Several appointments for county offices and organizations for the new year were approved at Tuesday’s Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting.

The 2014 appointments are:

• Alcohol Beverage Commission – Gordon Vanator
• Area Planning Commission – Dan Richard
• Area Planning board – Bob Conley
• Arrowhead RC & D – Stanley Moore
• Board of Zoning Appeals – Charlie Haffner and Lee Harman
• County Administrator – Ron Robinson
• County Attorney – Mike Miner
• Kosciusko Convention, Recreation and Visitor’s Commission – Kristy Plikerd
• County highway superintendent – Scott Tilden
• Drainage board – Ron Truex and Don Goon
• GIS – Bill Holder
• Homeland Security/LEP – Ed Rock
• KEDCo – Ron Truex
• Nappanee Public Library Board – Angela Pletcher-Stillson
• Syracuse Public Library Board – Cynthia Thornburg
• OrthoWorx – Brad Jackson
• PTABOA – Gerald “Jake” Bitner, Kristy Mayer and Phil Beer
• Public Defender’s Board – John Hall, Alan Alderfer and Steve Harris
• County Redevelopment Commission – Max Courtney, Bruce Woodward and Henry DeJulia
• St. Joe River Basin – John Roberts
• System Administrato – Bob Momeyer
• Veterans Service Officer – Rich Maron
• Wage Committee – Brad Jackson
• Weights and Measures – Larry Marner
• WCDC – Bob Conley

Two grants were approved for the emergency management department. Both are federal grants administered through the state. The first grant is for $48,000 and is for management incident training, as well as other specific training. A reimbursement grant, the grant covers District 2, including Kosciusko County.

The second grant, for $9,268.40, is for a mobile data connectivity system for the sheriff’s department. “It holds that connectivity, so they (officers) don’t have to sign back in every time,” said Ed Rock, director of the county’s emergency management department.

Rock stressed anyone who had damage from a storm last month should report it. Residents are urged to report any damage online at www.in.gov/. Three tornadoes swept through a portion of Kosciusko County Nov. 17 causing serious damage to several homes and businesses. In order for a state of emergency declaration to be determined by President Obama, the damage must meet a certain criteria. So far, the declaration has been denied.

Rock reported the Tippecanoe River clean-up project was delayed due to deer and duck hunting, but will resume eventually.

A proposal for an automated payroll software system for the county was approved. The cost for the system is $20,000. Commissioner Ron Truex noted the new automated payroll system, “will save us (money) in the long run.” County Auditor Marsha McSherry said the sheriff’s department has been using the system for more than a year with no problems.

Two inter-local agreements between the county and two organizations were approved. The grants are in order for the county auditor to be the controller of two organizations in 2014. The first agreement is with KCCRVC and the second agreement is with Kosciusko County Solid Waste District.

Commissioner Bob Conley commended Tilden and the highway department for keeping the county roads plowed during the weekend after a winter storm dumped several inches of snow. “I saw plows everywhere I went,” Conley said. “They did a good job.”

In other news, the board:

• Signed a final recommendation for INDOT accepting phase four of road work conducted on Old U.S. 30, from the Walnut Creek bridge to the Zimmer Road roundabout.

Due to the holidays, the next meeting is at 9 a.m. Monday, at the county courthouse in Warsaw. County commissioners are President Truex, Conley and Brad Jackson.