Wells County Council approves multiple appropriations, moves forward with MUST Taskforce and broadband compliance

The Wells County Council on May 6, 2026, approved a series of budget adjustments and administrative items and voted to proceed with a Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce on local income tax distribution.

Council President Seth Whicker opened the meeting at the Wells County Carnegie Annex and the council approved minutes from the April 7, 2026, regular session. A succession of motions followed approving additional appropriations: for the Commissioner budget and for Soil & Water (both in the General fund), for Emergency Management (General fund), and for the IGIO Seed Grant fund. Each appropriation motion passed on a recorded motion and second and was reported in the minutes as “motion carried 6-0.”

The council also approved an additional appropriation tied to CCMG 2026-01 Harrison 1059 and an interlocal agreement with the City of Bluffton to provide matching funds. The agreement as presented assigns each jurisdiction 50% of the required match, and the combined match was described as not expected to exceed $50,000.

Five CF-1 compliance forms submitted by Heartland REMC for broadband projects were presented; Heartland representative Nick Caley was available for questions. The council approved all five CF-1 forms by motion.

Council President Seth Whicker outlined the Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce (MUST) process and the statutory submission timeline, noting that “If an agreement is reached, it must be submitted to the DLGF, which will compile and report the agreements to the Legislative Council by December 1, 2026.” The motion to move forward with the MUST passed 6-0.

On assessments, Whicker suggested Council discuss with Assessor Laura Roberts whether artificial intelligence tools could be used to review property valuations to help ensure the county’s valuations are credible. That suggestion was recorded as a discussion item; no directive or formal action was taken at the meeting.

During the public-comment period, Roger Thornton urged the council to allow the Sheriff’s flock-camera expenses to be paid from the Sheriff general fund instead of the Commissary fund, arguing commissary funds could instead support recidivism-reduction programs. Blake Gerber updated the council on a Regional Sewer District proposal that would place a district employee on the county payroll (wages and benefits paid up front by the county and reimbursed annually by the district), noting such an arrangement would require an interlocal agreement similar to existing solid-waste arrangements.

Votes at a glance: • Approval of minutes (April 7, 2026): Motion by Todd Mahnensmith; seconded by Brian Lambert. Motion carried 6-0. • Additional appropriation — Commissioner budget (General fund): Motion by Brian Lambert; seconded by Brandon Harnish. Motion carried 6-0. • Additional appropriation — Soil & Water (General fund): Motion by Todd Mahnensmith; seconded by Brian Lambert. Motion carried 6-0. • Additional appropriation — Emergency Management (General fund): Motion by Brandon Harnish; seconded by Scott Elzey. Motion carried 6-0. • Additional appropriation — IGIO Seed Grant fund: Motion by Brian Lambert; seconded by Todd Mahnensmith. Motion carried 6-0. • CCMG 2026-01 Harrison 1059 additional appropriation and Interlocal Agreement with City of Bluffton (50% match each; combined match not expected to exceed $50,000): Motion by Steve Huggins; seconded by Scott Elzey. Motion carried 6-0. • Approval of five Heartland REMC CF-1 compliance forms: Motion by Brandon Harnish; seconded by Steve Huggins. Motion carried 6-0. • Move forward with Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce (MUST): Motion by Scott Elzey; seconded by Steve Huggins. Motion carried 6-0. • Adjournment: Motion by Scott Elzey; seconded by Brandon Harnish. Motion carried 6-0.

The council meeting minutes record each motion as “motion carried 6-0.” The minutes do not record individual roll-call votes read aloud; the minutes list the members present and that the tally for motions was 6-0. Auditor Lisa McCormick is listed as attending and is identified in the minutes as the county auditor; the meeting record does not indicate the auditor cast votes in these motions. The meeting adjourned at 6:22 p.m.

Next steps noted in the minutes include implementing the approved appropriations and processing the interlocal agreement with the City of Bluffton; the MUST process requires further follow-up if the county and city reach a LIT distribution agreement that will be submitted to the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF).