Participating in the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce’s virtual legislative update on Thursday, May 25, were State Sen. Ryan Mishler, top left corner; State Rep. Craig Snow, top right corner; and State. Rep. David Abbott, bottom right corner. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Leaders shared details about local nonprofit OrthoWorx obtaining $30 million from the state.

In the third Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce virtual legislative update of the year on Thursday, May 25, State. Sen. Ryan Mishler and State. Rep. Craig Snow talked in part about the orthopedic support organization receiving the funds.

“(Regarding the monies) we would be able to go to the budget committee starting July 1, 2024 … It will give us a year to plan and build those plans out, and the specific purpose for those are to attract and retain talent for the orthopedic industry,” said Snow.

“Those are to be used for capital projects specific to quality of life, again trying to attract the talent and retain that talent that we have here,” he added.

Snow also said he recently met with U.S. Sen. Todd Young and U.S. Reps. Rudy Yakym and Jim Banks in Washington, D.C., “in terms of what can we do from a federal way … to match what the state has said they will invest in.”

“The goal of that $30 million as (Indiana Secretary of Commerce) Brad Chambers and I have spoken is to get a 10 to 1 match when it’s all said and done, and so our goal by way of messaging is to use that $30 million to say we want to get $300 million from investments from developers, industries that want to come to Kosciusko County to start up,” he said.

Mishler, who serves as the current chairman of the budget committee, noted he discussed toward the very end of the legislative session with State. Rep. Jeff Thompson, who also serves on the committee, adding in the economic development funds of which the $30 million is part.

“It was a Sunday night the last weekend before the budget. I just felt like we weren’t hitting the right things, and I just went in … with $180 million of economic development,” he said. “I said, ‘The reason we had a billion and a half more to spend is because of all these investments we’ve made over the last 10 years, and we’re sitting here on our priorities of these little things here and there, and to spend this money,’ but the things we had in there weren’t there to generate more.”

He said he knew Snow had been trying to obtain funds for the orthopedic industry for several years. Mishler then worked with Snow to iron out exactly what the $30 million was for.

Mishler reiterated what Snow had said about using the money to get a larger investment.

“You get to 10 to 1; I think we set the world on fire, so that’s the goal of the $30 million is to draw more in,” he said.

Mishler explained OrthoWorx will ultimately present to the state budget committee after “everybody decides what the best use is and the development and the match.”

After the committee consents to the plan and an agreement is worked out with the state, only then will “the money be distributed,” he said, which should be in several phases.

“So it’s not just we’re writing a blank check to this. I mean there’s checks and balances,” said Mishler.

Other Topics

During the legislative update, Snow also briefly discussed the separate $2 million Warsaw Municipal Airport is receiving from the state.

“That will be used for … that executive taxiway. We’ve got to replace that cement,” he said.

State Rep. David Abbott also spoke during the update, including about how leaders agreed to raise the starting pay for state police to $70,000.

He and Mishler also dispelled rumors that have surfaced that they are leaving the Indiana General Assembly soon.