8 December 2025 Dearborn County Redevelopment Meeting Notes
Livestreams can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/@DCRC-r9p
Present: Jim Deaton, Chairman, Dennis Kraus,Jr.,Tom Tepe, Trevor Bischoff, Jordan Hoffman, Jim Mansfield,Doug Baker, and Daryl Cutter (non- voting school board member)
Also present: Sue Hayden, county administrator and minute taker, Anthony Smart, attorney, Connie Fromhold, Auditor and DCRC treasurer.
The room was filled with residents from Clay Township area.
Title VI statement was read by Deaton as legally required.
EXECUTIVE SESSION @ 4:00 p.m.
IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(2)(D): For a discussion of strategy with respect to a real property transaction including: a purchase; a lease as lessor; a lease as lessee; a transfer; an exchange; or a sale; by the governing body up to the time a contract or option is executed by the parties.
IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(4)(I): Interviews and negotiations with industrial or commercial prospects or agents of industrial or commercial prospects by the governing body of a political subdivision.
IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(9): To discuss a job performance evaluation, employee specific compensation, or employment matters of individual employees. This subdivision does not apply to a general discussion of salary, compensation, or benefits of employees during a budget process.
IC § 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(19): To have communications with an attorney that are subject to the attorney client privilege
Memorandum for Executive Session
Action from Executive Session- Approved One Dearborn to go to Quarterly billing with DCRC.
HOUSEKEEPING:
Approval of Minutes for November 10, 2025 Meeting- with mending the date from September to November- Approved.
CLAIMS:
Indiana & Ohio Railway $1,582.50 for preliminary engineering June 1- July 31, 2025
Register $69.06 for Public Hearing Notice running twice;
Indiana Small Business Development Center SE $5,000.00 for support funding;
Seitz Agency $100.00 for Board Crime Policy;
Bayer & Becker $5,390.00 for Task 5B Moore Dr. construction drawings/permitting and attending meetings;
Drake Lawn $420.00 for mowing W. Aurora & W. Harrison properties.
TOTAL 12,561.56- Approved all claims- no discussion.
3. FINANCIALS – Reviewed by Board- no discussion.
7:05 PM - Rules on Public Hearing- limited to 3 minutes per attendee. Can request additional time.
PUBLIC HEARING - 2025 Clay Township US 50 Economic Development Area and Allocation Area
Open Public Hearing
Open Public Comments
Nathan Sneed - 14158 US 50 Dillsboro- met with Jim Deaton and our schools need to grow- talking about not agreeing with everything in the paperwork. Just built a house and there is sewage in front of his house. He understands these people have regulations that can determine what can go in here. Noise, traffic, etc - they can regulate that. As long as everything is sincere - it’s OK. Dillsboro in teh town is awful. He thinks this committee ( DCRC) can prevent Rumpke from putting a dump in there for example.The fact that this map wasn’t mailed to the neighbors. That’s what made people mad and worried.
Deaton responded that - DCRC can’t do anything that zoning doesn’t allow. I cannot tell you what we would do.
Jody Earn sp?- This is encompassing a very large mass of land. My land and my family’s farm 335 acres is a huge part of this. You say there is no eminent domain. What’s to say down the road the commissioners don’t change things. I do not want my land developed ever. She is out of the allocation area but not the EDA- Economic Development Area.
Woman- Kim?? Name-Lives in Lake Dilldear- Why did we not get notified. Why have the sewer if we aren’t going to have our homes. Why are these meetings going on and we are not getting letters about what is being done. We have to put an expense in our home (sewer) that we may not be able to keep.
Man- C-Name?- Kraus, Thatcher were here- There is a plan to overdevelop Dearborn County. Lot of Duke Energy and REMC- RR has done work out there. The people live here we do not want development - We moved here for quiet. This is a part of smart cities initiative. He was here for the rezoning effort. It is going to ruin Dearborn County.
Rhett Dennerline- Eminent domain- it is not correct to say that is off the table. You are creating a statutory framework for 25 years. Smart tried to refute that. Dennerline made a point that it still is part of this. You can make a continuous area without including these 600 plus acres of farms in this. You can make this a win-win. You can accomplish this without the farms. You get the risk of having this legally challenged. Trying to get a resolution that makes everybody happy.
