Dr. Theodore H. Bowlus, Doris I. Herringshaw, Ed.D., President, and Craig LaHote
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Wood County Commissioners
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As summer comes to a close and fall begins, we hope you and your family created many warm weather memories to share for years to come. In this edition, we have a variety of important topics to share with you.
If you didn't have a chance to stop by and chat with us at the fair, you are always welcome to attend a session on either Tuesday or Thursday mornings at 9:15 a.m. Another opportunity is our Town Hall Meetings. We will soon schedule and announce these meetings for 2019.
On October 28 at 2:00 p.m. in the Alvin L. Perkins Atrium at the Wood County Courthouse Complex, the 2018 Spirit of Wood County Awards will be presented to honor residents of Wood County in seven categories. Please join us for this special ceremony! If you were unable to nominate someone deserving of this prestigious award, you will have another opportunity in 2019. We thank all who help make Wood County great!
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Allocation of Funds for Road and Bridge Improvements
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On July 30, we announced that we will transfer $2,100,000 to a fund that will be used to assist the County Engineer, John Musteric to build and repair county bridges and roads. Additionally, we agreed to dedicate $200,000 of county sales tax revenue annually for five years ($1,000,000 total) to add to the new fund. Clerk of Courts Cindy Hofner also committed $100,000 by transferring revenue from the Title Fund. For the initial transfer, $1,800,000 will come from the Wood County Building Inspection cash balance, while $300,000 will come from the conveyance fee that is used to fund the Wood County Office of Economic Development.
In May of this year, following two public hearings that included a presentation on the health of county roads and bridges by Mr. Musteric, we approved a $5 increase to the county vehicle license fee. This increase will become effective January 1, 2019, and will generate approximately $650,000 annually. When this fee increase was approved we stated that we would review the cash balances of some county departments to determine if additional funding could be made available to the Engineer for roads and bridges. By combining the new vehicle license fee revenue with the funds transferred from us and Clerk of Courts, over the next five years the Engineer will have new funding of approximately $6,450,000 to build and repair county bridges and roads.
The Building Inspection cash balance, generated from permit fees, had a balance of $3.8 million, amounting to more than two years of current operating costs. With three large-scale industrial projects being announced in Wood County within the past four months we anticipate that permit revenue will again outpace expenditures for 2018. The Building Inspection cash balance has grown due to good management and the sheer volume of Building Inspection permit fees generated over many years. The construction climate in Wood County continues to be robust, especially with commercial and industrial projects. We believe that putting this excess revenue to work repairing and building road and bridges is an excellent investment in Wood County.
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COMMISSIONERS URGE NO VOTE ON STATE ISSUE 1
On October 25, 2018, we passed a resolution stating our opposition to State Issue 1, the proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution. We urge citizens to vote NO on Issue 1 because, if passed, we believe it will expose citizens across Ohio to increased substance abuse activity, place an undue burden on Wood County taxpayers who will be obligated to pay for treatment services mandated by the new law, further burden county taxpayers who will bear the cost of re-sentencing previously convicted offenders, and attract additional criminal drug activity to Ohio.
Additionally, we believe placing this issue in the Ohio Constitution is poor government. The fight against illegal opioid and substance abuse is being waged on many fronts - Issue 1 will decimate any progress made to this point, and eliminate the ability of Judges and Courts to effectively treat substance abuse.
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Partial Funding from State for Voting Machine Replacement
The State Legislature approved SB 135 which provides partial funding for counties to purchase new voting machines, as our machines are over 13 years old. The allocation for Wood County is $1,313,368.41, which was derived from a formula of base funding and a per voter allocation.
The Board of Elections had provided the State with an estimated cost of replacement of $4.2 million, which is significantly more than the funding provided by the State. The State allocation does not fund several items necessary to implement a new voting system, such as licensing and support costs, training and materials, ballots, ink, etc.
We are currently awaiting word from the State as to which voting systems are approved for purchase, as well as pricing to determine which option to choose and how much local money will be needed.
