER COUNTY COUNCIL AND BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS NOVEMBER 19,2024 PAGE 499 NICK DEKRYGER & DAVID MYERS /P PROPOSAL FOR NORTHERN JASPER COUNTY SPLASH PAD CONTINUED: Mr. Misch asked if the parking lot will be shared with the fire station andt the splash pad. Mr. Myers said the parking lot shown in the booklet is solely for the splash pad! but, there willl be additional parking as and overflow. He: saidi in designing the: fires station, they' re making sure the response ande everything ist the furthest away from thej property wherel kids willl be playing. Mr. Fritts asked if there would be some type of staff at the splash pad during the summer. Mr. Myers said the Township is going to have to discuss this because, they will need someone to test the water. He saidi iti is a closed-circuit splash pad sO, the tank is underneath. He saidi its like running aj pool but, al lot less maintenance. He said aj part-time member would need to bel brought on. Mr. Fritts askedi ift they think they need supervision. Mr. Myers said no; with Kouts, Valpo and Remington there's never: supervision besides the parents. Mr. Fritts asked how many kidst they could safely have. Mr. Myers said about' 75-100 kids. Mr. Fritts referenced the booklet thats shows af future shelter and askedifity was aj part ofthe 21 million dollars. Mr. Myers said they're hoping to design the pavilion with donations and getting the community involved. Mr. Bontreger asked what kind of community engagement they've engaged in so far and what kind of feed back they are getting. Mr. Myers said he's talked to residents that live in the subdivision and he's had positive feedback. He said they've had organic conversation with the community and they haven'treceived. any negative feedback. Mr. DeKryger said he hadn'th heard any negative comments either. Hes said the Rotary was very supportive, as well as businesses and friends andi family. Hes saidt they haven'tg gone and made al big splash abouti itl because, they wanted tor makes sure they had funding first. Mr. Bontreger askedi ifit would! be daylight use only ori ifthey Mr. Jordan asked what their timeline was for the fire station. Mr. Myers said that Wheatfield Township received an OCRA grant in the past but, they will not be eligible for it sO, they are pursuing another funding source through the USDA. Hes said] he hopes this happens simultaneously tol be developed in the same timeframe of 2026. Mr. Fritts asked ift they've identified any grant opportunities fort the splash pad. Mr. DeKryger said there's al DNR grant they've looked ini to and they aren'topposedi to going that routel but, it'sar much longer process and would push thej project out to 2027 or 2028. He: said there are some smaller grants out there. Mr. Fritts said they do have as sizable amount of money coming directly to the county through an Economic Development Agreement with Dunns Bridge 2.1 He saidi its seems liket this could be aj project that could bei ideally suited for giving backt to the community. He said he can't commit halfar million dollars but, they willl look hard at directing the funds towards this project. Mr. Bontreger said he would agree on' behalf oft the Commissioners' to engage in discussion with the Council next year. Mr. Bontreger said the Remington splash pad is utilized effectively and he thought it was a great start to the process of getting these amenities for kids and families. He askedi if people could] have reunions or birthday parties in the pavilion like Rensselaer does. Mr. Myers said it was at thought but, he would like tol have conversations with his team about that. He said Kankakee Township has the options to rent out their pavilions but, there is a little bit ofal burden to it. He said they aren'trulingi it out! but, they will take a look ati it.N Mr. Jordan asked how big ofa ani issue the liability insurance was. Mr. Myers said they currently carry a liability insurance on the property. He said hel hasn'tlooked: into what thej premium increase willl bel but, it's something they need to weigh in PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE DISCUSSION: Mr. Bontreger said the Attorney for the Public Defender Commission is out of town. He asked ifanyone had heard anything from them. He said he knows the Council approved a significant portion of the funding they requested. Mr. Moore said he wasn't sure ifiti is supposed to be public but, they did select someone as the ChiefPublic Defender. He said theyr need toi figure out where they arej putting them and get the ball rolling. Mr. Bontreger saidt that'sv why he wanted tot talk abouti it because, he's hadi noi feedback from anybody. would havel lights. Mr. DeKryger saidt to start it will be daylight only. as well. He said they need al list of what they're going to need. JOINT SESSION OF THE JASPER COUNTY COUNCIL AND BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS NOVEMBER 19,2024 PAGE 500 PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE DISCUSSION CONTINUED: Mr. Bontreger asked ift they filled all thes spots for the Public Defenders. Mr. Moore said that Mr. Maxwell didn'tmention that but, they did have some questions about the administrative person. He