Hardin County Commissioners met Dec. 20.
Here is the minutes provided by the commissioners:
All Commissioners were present. Commissioner-elect Tim Striker was present. Staff recited the pledge at 9:00. Purchase orders and bills were reviewed and signed. Pending issues were discussed with the following resolutions approved and signed:
V101-360 Minutes of December 18, 2018:
1 st -Rogers 2 nd -Beaman Roll call: Rogers-yes, Beaman-yes, Crowe-yes
V101-361 Bills
1 st -Beaman 2 nd -Rogers Roll call: Beaman-yes, Crowe-yes, Rogers-yes
V101-362 CDBG Bills: Renovations Unlimited $1900
1 st -Rogers 2 nd -Beaman Roll call: Crowe-yes, Beaman-yes, Rogers-yes
V101-363 CDBG Drawdowns: Brownfield: T&M Associates
1 st -Rogers 2 nd -Beaman Roll call: Beaman-yes, Rogers-yes, Crowe-yes
V101-364 CDBG Drawdowns: Bluffton Paving
1 st -Beaman 2 nd -Rogers Roll call: Beaman-yes, Crowe-yes, Rogers-yes
V101-365 CDBG PY 2017: Donald Eager, Choice One, Bluffton Paving
1 st -Rogers 2 nd -Beaman Roll call: Crowe-yes, Beaman-yes, Rogers-yes
V101-366 Additional Appropriation: radio consolettes $49,999.99, 911
1 st -Beaman 2 nd -Rogers Roll call: Crowe-yes, Rogers-yes, Beaman-yes
V101-367 Release of Funds: JFS; Public Assistance to Children’s Services
1 st -Rogers 2 nd -Beaman Roll call: Rogers-yes, Beaman-yes, Crowe-yes
Commissioner Beaman gathered more information on the PILOT payments from Van Wert County Treasurer, and Paulding County. Commissioner Beaman contacted the Ohio Department of Taxation staff and was told the concern was if in writing it could affect other projects. The distribution concern was that if in a special fund other agencies were not entitled unless they had special projects and demonstrated a need. The range is $7 to 9,000. Every county agreed with the $9000 due to competition. Paulding County did their own. Distribution formula shows no fire and ambulance in Van Wert, the park district did as well as townships and schools. Paulding took the first $2000 and distributes $6000. Distribution is based on tax. Van Wert is taking $1,000. Theses counties have been audited based on their distribution formula. The April 2017 letter says you shall take-$2,000. Commissioner Rogers-you made the motion to get out of the AEZ, if we didn’t do that we would not be here. Commissioner Beaman-I am not going to apologize, this is the right process. Every agency says we should get $9000. Why shouldn’t we say $9000? Commissioner Rogers-waiting on the state to say it could be more? They won’t put in writing. Commissioner Crowe-that is why we put it in writing, October 16, 2018. You had a conversation with her. Commissioner Beaman-I only got bits and pieces. What is the aversion in setting the PILOT like the AEZ at $9000? Commissioner Rogers-we jumped, I don’t want to jump again. No more input than what we already had, $9000. Commissioner Crowe-some have the wrong attitude-they want to punish them for being there, let’s get as much as we can. Commissioner Beaman-not the entities. They need the money. Commissioner Crowe-now an opportunity to find other sources of funding. Tim Striker-can you pass as $9000 or more as the law allows? Commissioner Beaman-set a maximum. I am a group person; I want to make my decision based on what the people want. Was told we are missing the opportunity for revenue. Commissioner Crowe-I see in the law $7000 has to be distributed; the county can see the additional. I want to see specifically in writing; Hardin County this is what you can do. Commissioner Beaman-the OPSB want to know the PILOT before they approve. There is a loss of revenue on the solar fields due to the tax coming off. Tim-letter Invenergy ref: mandatory $7000 ORC 5727.25 then distribute $2000. Commissioner Rogers-Brice why are you so settled to get this done before we have in writing? Commissioner Beaman-because we have a board listing this to get accomplished. The law doesn’t allow more. Commissioner Beaman moved to set the PILOT at $9,000 per ORC 5727.25 with the county getting $2000. No second. Motion died. Tim Striker was asked to enter into the record all communications he received from Invenergy.
Engineers, Clerk and Commissioners/elect all attended the Viewing of road vacations: TR 100, TR 45 and Harriman’s Sub-division in Marion Township.
Jerry McBride and Mark Lowery, Soil & Water noted the state thru ODA is giving them funds not associated with their match from the county. The funds are for bonuses, merits or needs of the office. Mark reported on the Blanchard River Watershed meeting. Citizens United for a Better Blanchard united to speak to the Commissioners. They want something done on the River, not studies with nothing getting accomplished. Not a lot of grade between Findlay and Ottawa. Their goals are: the pinch points taken care of, development of detention/retention ponds designs to be slower in release time, water control management structures, cover crops, water quality. Putnam Commissioners are thinking of petitioning the Hancock County Commissioners to study to come up with an Engineering plan to take care of the issues. Remove trees above the Army Corps of Engineers 404. Cost estimated for one area is $5.6 million per mile to widen the channel. Mark will discuss the project with Luke Underwood, Assistant Engineer.
