Commissioners move $905,000 to Monroe County Nature Preserve from food-and-beverage plan

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners approved a revised written plan to use food‑and‑beverage tax proceeds for a $905,000 Monroe County Nature Preserve project.

Staff explained the action is a state‑required filing under Indiana Code 6‑9‑41‑14 and reflects prior advisory commission conversation about applying tourism-related funds to make the preserve accessible to residents and visitors. Commissioners said the preserve meets statutory eligibility as a tourist attraction and that the county councils decision to reduce the GO bond request required moving the preserve project to food‑and‑beverage funding.

After a brief question period and no public comment, the board voted 3‑0 to approve the revised written plan. The item will be presented to the food-and‑beverage tax advisory commission the day after the meeting.

Why it matters: Food‑and‑beverage tax proceeds are restricted to tourism‑related projects under state law; moving this preserve project to that funding stream allows the county to proceed without using GO bond dollars.

What's next: Staff will file the required state paperwork and present the plan to the food‑and‑beverage advisory commission.