The Rush County Commissioners again conducted business with a Rushville Elementary School third grade class in attendance Monday morning. As a result of the expanded numbers watching the proceedings, the county leaders tended to business in the Assembly Room.

ECDC director Brad Buening was the first to address the trio of Tom Barnes, Marvin Cole and Ken Masters and gave his activity report for the first quarter of 2008.

Buening said his office is currently working on a list of 10 potential businesses seeking to locate or relocate their operations in coming months. Due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations and individual requirements of the business inquiries, the businesses were not identified by name. Buening also indicated every effort is being made to keep a business from relocating an expansion project to nearby Shelby County.

During the fall of 2007, Cranewerks in Arlington indicated it was seeking to expand its operations. A planned ground breaking in the rural community has since been put on hold. It was learned that Shelby County offered tax abatements in an attempt to lure the business to an existing building in the Morristown area. According to Buening, the company currently employees 31 with plans to expand in the next five years.

In other business, Rush County Solid Waste Director Carole Yeend updated the commissioners on the success of Saturday’s Goose Road clean-up project in Ripley Township.

Yeend also informed the commissioners of the next eScrap collection that will take place April 26. Read more on the eScrap collection in Thursday’s edition of the Rushville Republican.

Yeend also gained the county’s blessing to institute a “paper only” recycling program at the courthouse.

“We will get a plan together and make this happen,” commissioner president Barnes told Yeend.

Next to speak was county EMA coordinator Mike Ooley.

According to Ooley, his department was recently made aware of available funds to purchase tornado warning sirens. He said the necessary paperwork will be submitted in an effort to gain 13 sirens. The cost of the potentially life saving alert systems is $220,000.

In another matter, and acting on a recommendation from Ooley, the county and the Indiana State Police will partner and pool equipment in the event of a major disaster or in a time of need. It is anticipated that state Homeland Security Funds will be used to gain the necessary equipment.

In a final matter, the county leaders declined to act on a request from Fountaintown Gas to relinquish GIS information of county residences. According to county attorney Leigh Morning, nearby Shelby and Hancock counties simply do not freely give out that information. During an earlier commissioners meeting it was learned that the city pays the county a $750 fee for access to the same information.

“The information belongs to Rush County taxpayers and not Fountaintown Gas,” Barnes said at the earlier meeting.

“We do not currently have a policy in place to give or sell information to a for profit entity. I am not sure that we should freely give information to a business that will make money off of that decision and information,” Barnes said.