Judge Christopher and Danielle Sheldon, Probate and Juvenile Court met to discuss their 2019 budget and the Commissioners request to cut to 3% over 2018. Last Friday towards the end of day they received a letter from Commissioners requesting their budget be cut. He would like more than three days’ notice of budget cuts due to his docket. This left him no time to prepare. The expenditure comparison presented to the office is wrong. He noted his budget was cut by $21,000 for Juvenile and $18,000 for Probate because someone put in numbers he didn’t request. Workers comp was not in 2018 and was added back in 2019. Commissioner Crowe-workers comp is taken out. Reasoning was when that fund being paid out of now is depleted it will be added back into the departments budgets. Judge Christopher-The last couple of years you asked me to cut my budget and I worked with you. Said all the office holders need to work together. Since 2014 my offices have been bearing almost all the burden of cuts on top of my offices doing the majority of the work. General division has gone up 400%. I have taken further cuts that were not shared by the other offices. Docket has gone from 71% to 74%. I have been the only office that cut employees. Outside funding has been lost almost $1 million. Guaranteed not another office that has lost/cut and can continue. Everybody should be shouldering the burden not one office. Go back to prior years. Making my office the brunt of your cuts. State funds are being cut yearly. Not faulting other offices, all have increased. Nobody is operating on a smaller budget than when they took office. Nobody else has taken these kinds of cuts. Commissioner Crowe-all the cuts you’ve had including all the other funds? Judge Christopher-yes. I have been by far the most fiscally responsible officer for the county. I am not going to take this cut, I can’t take this cut. My people are doing a lot more work for a lot less pay, especially compared to third floor. I can’t keep them at that pay. You train and they leave. Commissioner Crowe-county wide problem. We recognize. Judge Christopher-cuts are not there like in my offices. Commissioner Crowe- look at expenditure comparison-request exceeds any actual expenditure. Judge Christopher- I cannot keep having my employees working for less than half of what the people are doing on third floor. Had to do parity with corrections officers, same with Juvenile staff. They do more case load. I have lost 50% of my budget with inside and outside sources. Commissioner Rogers-reason for a big bump was a juvenile in DYS in 2015. Judge Christopher-need $201,000 to keep status quo. Commissioner Crowe-appreciate all the losses but I look at budget request were $900,000 over our anticipated revenue. Judge Christopher-based on last year over this year. Last year was an anomaly. This year is more on par. Commissioner Crowe-we were well aware. Judge Christopher-how do you justify this? All from one office. Want an explanation. Commissioner Crowe-based on county budget we were not aware of your outside. Judge Christopher-clearly based on what you guys have funded. Commissioner Crowe-don’t see where we cut your budget on the sheet approved amounts are bigger each year. Commissioner Rogers-he is talking what he has lost in funding. Judge Christopher- $79,000 cut last year. Figures I submitted are not what was reported. I will take cut when other offices cut their budgets and we all take equally. We are doing the bulk of the case load. Commissioner Crowe-your original request your final numbers? Judge Christopher-yes until I see other people sharing in the cuts. Commissioner Crowe-I have Sheriffs’ where he went to the 3% we requested. Judge Christopher-others are getting increase from bigger budgets I am getting increase off budgets already cut. Huge difference. Commissioner Crowe-other departments we cut from their original. Judge Christopher-I have a hearing. Commissioner Crowe-apologize for the short hearing, my fault. A learning experience.
Discussion on how the delay from DYS hurts the current year on funding. $27,500 is the difference. Commissioner Beaman-the revenues are not keeping up with the requests. The loss in sales tax is happening, it is a reality. I don’t discount the Judges frustration with salaries. Each has the right; we don’t make those decisions here. Commissioner Crowe-the Judge was in, pretty much what he wants, we need to fund his request. Commissioner Beaman-he does come in and makes his case. We are going into deficit spending; reserves will run out at some time unless revenues come in. We need to work on our local reps to get us more funding. Sheriff’s office submitted their budget cuts as requested. It included their workers comp and will be taken out of Workers comp and put back into his budget. No office has ever been denied if they come back in and show a need.
Mike Bacon discussed the budget. Can’t be passed until the offices re-submit their line items for changes. Board of Elections, Clerk of Courts and Prosecutor. Sheriff has already submitted. John Folk submitted an incorrect payment request for those who will be reimbursed for their 20% health premium due to arbitration. Mike will discuss with John the arbitrators ruling.
http://www.co.hardin.oh.us/docs/minutes12202018.pdf
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