Commissioners approve recorder's requests, set annual health fair for March 28-29

The Highland County Board of Commissioners – Shane Wilkin, Tom Horst and Jeremy Shaffer – have hired Rhonda Gehler as the new clerk and Nicole Oberrecht as deputy clerk, it was announced this week.

Former clerk Beth Bell announced her retirement earlier this year.

“The commissioners’ office is very pleased with the addition of Rhonda Gehler as the new clerk to the board,” Commission President Shane Wilkin said.

“Rhonda brings with her a skill set that we are confident will keep moving our office forward.

“In addition, we are pleased to add Nicole Oberrecht as a deputy clerk to join Candy Matthews. Nicole was an excellent candidate as well and brings considerable knowledge and experience that will prove to be beneficial to the office and the county.”

Commissioners met in executive session earlier this week for personnel considerations.

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• Highland County Recorder Chad McConnaughey requested two resolutions from commissioners to increase withholding costs associated with the recording of public documents and to approve a new contract with ACS Enterprise Solutions Inc.

Speaking at Wednesday’s board meeting, McConnaughey said the current withholding of $4 would be increased to $5.

“We are being charged $4.30 per document but we’re only withholding $4,” the recorder said.

“Basically, at this rate, we will be (at a) negative by the end of the year. I’d like to withhold $5 per document instead of $4. By law, we can withhold $7.”

“To be clear, this doesn’t change the cost to residents?” Wilkin asked.

“No,” McConnaughey answered.

McConnaughey said he has been in contact with Dave Weaver, a consultant with ACS Enterprise Solutions Inc., a Xerox company, with which the county contracts for its document scanning and electronic storing service.

“I’d like to stay with this software,” McConnaughey said. “We are due for an equipment upgrade this year (for the next five-year contract).”

“It sounds like a no-brainer to me,” Horst said.

After brief discussion, commissioners voted 3-0 to increase the withholding to $5. They also voted 3-0 to renew the contract 

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• In other action, Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley updated commissioners of the new paperwork requirements for contract laborers used by the county regarding PERS, in a follow-up to last week’s announcement on the issue.

“PERS (the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System) has sent out new guidelines,” Fawley said, “with updates and clarifications. Specifically, they have excluded poll workers (from PERS).”

Fawley said he and Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins have looked at other counties and how they are addressing the changes.

Last week, Fawley explained that the county needs to ensure that any outside contractors employed by the county complete a form related to PERS.

Non-employees will be required to complete a form acknowledging that they understand they are not county employees, Fawley said.

The paperwork change is related to pension legislation signed by Gov. John Kasich in September 2012 after Sub. S.B. 343 was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate.

The new law became effective Jan. 7, 2013.

Ohio Revised Code Section 145.037 permits individuals who provided personal services to a public employer prior to Jan. 7, 2013, but were classified as contractors or other classifications other than a public employee to request a determination from OPERS as to whether they should have been classified as public employees eligible for OPERS membership for these services.

These requests must be made within one year from the effective date of the pension legislation (Jan. 7, 2013).

No requests for membership determinations for personal services provided prior to Jan. 7, 2013, will be accepted after Jan. 7, 2014, unless the individual is able to demonstrate through medical records to the OPERS Board of Trustees’ satisfaction that they were physically or mentally unable to submit the request before the deadline.

“Right now, we’re trying to figure out how far back we should go,” Collins said this week. “I think five years. I have posted questions on the county prosecutors’ website and asked what other counties are doing.”

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• Commissioner Tom Horst announced that the elevator repairs in the Highland County Administration Building are scheduled for the second week in March. The Otis Elevator Company will complete the repairs.

A temporary telephone will be installed downstairs in the Administration Building for anyone who cannot use the stairs.

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• Hillsboro Christian Academy Principal Mrs. Connie Sears and several pupils from the school attended Wednesday’s commission meeting in order to thank commissioners for proclaiming the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 2 as National School Choice Week in Highland County during their Wednesday, Jan. 23 board meeting.

Sears and the pupils presented an HCA scarf to each commissioner.

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• Commissioners have scheduled the health fair for county employees for March 28-29.

The board meets in regular session at 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays.