County Council Approves Tablet and Software Purchase Plan
From the Blackford County Council regular meeting on September 9, 2026
Blackford County Council approved a plan to buy tablets, software, and setup labor for county council members and county commissioners as officials argued over how to pay for it.
Jack Beckley said he wanted to modernize how council and commissioners handle meeting packets and other documents, cut paper use, and make materials available electronically. He said Sheriff Jim Heflin helped obtain a quote through the contact used for sheriff's office tablets. He also said Gray Cook agreed to reduce labor costs for setup work that would include email and Microsoft Word access.
Discussion centered on whether remaining ARPA money could be used. Lisa Simons and another speaker said money already assigned to other work, including tower work, could not simply be shifted. Council then turned to permit-fee money instead and approved the purchase package by roll-call vote.
Council did not clearly state a total cost in the transcript, so no final dollar amount could be confirmed from the recording alone.
Source: YouTube transcript — Blackford County - County Council Budget Review/Adoption & Regular Meeting - September 09, 2026
Some information may be inaccurate due to video audio quality.
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