Commissioners OK Help Me Grow grant application

The Highland County Board of Commissioners announced their 2013 organizational meeting will be 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 14. The announcement was made during Wednesday's commission meeting with commissioners Shane Wilkin and Jeremy Shaffer present.

Wilkin said commissioner Tom Horst was absent to due a recent medical procedure.

During public discussion, Help Me Grow Director Heather Gibson presented a proposal to commissioners, seeking their approval for the program to apply for a grant for Clinton County home visitation services.

As previously reported by The Highland County Press, in October 2012, Gibson told commissioners the state of Ohio had approved the Highland/Clinton Help Me Grow initiative, as the Ohio Department of Health signed off on the cooperative effort for home visits and services for expectant mothers, newborns, infants and toddlers in the two counties.

On Jan. 2, Gibson said Clinton County was one of 21 Ohio counties to qualify for the grant.

"The grant will allow us to have more of a presence in Clinton County," Gibson said. "Right now, our home visits target first-time moms only. With the grant, we can target from birth to 3 months in Clinton County."

Gibson said she expected the agency to see 25 infants in Clinton County and that a part-time employee would need to be added.

Gibson said the grant application was due Jan. 7. She said Tony Long, superintendent of the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center, and Kyle Lewis of the Clinton County Board of DD, both supported the grant application.

Wilkin asked about potential office space in Clinton County.

"The (Clinton County) Health Department has space at a cheap rate," Gibson said. "The office is right beside the WIC office. It would fit right in."

Wilkin also warned that adding a part-time person on a grant could lead to unemployment expenses after the two-year grant expires.

"I would caution you about budgeting for unemployment expenses after the grant," Wilkin said.

After discussion, commissioners voted, 2-0, to allow Gibson to proceed with the grant application.

After the vote, commissioners voted, 2-0, to enter into an executive session for personnel discussion with Gibson.

Wilkin said no action was taken after the session.

• In other business, commissioners voted, 2-0, to rescind resolutions from the Dec. 26 meeting for the Highland County Probation Department.

Commissioners then re-voted on the same resolutions, as they needed approval in 2013, not 2012, according to Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley.

The new resolutions passed by 2-0 votes.