County backs fire department requests

BROWNSTOWN - Two rural volunteer fire departments are seeking federal grants to fund improvements.

Jackson County Board of Commissioners gave Pat Garland, chief of Driftwood Township Fire Department, approval to pursue a federal disaster relief funds that would allow the department to replace a 1975 Ford tanker.

That action occurred during a commissioners' meeting at the courthouse annex Tuesday.

The federal government has made disaster relief available to Hoosier counties listed in one of three disaster declarations around the state in 2008. Jackson County was part of disaster declarations after near-record flooding on June 8 and damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ike passing through the county Sept. 14.

Grant consultant Trena Carter with Administrative Resources association also was given permission to help the department apply for the grant, which would come through federal disaster recovery monies, as well as helping Pershing Township Fire Department pursue a similar grant for a new fire station.

Carter said the grants do not require a local match and there is no limit on how many applications commissioners can make. Commissioners must apply for federal grants for township fire departments.

"If there's money out there and it's available, let's move on it," Commissioner Monte Striegel said.

Carter also received approval to move forward on a contract with Janssen & Spaahn Engineering Inc., Columbus, for a storm drainage study in Vallonia. The county recently received a $30,000 federal Community Focus Fund grant through the state Office of Rural & Community Affairs for the study. The county must provide a $4,500 local match.

Commissioners also accepted two bids for the 2011 reassessment.

Those bids were $644,200 from Tyler Technology, a company with offices around the nation, and $1,653,200 from Borges & Borges Real Estate Services, Seymour. The bids were taken under advisement pending review.

The last reassessment was conducted in 2002 in-house.