By HOLLY GASKILL
Adams County has agreed to allow former Wells County engineer Nate Rumschlag to return to Wells once weekly — for a price.
The interlocal agreement, approved by Wells County Council Tuesday, outlines a $1,500 weekly service fee. Rumschlag left the Wells position for Adams in November and was originally permitted to return one day per week to help with the transition.
At the time, there was discussion of working out a more permanent interlocal agreement, however, it appears those hopes have dwindled.
As Council member Todd Mahnensmith calculated, this service fee is roughly triple what would’ve been Rumschlag’s previous daily rate. “Yeah, it’s Adams County sticking it to us a little bit,” Council member Seth Whicker agreed.
However, the majority decided it was pivotal to have someone making progress on ongoing grant applications, especially someone familiar with the projects. Council member Brandon Harnish added that the money saved through these grants should significantly outweigh the money spent in the agreement.
“Even though it’s a little bit of a hard pill to swallow, do I have a motion to approve?” asked Whicker.
The interlocal agreement was approved 6-1 by the council; Whicker and council members Vicki Andrews, Scott Elzey, Harnish, Brian Lambert and Steve Huggins, who attended the meeting via Zoom, voted in favor, and Mahnensmith voted against. The agreement will not take effect until approved by the County Commissioners, whose next regular meeting is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16.
The agreement is not to exceed 90 days but permits renewal as needed. In the meantime, the county engineer position has also recently been posted on the county’s website.
holly@news-banner.com
