Ambulance is a go despite tax payback

In spite of recently learning that they owe more than $1 million to a Mount Vernon industry in overpaid taxes, Posey County is set to have its fourth ambulance up and running, possibly by the end of the month.
The Posey County Commissioners recently approved a proposal for a fourth ambulance, to be located in Marrs township. Concern was raised in the past about the ambulance housed in Poseyville sharing time in the Marrs area. This concern prompted the county to do an ambulance study, to evaluate number of runs and if a fourth unit was needed.
Once the study was completed, the county received their answer — a new ambulance was needed.
The commissioners took their proposal for a new ambulance and funds to staff the unit to the Posey County Council for an additional appropriation. The council approved the additional funding, as did the Department of Local Government Finance, and the new unit will soon be in place.
Earlier this month, the discovery that SABIC and GE had paid more than $1 million in tax overpayments due to over-assessments in 2006-09 and that the county had to repay that money put a question in the mind of some as to the future of the fourth ambulance.
However, according to Adam Farrar, attorney for the Posey County Council, SABIC and GE have been great to work with on the payback arrangement, and the companies are giving the county until 2017 to pay back the money.
SABIC is owed the bulk of the pay-back, at $1,070,629.87, and GE is due $515,666.61.

Poseyville to get new truck
Mike Crawford, Poseyville Fire Chief, and his crew will soon be in possession of a new rescue truck. Crawford said the old truck is outdated and presents a safety issue. The truck is so outdated that the department will retire the truck and not sell it to another department.
The grant, which was given by the Indiana Department of Community and Rural Affairs, is for $150,000 and will help build a truck that Crawford hopes will be in service for the next 30 years. Crawford said the truck will have necessary lighting and will operate with fewer people due to a lack of volunteers.
Crawford said that the truck was a dire need and the process of receiving a grant having taken four years only made things worse. But now, the department can get started on the process of building the new truck.