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Want to be a Foster Parent or Know Someone?
The Wood County Department of Job and Family Services, is a public agency who licenses homes for foster care and adoption. By having our own county foster homes, we have families we know and trust to place children with when the need arises. You may have seen some recruitment materials on Facebook, pizza boxes, or in your local church or school as we have recently increased our recruitment efforts! Our goal is to have a licensed foster family in every school district in Wood County. This helps minimize the change children must face when removed from their homes. Our agency is in need of families willing to take children of all ages, although it is usually difficult for us to find families willing to care for adolescents.
The agency takes pride in the services that we are able to provide to our foster families and the children in care. There is a packet of information we will send to you to get you started. Once you make the commitment to move forward, our placement specialist will work closely with you to ensure that you complete the application and all other necessary paperwork. Prior to becoming licensed, each caregiver must complete 36 hours of preservice training. This training is offered in surrounding counties and at private agencies that you may attend and WCDJFS plans to hold their own training in Spring 2019. Once this training is completed, you are on your way to becoming licensed. You will meet with the placement specialist a few times in your home so that they can meet you, your family, and get to know you!
For more information, call the Wood County Department of Job and Family Services at 419-354-9669 and ask to talk to the Placement Specialist.
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Feasibility Study to be Conducted for Possible Storm Water Utility
In August, John Musteric, County Engineer, sought approval to have ERC Inc. with assistance from Poggemeyer Design Group prepare a feasibility study to determine how much is spent countywide on storm water management and also the feasibility and cost to implement a storm water district. This study is very important as Wood County has over 3,000 miles of ditches. Storm water management is vital to ensure proper drainage which affects every person in our County. After hearing this presentation and receiving answers to our questions, we approved Phase 1 of a possible three phase study. Depending on the results of Phase 1 and our decision to go any further, Phase 2 would be program development and Phase 3 would be billing system development. During this process, unincorporated areas will be contacted by these consultants to participate in the process.
If a storm water utility is established, incorporated areas would need to pass an ordinance to opt-in for storm water management, as we have no authority to include these areas. Existing ditch petitions and those under maintenance would need to be phased out and then included in the new storm water utility.
We will keep everyone updated as this process continues and ultimately what our decision is about a storm water utility.
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Landfill Expansion Permit Submitted to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA)
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On June 29, with assistance from our consultant, Hull & Associates, a Landfill Expansion Permit was submitted to OEPA. On August 6, we held an Application Meeting which was open to public to learn about this process and ask questions. If you were unable to attend this meeting but have questions, please feel free to contact Kelly O'Boyle, Assistant County Administrator at (419) 354-9100. This permit, if approved, will provide over 100 years extended life to our Landfill. We feel our Landfill is a great public resource offered to residents of Wood County.
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Update from the Solid Waste Management District……
24/7 Permanent Mixed Recycling Locations have been in place for just over two months. Response has been great with some locations requiring more containers to handle the volume. As a reminder, containers are emptied on Wednesdays except for Perrysburg Township, which is Wednesday and Saturday. Please remember to follow all of the posted rules regarding items able to be recycled in containers. We thank residents for their terrific, positive response to providing more access and more recycling opportunities. Please keep this momentum going for recycling in Wood County!
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Personal Shredding Event
On December 1, 2018 from 9am - noon, there will be a personal shredding event at the Wood County Fairgrounds South Parking Lot. Residents may bring up to five bags or boxes of paper items to be shredded onsite as you watch. All we ask is you provide an unwrapped new toy or cash donation. Donations will be given to children who are involved with Wood County Job and Family Services to make their Holiday a little brighter!! The event is sponsored by the Commissioners, Job and Family Services, Solid Waste Management District and All Shred Services. Hope to see you there!
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Thank you for taking the time to read the County’s Electronic Newsletter.
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One Courthouse Square, Bowling Green, Ohio 43402 | (419) 354-9100| www.co.wood.oh.us
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