The overall goal of presentations was to highlight major changes, staff additions, new projects and capital, said Charlotte Colley, the commissioners’ administrator.
Commission President Ted Mercer said the commissioners have strived to better the pay for county employees and are working on some needed building projects.
Among those projects is the county Fairgrounds Grandstand renovations now underway and construction of a county-owned One Stop Shop for vehicle-related service. Those services now are located in a building in Troy leased by agencies including the county Auto Title office and Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
The commissioners also deciding how the county will spend more than $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, dollars received the past two years.
Overall, however, Mercer said the commissioners need “to take a hard look at” other requested spending.
Discussion over a two-week period included comments about the need for a county fleet management program versus departments being responsible for ensuring maintenance is done. Commissioner Wade Westfall also asked for the number of vehicles the county owns, adding, “I have no clue” about the size of that number.
Sheriff Dave Duchak was among those meeting with commissioners to discuss his budget, which includes a request for added money for fuel — a common request in budgets due to increases — and a new SWAT vehicle to replace a 1980s model.
The SWAT vehicle, with an estimated $286,000 price tag, has been proposed for ARPA funding rather than the general fund.
Duchak said an order for six new cruisers placed in February was recently canceled by the dealer, so 12 new cruisers will be purchased.
“We are doing everything we can to get cars,” he said.
The price for the six ordered earlier in the year has increased by $5,400 each, he said.
The general fund budget includes a number of grants from the commissioners to organizations, which next year have an estimated budget of more than $2.75 million.
Some grants are mandated by the state, such as children’s services, $1,123,000, and children with handicaps, $262,594. Others are not mandated and include, among others, the county transit operation, which receives $240,000 and the Ohio State University Extension with requested support of $257,453.
The county Victim Witness program services through the prosecutor’s office has seen a large cut in funding from the Victims of Crime Act through the state Attorney General’s Office, said Carmen Barhorst, program director, and Prosecutor Tony Kendell.
From $224,229 in 2019-20, the VOCA funding for 2022-23 is $102,052. The county grant for the program next year is proposed at $82,796.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com
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