By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
A large – and ever-growing – logjam under the Jackson St. Bridge in Decatur will be removed as soon as a contractor can find time to get the job done.
The bridge is owned by Adams County government.
Adams County Engineer Nate Rumschlag told WZBD.com: “I actually sent an email out last week to my contractor with a list of six different bridges with logjams that need removed. This is No. 2 on my priority list, but, unfortunately, everyone is busy so it is not likely to happen this month even.”
“I hate to see it get this bad, but, thankfully, with the inter-local agreement (with the City of Decatur) this is far less costly than it would be otherwise.”
Rumschlag, a former city engineer with Decatur, is referring to an inter-local agreement which was finalized when he attended the August 4 meeting of Decatur ‘s board of works and safety.
According to the agreement, the debris taken from under the bridge – and others in the city which the county owns – will be taken to the nearby city compost pile and ground up.
“This give us something to work from,” Rumschlag told city council, referring to the agreement. “I think it really makes sense.”
OWNERSHIP: That the county owns the Jackson St. Bridge in Decatur is a bit of a surprise..
“In state law there are provisions regarding the Cumulative Bridge portion of the property tax,” Rumschlag explained.
“Because Adams County has a Cumulative Bridge tax/fund, any bridge is the responsibility of the county with the tax. Since this tax is collected on those inside and outside of city limits, it’s the state’s way of sharing the responsibility since we are collecting from the cities.”
It is worth noting, he added, that under state code a bridge is anything with a span of 20 feet or greater.
“As of now there are six different bridges inside of Decatur that we cooperate on,” he closed.
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