🔎 Miami County budget: County commissioners approved a $51 million general fund budget for 2026, featuring 4% salary increases for non-union employees and property tax relief.
⭐ Industry recognition: Two Dayton-area business owners and a chef were honored by the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance for their contributions to the state’s food and hospitality industry.
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Federal funding suspension slows Ohio manufacturing programs, including UD’s Fastlane
Leaders of the University of Dayton’s “Fastlane” consultancy to area manufacturers find themselves watching and waiting after federal funding was suspended to that and similar Buckeye State offices part of the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
• About Fastlane: Altogether, Fastlane has worked with more than 800 small- and medium-sized manufacturers since 2013. The program aims to help with an array of problems, including supply chain hiccups, quality problems, adoption of new technologies and pushing down scrap rates, among other manufacturing conundrums.
• Funding halt: A long-simmering federal audit of the Ohio Department of Development, launched in May 2024, resulted in a cessation of funds effective Dec. 5 this year. The suspension of funds appears to be centered on concerns about how finances are reported.
• What they are saying: “It’s not very fair,” Fastlane director Phil Ratermann said. “The immediacy of it is really unfortunate. We haven’t had a chance to address any problems.”
• Current operations: The non-profit Fastlane office continues to operate, with the office telling clients that current projects will be completed. But Fastlane is not accepting new clients, at least not now.
Miami County OKs $51M budget with 4% staff pay raises
Miami County commissioners have approved the county’s 2026 budget that includes 4% increases in general fund salary accounts for non-union employees.
• About the budget: It includes $51 million in general fund appropriations and $40.8 million in revenues. The overall budget is projected to increase by 3.2% in 2026.
• What they are saying: “The county budget is our roadmap for 2026,” said Commission President Ted Mercer. “As a county government we must stay on course with our fiduciary responsibilities as we provide service to our county residents.”
• Raises: The 4% for non-union salary will cost around $461,000. Additional 4% increases were also agreed to earlier for union employees in the sheriff’s office and the county Communications Center, which will be close to another $500,000.
• Upcoming projects: For 2026, projects include expansion/remodel of the county Job and Family Services building and several in the Auditor/IT Department such as replacement equipment and yearly costs for countywide document management and camera server replacement.
FREE CONTENT: Miniature replica of Wright Brothers’ home donated to Wright State University
For more than a year, model builders Helen Naughton and Jimmy Landers worked together to build a replica of the Wright Brothers’ home, Hawthorne Hill in Oakwood.
Once completed, the piece weighed approximately 300 pounds, with a length of 105 inches and a width of 54 inches. See more photos of all the details here.
What to know today
• Person to know today: LongHorn Steakhouse employee Eric Morgan has earned the title of “Grill Master Legend” after grilling more than 1 million steaks throughout his 25-year career.
• Dayton Food & Dining: Barry Bagels has opened a second location in the Dayton region, with a the new store being located in the Sugarcreek Plaza II shopping center that’s anchored by Walmart.
• Tip of the day: Families looking to stretch their budgets can find significant savings at major grocery retailers this week.
• Test your knowledge: How much do you know about U.S. immigration law?
• Thing to do: This weekend’s guide is all about keeping things simple, meaningful, and low-cost while still soaking up all the holiday cheer.
• Vintage Dayton: Unique Christmas Day front pages through the years in the Dayton Daily News.
• Athlete of the week: Caroline Roelle is a senior guard for Oakwood basketball. In her team’s three games she averaged 23.0 points and 6.7 rebounds. She set a school record with nine 3-pointers made in the Dec. 13 game against Carlisle.
• Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow set the record straight this week after making some cryptic comments during his regular midweek press conference.
• Photo of the day: A look inside Dave’s Hot Chicken in Beavercreek. Read the full story and see more photos from reporter Natalie Jones here 📷
