The Daviess County Council moved ahead with an economic development request at Wednesday morning’s meeting. The Council unanimously approved a declaratory resolution designating an area of WestGate as an economic revitalization area. This is the second step in granting a tax abatement request from Kratos Defense and Security, a defense contractor looking to expand and bring more high paying jobs to northern Daviess County. The next step, a confirmatory resolution, will be scheduled following a public hearing on the abatement.
In regular business, the Council approved the appointment of Natalie Smith to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission and Travis Schaeffer to the county board of zoning appeals. The Council also approved several end-of-the-fund transfers in the budgets of the Prosecutor’s Office, Highway Department, Veterans Office, the Security Center, and Adult Probation.
The Council also approved additional appropriations of $250,000 for the Montgomery wastewater project, $778,000 for the Highway Department’s Bituminous and Road Improvement Accounts, and $10,000 from the restricted opioid settlement to Youth First.
Council members also approved salary ordinance amendments of $5,000 in overtime pay at the Security Center, $8,000 for adult probation, and $2,800 for salary equalization for four positions in the county courts that were inadvertently omitted from last year’s salary ordinance.
At the end of the meeting, Council President Tom Schaffer reported on Tuesday’s Commissioners meeting, and Darin Holder gave an update on the last WestGate Authority meeting. The next Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 8, at 8:15 a.m. in the Commissioners Room at the Daviess County Government Center.
