County group partnering with Playhouse for events

The Brown County Redevelopment Commission is giving one-sixth of its budget for 2019 to the Brown County Playhouse in a fee-for-service arrangement.

The Playhouse had asked for donations from individuals and government bodies in 2018 to help the 70-year-old theater stay afloat. Brown County RDC President Jim Kemp worked out a fee-for-service agreement with Playhouse leaders, by which that $5,000 bought five times that the RDC could use the downtown theater for some sort of event.

The $5,000 donation from the RDC’s 2019 budget will buy five event slots in 2020. The RDC also gave $5,000 to the Playhouse in 2018, which would pay for five event slots in 2019.

The first 2019 event will be Wednesday, Jan. 23, jointly hosted by the RDC and the Brown County Community Foundation at the Playhouse. Starting at 5 p.m., RDC members will share information and gather comments from residents about the county’s future economic plans, and the foundation will lead discussion about possible community projects to submit for grant funding.

RDC members agreed last week that one of their goals for 2019 will be to develop a series of free presentations centered around leadership and collaboration, hopefully to be led by speakers in a variety of industries. They’d like to see local people attend those sessions as well as company and community leaders from surrounding counties. That could help to brand Brown County as a place for creative thought, said RDC President Jim Kemp. New RDC member Terry Foy was put in charge of this project.

The RDC receives a budget of $30,000 per year from the county.

CVB budget projected to not be reduced this year

The Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s budget may not be reduced in 2019 as previously thought, due to a rollover of innkeepers tax from 2018.

According to budget projections which CVB Executive Director Jane Ellis presented to the Brown County Convention and Visitors Commission on Jan. 10, $363,656 is available for use in 2019 that was rolled over from innkeepers tax collected last year.

The 5-percent innkeepers tax, which overnight guests pay, funds the CVB’s work of promoting Brown County has a tourist destination. That revenue also has been pledged as a backup payment source if the under-construction, government-owned Maple Leaf Performing Arts Center does not make enough to cover its own mortgage payments.

For 2019, $21,000 of innkeepers tax is being set aside for the Maple Leaf and the CVC to help pay interest on Maple Leaf mortgage payments if needed.

An additional $275,000 is being set aside to cover a mortgage payment for the Maple Leaf if needed. The CVB’s budget is set to be $712,500, like in years before.

Ellis said she used the amount of innkeepers tax collected monthly in 2018 for the 2019 projection. The December innkeepers tax collection is not yet in, but the amount collected so far for 2018 is $803,048.

On Ellis’ projection sheet, $918,900.63 is expected to be collected in innkeepers tax this year.

“I’m looking at 2020 for a budget cut for the CVB instead of 2019. I think we’ll have a better idea after 2019 to know what Maple Leaf really needs. If you look at this (2020 projection) for Maple Leaf, this is a very conservative projection,” she said.

“This is Maple Leaf needing everything for (mortgage) payments. As you know, we’re hoping that is not going to be the case. This is worst-case scenario.”

In 2019, only one mortgage payment will be due. Two will be due in 2020.

Ellis said she did put a 10-percent increase on the fourth quarter of the year based on projections that the Maple Leaf will bring in extra innkeepers tax after it opens later this year.

The Brown County Council approved the CVC’s budget at $800,000 for 2019.

Maple Leaf Management Group accepts new member

The Brown County Convention and Visitors Commission unanimously voted to let President Kevin Ault and member Barry Herring serve as their representatives on the Maple Leaf Management Group at the Jan. 10 meeting.

Ault and Herring serve as co-presidents of the Maple Leaf Management Group. The management group is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the 2,000-seat Maple Leaf Performing Arts Center music venue, including construction, marketing and staffing. The Maple Leaf will open later this year.

At the Jan. 8 management group meeting, members unanimously voted to approve new member Mike Lafferty as a replacement for Dena Patrick, whose term was up at the end of 2018. She submitted her resignation at the end of last year to focus on her family.

Town, county to work on sharing agreements

The Brown County Commissioners and the Nashville Town Council will be working together to finalize two different sharing arrangements, for fuel usage and office space.

The town has expressed interest in going in together with the county on fuel for government vehicles. Brown County Highway Superintendent Mike Magner told the commissioners on Jan. 16 that adding the town onto their fuel plan would not change quantities greatly. He said right now they order fuel once a month, but adding the town may mean they do short orders in between.

Nashville Utility Coordinator Sean Cassiday estimated that using the county’s wholesale-rate fuel instead of paying at the pumps like everybody else would save the town 20 to 30 cents per gallon, maybe more for diesel.

The county also has expressed interest in moving its Community Corrections office to the Nashville Police Department, which has excess space. If Community Corrections moves into Nashville, that would free up its current space in Veterans Hall at Deer Run Park for Brown County Parks and Recreation to move into. The current parks office at Deer Run has issues with flooding and mold.

Community Corrections is mostly grant funded, and the Nashville Police aren’t looking for a monetary trade, but rather a trade of services, such as providing providing the police department with IT assistance, the commissioners said.

Commissioners meeting date to change in February

The Brown County Commissioners will meet on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. instead of their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 9 a.m.

The meeting had to be moved due to a conflict with the Association of Indiana Counties Legislative Conference on Feb. 5 and 6. Many elected officials, including the commissioners, will attend that conference.

Commissioners considering advertising for grant writer

The Brown County Commissioners are considering advertising for a local grant writer who would be responsible for grants that don’t come from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The county already has a writer in place for the OCRA grants, said commissioner Diana Biddle.

Biddle mentioned multiple grant opportunities that the county could be interested in, including a state trail grant, a grant for parks and recreation and an Indiana Landmarks grant.

No decision was made on whether or not to advertise for this person.

The last time the county had a grant writer on staff was four years ago. Nashville resident Mike Thompson used to write grants as the county administrator. His $60,000-a-year job was eliminated in early 2015 as a cost-saving move, and the commissioners hired a $30,000-per-year office manager instead who did not have the same responsibilities.