Kosciusko County joined OrthoWorx as a member in 2012. Engagement at the county level is of the utmost importance in order to establish the Orthopedic Capital of the World® not only as the City of Warsaw alone, but the region surrounding it.
The County government brings a breadth of knowledge to OrthoWorx as an organization. The structure of the government consists of County Commissioners and County Councilmen. County Commissioners are a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government. There are three county commissioners representing the Northern, Central and Southern districts of the county with each serving a four-year term. Some duties of the Commissioners include maintaining property owned by the county, authorizing claims for payment by the county, receiving bids and authorizing contracts, maintenance of roads and bridges, furthering economic development, adopting county employee policies and other duties that aid in the operation of the county government. The County Council is made up of seven Councilmen, of which four represent specific districts and three represent the county at large. Some of their duties include approving budgets of the different county government departments, holding hearings to adopt county budgets and tax rates, approving grants received by the county, holding hearings to review library capital projects for various libraries throughout the county and serving on various county-wide boards and committees, such as the Convention and Visitors Commission or the Wage Committee.
Over the past several years, there have been many positive changes in the county. Among the most memorable are the construction of the world’s largest fully-integrated soybean processing and biodiesel plant (Louis Dreyfus) facility in Claypool, the weather station being built in North Webster, creating a TIF district for Maple Leaf Farms expansion and the current TruPointe fertilizer hub project in Milford, which have all brought jobs and commerce to the county. The construction of the first round-a-bouts in the county on West Lake Street in Warsaw may change the way the county and local governments look at problem intersections in the future. One of the most noticeable improvements that took place during this time has been the remodeling and expansion of the Kosciusko County Justice Building. The court system was expanded from two to five courtrooms and the jail capacity increased from approximately 90 beds to over 200. These advancements have not only helped the economic state of our county, but they have also helped our county grow more vibrant as a community.
Brad Jackson, County Commissioner, currently serves as the County representative on the OrthoWorx Strategic Advisory Board. This board provides guidance on the organization’s current and future projects and initiatives. He is currently in his fifth term as the Northern District Kosciusko County Commissioner and is an owner of T.L. Jackson Construction in Syracuse.