Stephen Otte from Ohio County and Kink 101 Group- Farmed in the 1990s on. The rural qualities of this region- the beauty of this reason is the asset of this region. Asking for targeted growth - not one that creates sprawl. Takes away from Aurora and Dillsboro. Supports Debnenrline’s plan and map. TIFs along a corridor sucks investment out of towns. Tifs also -reallocates and shuffles were investment goes. People teachers, police foot the bill. We lose out on an opportunity to make towns strong. We shift this investment to developers.
Tim Benning- Dillboro Town Council president.- He affirms the towns council’s support of this TIF. It will encourage private investment in them are. Urge them to move forward with it.
Richard Dennerline- asked Jim Deaton to identify himself. My brother is they reasonable one- I urge you to adopt his proposal. Not guaranteed that this board will be here tomorrow- I have never seen TIF’s do well in interstate corridors- which is what US 50 will become like. If you have to do it- do it in the least painful way.If the funds are diverted to the TIF then the funds have to come from somewhere else for fire, schools etc. I see no good thing coming out of this. Deaton noted that they have a TIF in Dillsboro- .
Danessa Mortenson- Transparency has not been done. Don’t want to lose another school in Dillsboro- How is that going to help the school via TIF money- fire and Ems? Is there anything with residential subdivision proposed here. Frustration with the people as you know details that you are not sharing with anyone else.
EDA - Economic Development Area- shared with Council and Plan Commission. And they said it meets the comp plans.
Deaton answered all questions with a prepared statement.
Perleberg passed up a paper to the board.
Letters sent in advance were from - Amanda Black Steve Meyers Nina Hoffman Jody Herr and Tanya per Deaton - reading from Perleberg's paper.
Steve Otte- reiterated issues with the TIF going away from the town etc.
Rhett Dennerline- Gave a proposal- can you do what I asked. Can still do metes and bounds- Kraus agreed that metes and bounds could be done. Deaton said they would consider it after this public comment time was over.
C citizen who spoke before- asked why Hoffman and Kraus voted Nay for this originally.
Close Public Comments
Close Public Hearing 5:55 PM
Deaton said the Board members could answer that question now. Hoffman and Kraus Jr. had voted Nay on the Clay Township TIF.
Jordan Hoffman- I don’t have an issue with TIF on SEIData- But I do have an issue with tech scope- it goes almost all the way to Ripley County line.
Dennis Kraus, Jr.- I didn’t see a plan for where the money was going to be used. I didn’t see anyone requesting DCRC assistance.
Jordan Hoffman- asked how many parcels do not have frontage with US 50.
Kraus- said some have Spangler Rd. as frontage.
If we want to consider a reduction in TIF size do we start over?
No - only if we expand the list. Per Anthony Smart, Attorney..
Doug Baker- (having second thoughts?) Wants to TABLE to take a closer look at this to amend parcels.
Deaton- went over what would happen if they considered the alternative proposal from Dennerline.
Bischoff- moved and Baker 2nded to TABLE the resolution to consider the proposal from Dennerline - Nay was Tom Tepe All others Aye to TABLE.
Bayer Becker did parcels-Mark Rosenberger - said he could do this parcel redo in a day. Special DCRC Meeting set for December 17th at 5 PM by DCRC Board to .
6:20 PM
OLD BUSINESS
Confirmatory Resolution for Clay Township Economic Development Area and Allocation Area- TABLED till the next meeting see above.
TWG Development Project Update- ???? Not done????
NEW BUSINESS- none
Bayer Becker Report- Rosenberger needs a new task order for work he has already done. Task order #8- to provide the legal description.
West Harrison I-74 EB Ramp
West Harrison Moore Drive and Railroad Crossing
Downtown Bright Infrastructure- Hoffman- asked how much more is to do on drainage for this? Mark Rosenbergerthinks that someone from board needs to talk to St E’s regarding the drainage problem. He cannot get any further.
One Dearborn Report-
READI 2.0 Grant Update- Perleberg- Moore Dr project and Ernst and Young and IEDC.Under stage 1 review - there are 3-4 stages on this.
ATTORNEY’S REPORT- Smart said that he talked to DCRSD (Sewer Board) and they agreed that we do not owe them any money ???- No explanation. This didn’t happen at a meeting???
OTHER BUSINESS-Rhett Dennerline- thanked them for their consideration. Deaton said they would look at it seriously. He also said they do a lot of things around the county. We have tools to help.
ADJOURNMENT - 6:30 PM
Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township
