Steuben County to consider joining Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority; ordinance to be prepared

Tom Leedy, president of the DEKKO Foundation, and John Stafford, a steering‑committee member, presented a proposal to form a Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) to pursue Regional Cities grant funding and a coordinated regional development strategy.

Leedy and Stafford explained the RDA is the mechanism for submitting projects to the state under the Regional Cities Initiative, which provides state matching funds for locally driven projects. They said the regional objective includes forming the RDA, identifying world‑class projects, and competing in the grant contest; they urged Steuben County to adopt an ordinance by June 15 so the region can meet the July 1 submission deadline. The presenters listed local candidate projects — including the Enterprise Center, technology park ideas, county park improvements, rural broadband connections and trail links — and said funding decisions among participating governments would be made by interlocal agreement.

Council members asked about prior regional planning work and the role of Region III‑A; Stafford said recent regional planning informed the project list. The council agreed to have the auditor prepare a draft ordinance to appear on the June 9 council agenda so the county can consider joining the RDA; no formal vote to join was recorded at this meeting.