Kosciusko Council Regretfully Accepts Truex’s Resignation
WARSAW — Rarely does a forced resignation result in a room full of regret, but with former Commissioner Ron Truex’s, it was just that. Thursday night, Oct. 12, Kosciusko County Council voted unanimously “with regret” to accept Truex’s resignation at the Kosciusko County Court.
Council member Joni Truex was the first to say “with regret” as she raised her hand to accept the resignation. Soon after, president Jon Garber echoed her remarks.
After 17 years, Truex was forced to put in his resignation after “it was brought to (his) attention this past week that…[his home] is located in the southern district of the county.” It was a fluke at most as Truex moved into the house “built nearly 70 years ago” by his wife’s grandfather “in the middle of [Kosciusko] County.”
Several members of the community came out to share their appreciation of Truex’s years of service including Mayor Joe Thallemer. “I will dearly miss his leadership,” stated Thallemer, “and I just think it’s important to understand just how important the job he’s done is. I do look back and do want everyone to understand how critical his leadership has been in this community.”
Prior to Truex’s resignation, the board approved a $35,000 grant for 2018 Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Program. Originally, Ed Rock, a member of the incident management team of the Kosciusko County Emergency Management Agency, requested a $30,000 grant but requested the 5,000 increase to cover of technician training. Training for technicians will be “a step towards reinstituting a hazmat team,” according to Rock.
Rock stated that an estimated 20 people will go through technician training while 35 will be trained in awareness or operations. The grant will cover 80 percent of the training expenses with the rest being covered by a soft match.
In other news:
- Kosciusko County Jail has maxed out its population at 316, requesting an additional $60,000 appropriation to cover additional meals. The jail has served an additional 70,000 meals from Oct. 12, 2016 to Oct. 12, 2017. The board approved.
- Kosciusko Sheriff’s Department requested $28,000 “Pullover Grant” to cover costs for extra patrols for the 19th straight year. The board approved.
- The board approved a $4,000 grant to the Drug Prosecution for a drug case management system for the Warsaw Police Department. The board approved.