said they are giving the Chief Public Defender the opportunity tol bring on1 their own: staffifthey want to. Mr. Bontreger askedif the Chief Public Defender was part-time or full-time. Mr. Moore said part-time. Mr. Jordan said the Chief Administrative Assistant was part-time as well. Mr. Bontreger said he will follow up witht them andt take care of any business att the next Commissioners' meeting. Mr. Moore askedi if they were going tol havet the office active as of] January 1St. Mr. Bontreger saidi it would beas squeeze but, ift they could get feedback from them then, they could make adjustments in December and try MORATORIUM ON TAX ABATEMENTS FOR INDUSTRIAL SOLAR & BATTERY STORAGEI DISCUSSION: Mr. Bontreger said the Council will talk about this topic morei in depth in their meeting but, he was curious to hear the highlights. He said he would like tol know what they't 're thinking as far as ai resolution or ordinance and what the goali is. Mr. Misch said he wanted to apologize fori not getting with everybody before the meeting andi it wasn'ti intentional. He said het thought tonight wast thej place to discuss it. He: said the document is written as and ordinance and itcame from Wells County, where their Council passedi it unanimously. He said het talkedi in depth with. Attorney Jacob Ahler when he was transposing itt to. Jasper County andi hel had advised thati it could bej passed as an ordinance or ai resolution. He said) he didn't want to make that decision solo Mr. Bontreger saidt the Commissioners wantt to support the will ofthe Council and they don't want toi interfere with what the Council does but, it does help set the kind of environment ofl how they need to function and plan. He said he wanted to make sure that any initiative might take into account the relationship they have with their largest business partner and taxpayer in the county. He said the community. has grown weary oft these types of renewable projects and he shares that sentiment but, he also wants to commit to making sure they're! helping Nipsco be able to maximize their location with any assets that might benefit, whether its batteries; he would like to see them there and not amongst the community. He said he would like to make sure that if the Council Mr. Misch wanted to clarify that the document ini no way, prevents anybody fromi installing solar or batteries and its solely around the tax abatements. Mr. Bontreger said he's had prospective developers call and ask him what the climate is like in Jasper County concerning these projects and he saidi it's pretty chilly and they' ve had enough. He said the Council already has the ability to regulate abatements andt they havet the scorecard. He said he wanted to make sure it didn'thave tol bei redundant when they already have that power. Mr. Misch asked how you indicate the will of the Council and the people of. Jasper County before a developer comes in and wastes time and effort and before the County incurs lawyer costs to draw up agreements. Hes said this would be up front where the people stand and where the Council is. He said while campaigning and talking to al lot of people, the sentiment was clear that] people are weary oft these projects, they are done with them and less favorable to give them preferential tax treatment to get them here. He said this is what caused himt to draft the ordinance. Mr. Moore saidt the companies will do their projects with or without at tax abatement. Mr. Bontreger said with the changei inj political climate, thesei initiatives Mr. Bontreger said he wanted to thank Mr. Kidwell for his time on the Council, as well as Mr. DeYoung and Mr. Walstra. He said he's learned a lot from them and appreciates their service. to get up and going. OTHER BUSINESS sO, it'sa discussion they needt tol have as a group. decides to do something liket this, that it allows provision to steer things. might change. JOINT SESSION OF THE JASPER COUNTY COUNCIL AND BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS NOVEMBER 19,2024 PAGE: 501 MORATORIUM ON TAX ABATEMENTS FOR INDUSTRIAL SOLAR & BATTERY STORAGE DISCUSSION CONTINUED: Mr. Walstra asked if the referendum applies to anybody that comes in because, the way business is done is by big business and he said one of these days they might bes sitting here wanting iti inl here. He said we have to grow as a county. He said he's been here for twenty years and he's went through the dairies and different things that people didn't like but, Nipsco was the only one that caused him to lose sleep because of the tax baset they had for Keener and K.V. School Corporation. He saidt to pull 26-30% oft thet tax base out oft the county, back then he, Mr. Maxwell and) Mr. Culpl had to replace that. He saidi ifthey didn't replace it, the people would be upset witht thei next tax rate. He saidi ifthey sit back and do nothing, we will never grow. Hes saidi maybe never growing is good but, inl his opinion, twenty years down ther road, whati is coming at us isl housing. He said if they think they' 've lost farm ground now, just waiti fort that. Hes said! he doesn'twant the county tol bel hog-tied ift they have to meet thesel kinds of commitments. Hei referred back to the tax abatement that