Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Greene County has the second-highest number of federal civilian workers in the Dayton region, behind Montgomery County. Efforts to downsize the federal government — with help early in the year from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — had massive impacts on the sizeable local federal workforce, as did the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
In March, a defense official told the media that some 21,000 Defense Department civilian employees had volunteered to take advantage of what was called a “Deferred Resignation Program,” after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth this year ordered a “strategic reduction” of 5% to 8% of civilian personnel.
Nearly 75% of federal workers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base were “furlough-eligible” at the start of the shutdown. In November, the installation told this newspaper that the number of furloughed employees reached 8,100 workers.
Before the Trump administration offered a deferred resignation program to federal employees this year, Wright-Patterson had about 38,000 military and civilian employees. One estimate was that 15,000 to 16,000 of those were civilians.
Xenia schoolteachers, social media, and Charlie Kirk
The Xenia school board declined to vote on whether to fire several educators who posted about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on social media.
Two teachers were the subject of a social media firestorm in September after they posted comments on their personal Facebook pages about the death of Kirk, who was shot and killed while on stage at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
The two teachers were placed on administrative leave Sept. 17, though ultimately kept their jobs after significant public backlash. The Xenia superintendent, who is in charge of personnel discipline, determined that they — in addition to a third teacher later added to the disciplinary report for the same infraction — would be placed on unpaid administrative leave for two weeks, required to sign a “last chance” agreement and issue a public apology.
The Dayton Daily News reached out to more than 30 local school districts and found several where teachers are facing calls for discipline over comments made in the wake of Kirk’s death.
Greene County Jail completed
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
After nearly five years of planning, securing of funding, and construction, the new Greene County Gene Fischer Correctional Center was completed in November. The jail is not only a long-awaited public service, but memorializes a well-loved public servant.
After a sales tax issue that would have funded the jail was rejected in 2020 and 2021, the county commission ultimately paid for the jail from a combination of sources, including a $15 million state grant, $30 million from sales tax-funded bonds, $10 million from American Rescue Plan Act funds and $20 million from the county’s general fund.
Construction began in 2023, and the cost of the jail came in at about $66 million, county documents show.
The new jail has 287 beds, bringing the county up to 508 correctional beds across its facilities and functions. The new campus also houses the Sheriff’s Office administration, coroner’s office, and other county functions.
The corrections center is named after Gene Fischer, the longtime Greene County sheriff who served in the position from June 2003 until his unexpected passing on Nov. 16, 2021. With a nearly 40-year career in law enforcement, realizing a new county jail was much of Fischer’s work before his death.
Wright-Patterson double murder-suicide
In the early morning of Oct. 25, 34-year-old Jacob Prichard killed his wife, Jaymee Prichard, 33, and their Wright-Patterson Air Force Base co-worker, 1st. Lt. Jaime Gustitus, 25, before shooting and killing himself in the parking lot of the West Milton government center, according to police.
Jacob Prichard reportedly went to 1641 Honey Tree Place in Sugarcreek Twp. and broke into Gustitus’ apartment around 2 a.m., according to police. He shot and killed Gustitus and then fled. At 4:22 a.m., Jacob Prichard arrived at his next known location, the West Milton Municipal Building. He got out of his car, opened the trunk where his wife was found dead and took his own life, according to West Milton police. His death was captured on exterior security cameras.
It’s unknown when Jaymee Prichard was killed.
The Dayton Daily News found that one of two Sugarcreek Twp. police officers who responded to the scene the night of the double murder-suicide resigned after being placed on administrative leave.
Sgt. Doug Evans was placed on paid administrative leave Oct. 28, and resigned from the department the next day. Township authorities said he was one of two officers who responded to the scene of Gustitus’ murder the night of Oct. 25, but did not enter the apartment.
Both Jaymee Prichard and Gustitus were remembered by their families as loving, compassionate women who cared for their community and country.
Jaymee Prichard graduated from Centerville High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s of business administration from Wright State University, “all while working full-time and excelling as a mother,” her family wrote in her obituary.
She worked for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson as a finance specialist, her family wrote.
Jaime Gustitus grew up in Novi, Michigan, with three brothers and two sisters. She attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she graduated with a bachelor’s of science in operations research, according to her obituary. Gustitus also completed her master’s degree in operations analysis from the Air Force Institute of Technology, where she served as an Operations Analysis Officer.
Property tax controversy
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Rising property values in recent years have hit local taxpayers with spikes in their property tax bill, leading to frustration and calls for reform. While state and local agencies have put forward packages of reforms and sent them to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk.
However, some say it’s not enough. A proposed amendment to Ohio’s constitution that would abolish property taxes entirely has gained steam among local voters and across the state. If it gains enough signatures, the measure will appear before voters in 2026.
Frustration over property taxes shaped major local elections, including those in Beavercreek, this past November, with many candidates for city and school board offices placing the issue at top billing on their platforms.
Additionally, the Greene County Commission rolled back a portion of its property taxes collected, urging other entities to follow.
Dayton Daily News reporting found that factors such as the so-called “20-mill floor” was allowing for massive tax increases. One area woman saw a 32% tax hike without any vote from residents.
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