Kosciusko County Commissioners this morning approved the adoption of an ordinance increasing the rate of the Cumulative Capital Development fund.

The fund will not exceed $0.0333 per $100 of assessed valuation. The new tax rate, which is the maximum allowed by the state, will be levied beginning with taxes due and payable in 2015. The current rate is $0.0135.

The county will generate approximately $996,000 of additional revenue per year at the new rate The money will be put in the highway department’s budget to be used for road maintenance.

“The roads are in need,” said commissioner Brad Jackson. Commissioner Ron Truex added that the funds will help “get the roads back to the condition they need to be.”

The new rate was one of several recommendations made by H.J. Umbaugh and Associates, the county’s financial advisor. The county council is also considering a wheel tax that can only be used for roads.

Wells County Commissioner Kevin Woodward was at today’s meeting. He said he recommends both the wheel tax and the the CCD fund increase. The county council will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in a special session to vote on the wheel tax. The meeting is open to the public.

Also during today’s commissioners meeting, petitioner George Buckingham’s request for a rezoning from agricultural to residential use was approved. The 2.21 acre property is located on Forest Glenn Avenue, east of Cripplegate, in Plain Township near Stanton Lake. Three property owners to the north of the property would each like to buy a small portion of the 2.21 acres. There were no remonstrators. The Area Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the petition at its June 4 meeting.

County attorney Chad Miner opened eight bids for two new dump trucks for the highway department. The bids ranged from the highest, $317,400, to the lowest, $292,165.86, depending on a trade-in allowance. A recommendation will be made in two weeks at the next commissioners meeting.

Bids for a bridge rehabilitation project in Syracuse will be opened at 9 a.m. July 15, at the commissioners’ regular meeting. The bridge is located on Front Street, north of Medusa Street. The project is expected to begin after Labor Day.

Kelly Heckaman of the Purdue Extension office then introduced two new staff members. Stephanie Faroh is the new health and human sciences educator, and Mindy Wise is the new youth development educator.

In other news, the commissioners:

• appointed Dennis Burch and Kristy Mayer to the property tax assessment board of appeals.
• approved the 2015 holiday and meeting calendar.
• approved an interlocal agreement for process maps and controls and not-for-profit agencies.
• June’s Veteran of the Month is Gene Shoemaker of Warsaw. A World War II Navy veteran, he joined the Navy in 1944. His rank was radio man third class. He served until 1946 and received an honorable discharge. After the Navy, he graduated from Butler University with a pharmaceutical degree. He owned a Ligonier pharmacy.

The next meeting is at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 1. The commissioners are president Brad Jackson, Bob Conley and Ron Truex.