wasn't approved: for SolarPack last year and said they left money on the table. He saidi if we don't grow, we go backwards. Mr. Bontreger said he wantedi to thank Mr. Walstra for his decades ofs service ands said! he'ss seena a lot. He said to make sure when the Council hashes this out, to check with Attorney Ahler and Attorney Beaver to make sure they're not wading into dangerous territory, as far as limiting what the possibilities could be. He said they already have the opportunity to grill the developers when they come and tell them no. He said Mr. Walstra made a good point and he said he doesn't want to see themi in thej process of making a statement, limiting what could be a possibility. Mr. Misch said he attempted to make this as narrow as possible and it really only affects solar and battery storage andl het thinks they have enough oft that here. Mr.. Jordan said there'sas sentence that makes it notj just solar and battery storage because, it says "other alternative energy generations, storage systems and facilities." He said that opens the door wide open about anything. Mr. Misch said he brought ita as an amendable document, not ai final. Mr. Bontreger saids some might say they'rel being targeted and preventing them their due process then, they could face unnecessary litigation. Mr. Armold: saidi ifthey are goingt to count ont thesel kinds oft things and look at them as growth and count on that for the: future of our county then, he thinks they't re in a much sadder state than they think they are. Hes said! hel likes whatl Mr. Mischl has donel here andl het thinks anything thati is heavily subsidized by we, the taxpayers, the freei market wouldi reject it.) He saidi it's very narrowi ins scope; it's about solar and battery and he thinks its something they need to let them know before they even come look; thatt they're done. Hes said he'st talked to a lot of constituents andt they don't want this stuff and they're fed up. Mr. Bontreger said when they sat down with the executives from up north, he felt like they stated clearly that they don't want to emulate Benton and White County models; they don't want a thousand wind turbines around here. He said he does want to make provision that ifl Nipsco wants toj put batteries on their property, he would support them because, that's where they expect generation andi infrastructure to be. Hes saidi iftheyi invest extra assets into this county then, itl helps organically work the assessed value rates up.. Hes said! he agrees, he doesn't want thirty acres of batteries but, if there's an appropriate place to put them that's already Mr. Bontreger said he appreciates and values all oft the Council's opinions and everyone weighing in on the topic. He said he agrees that part oft the discussion is "what do we want. Jasper County to become?" andt they needt tol look at what other types of growth they would bei in favor of other than Mr. Misch askedifA Attorney Beaver wanted to share hist findings. Attorney Beaver said! he thought the mosti important thing he saw in reviewing the document and the literal statute that's cited in the second whereas paragraphi is the criteria that can be established is general for the Council to pass a regulation. He said in 2019 and 2020, the Commissioners and Council worked together to establish the scorecard as aj joint ordinance that made its way onto the Jasper County Code. He said he thinks there's an opportunity to make changes and update the scorecard. He suggested segregated for this type ofactivity then, he' d be okay with that. just housing. JOINT SESSION OF THE JASPER COUNTY COUNCIL AND BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS NOVEMBER 19,2024 PAGE502 MORATORIUM ON TAX ABATEMENTS FOR INDUSTRIAL SOLAR & BATTERY STORAGE! DISCUSSION CONTINUED: adding negative points to the scorecard. He also said that! his concern with ai moratorium ist that the same body that can: make it, can change their mind and unmake. it. Mr. Bontreger said! he wanted tor make an official request and asked the Council to look at revising and updating the scorecard. Mr. Jordan asked if this would be aj joint decision between the Commissioners and Council. Attorney Beaver said the Commissioners would only give actual input as to subsection A, subheading B as the code. Mr. Jordan said they can get this on the agenda after they get into the first of the year. Mr. Moore said he agrees that its time to DONNA BARKO: Ms. Barko said she grew up in Lake County and she also lived in California andI Illinoisi in] highly populated areas. Shes said sincel Mr. Walstral brought it up, ifthey're goingt to start building, to please not over build. Shes said one of the reasons why she's liked living here is because of the farming community feel. She said there's no way you can do farming without helping each other and as a community, its veryi important tol keep that. Shes said she asks that when Mr. Moore: made a motion to adjourn, Mr. Misch: seconded and the motion carried. update it. PUBLICCOMMENT developers come in to remember that and don't build fast. ATTEST: R Rein Bontreger, Commissioner President B.Gphan Donya G.. Jordan, Auditor of Jasper County apRO-d Stephen R.. Jordan, Council President