Article by Gary Bridgman, White River Now
Batesville Mayor Rick Elumbaugh welcomed new Independence County Judge Kevin Jeffery to the monthly Mayor’s Community Meeting at the Batesville Community Center Thursday night. Jeffery was the main speaker for the January meeting.
The new judge spoke briefly about some of the projects currently underway in the county, including the expansion of the Independence County Senior Citizens Center and a possible 50-bed increase at the county jail. Jeffery also said the county has a new Office of Emergency Management (OEM) director, Bill Johnson.
Other projects discussed by Jeffery included:
- Work on the Departee Creek project, as well as bridge projects at Big Creek and on the Bayou Trail.
- The status of the former county health department building.
- The purchase of a truck dedicated to repairing potholes.
- The addition of an OEM response vehicle.
- Road work at the Independence Stave Company location that is currently under development at Locust Grove.
Elumbaugh made note of a city project that will soon be receiving attention — an expansion of the water plant. The mayor told the audience at the meeting that the expansion was due because the water plant is currently operating at 80% capacity.
I believe the main takeaway from the mayor’s first meeting of 2023 was the apparent need and desire of the city and the county to each work together in the future, something that didn’t often happen in previous years.
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