The Starke County Council and Commissioners will crunch numbers and set priorities during a special joint meeting this evening. Specifically they are looking at projects that can be funded from the County Economic Development Income Tax, or CEDIT, fund.
One project under consideration is the renovation of the Starke County Courthouse. Some money is available from the jail CEDIT, but only for uses that directly apply to criminal justice, like moving the prosecutor’s office from the basement of the old jail into the courthouse. Tuckpointing the exterior, upgrading the building’s electrical system and repainting and sealing windows on the second and third floors will have to be paid for with money in the general CEDIT account.
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver and Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler also want to use CEDIT money to improve access to the Knox Industrial Park. They’ve drafted a five-year plan aimed at making the area more attractive to potential tenants.
Before making any decisions, county government officials agreed to meet jointly, discuss the work that needs to be done and come up with a plan. That meeting will take place this evening at 5:30 at the county annex building.
