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Commissioners approve Marriott Hotel contract, JFS funding plan

The Highland County Press - Staff Photo - Create Article
Pictured, from left, are Highland County Commissioners David Daniels, Brad Roades and Terry Britton. (HCP Photos/Caitlin Forsha)
By
Caitlin Forsha, The Highland County Press

Highland County commissioners Terry Britton, David Daniels and Brad Roades made several approvals at their Wednesday, May 17 meeting, including voting to enter a contract to move forward in the next step of the planned Marriott Hotel development in Hillsboro.

As previously reported, Highland County Economic Development Director Julie Bolender announced last July that the county has been awarded a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant that will, in turn, be loaned to developers of the Marriott Hotel, which was first proposed in 2019.

At the recommendation of Bolender, commissioners unanimously approved a closing binder contract for the Community Development Block Grant for Leo Capital Investments, LLC, the developers of the project, during their May 17 meeting.

“Once that is signed, then we'll send that to state, and we will be ready to request our drawdown of our Community Development Block Grant that will then be used to loan to the Leo Capital Investment group for the construction of the Marriott Hotel,” Bolender said.

Daniels asked if this is the “last step” in the grant process.

“It’s our last step before we can make the loan to them from the Highland County revolving loan fund,” Bolender said. “We will receive $500,000 from the state of Ohio, and we will add that to $500,000 in the revolving loan fund, loan them a million [dollars], and then all interest and principal will be paid to the county.”

Commissioners also met with Highland County Job and Family Services Director Jeremy Ratcliff, who presented several funding-related items for approval and said preliminary talks regarding their Children Services levy issue this November are underway.

Approved by a 3-0 vote were an an authorization to execute a spending plan for Social Services Block Grant for federal fiscal years 2024-2025 for Highland County JFS; an Ohio purchase of social services contract among commissioners, Highland County JFS and Chore Services; and a participation agreement contract regarding the usage of the agreement between the County Commissioners Association of Ohio Service Corporation and West Publishing Corporation.

According to Ratcliff, the spending plan is “a two-year federal fiscal year plan with approximately $780,000 per year.”

“We did hold our public hearing in the first part of May to get feedback, so we've developed that proposed spending plan,” Ratcliff said. “As you look through it, you'll see that the overwhelming majority of those dollars are directed toward child welfare, whether it's staffing costs, placement costs, reimbursement for foster care, whatever it might be.”

Ratcliff added that any federal funding available to them is generally directed toward child welfare if permissible.

“The expenses in child welfare are really dominating how we spend any pot of money that comes to the agency, not just the Children's Services Unit,” Ratcliff said.

With that in mind, Ratcliff said he has begun talks with Highland County Auditor Alex Butler to discuss how to tackle their levy, which is set to be on the ballot this November. The tax levy renewal, last passed in November 2018, was a five-year, .9-mill levy for Children Services placement costs.

“We are having discussions about what kind of dollars would be generated for a renewal versus a replacement,” Ratcliff said. “Just to kind of put that on your radar, those discussions are coming. Once we get to that decision, we will come and ask for your support.

“We are still averaging about $325,000 a month for foster care expenses. That doesn't count our salaries, it’s just our replacement costs. Our current levy generates about $700,000 a year, and we're averaging about $325 [thousand] per month in costs. We were $3.8 million last year. We're not seeing those numbers come down.”

As of Wednesday, Ratcliff said the number of children in care for the week was 164, which was down slightly from his last update to commissioners.

“It’s been a really busy spring for our child welfare folks,” Ratcliff said.

The participation agreement contract was for “location services that are utilized by our Child Support Division for noncustodial parents,” according to Ratcliff.

“If they're enforcing orders, and they're trying to locate someone, these would be the databases that they would use to try to help locate noncustodial parents,” he said.

In his updates, Ratcliff also told commissioners that “staffing continues to be an issue for us,” in all departments, not just child welfare. Britton asked if “changes in what people are asking for,” such as remote work or a hybrid schedule, is impacting his ability to hire new employees. Ratcliff said “those are some of the asks that we hear.

“I've had a few candidates say, when I answer that we do not currently offer hybrid options, they've withdrawn their résumé at that point,” he said. “We do hear even from our current staff [they want] the ability to flex a little bit more freely, and that's the balancing act. You need to be open to serve the public, but we also need to be responsive to our staff’s needs.

“We are hearing that, and wages — the wage pressure that we're seeing from the private sector continues to be a challenge for us and just connecting the dots, as we are funneling as much funding as we can to child welfare to handle the $3.8 million in costs. We're diverting that from somewhere else, and so that is the balancing act of managing that triple-combined agency.”

Ratcliff added that he understands that child care and balancing children’s schedules is a challenge for employees, but at the same time, “one of the things I tell my management team, all the taxpayers that are paying our salaries may not have the ability to work from home.

“Working through those and those various perspectives is is a challenge, but we need our people, and we need our people to do the job,” he said.

In other discussion:

• Also approved Wednesday were two items related to previously approved Rocky Fork Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant improvements. The first was an owner/contractor agreement with Doll Layman, Ltd. for the phase I improvements. Also approved was an authorization to execute a sales use and tax construction contract exemption certificate with Doll Layman, Ltd.

As previously reported, commissioners voted April 26 to award the improvements project bid to Doll Layman, Ltd., in the amount of $2,597,700.

• In an unrelated and relatively unenthusiastic approval, commissioners voted 3-0 to approve the purchase of nine new TVs, as well as replacement brackets, at the Highland County Justice Center, for a total cost of $1,340.64.

According to Britton, Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera made the request due to Spectrum upgrading the service at the Justice Center, rendering the old TVs “obsolete.”

“He’s asking for basically to replace all the TVs, so our inmates can be better informed,” Britton said.

The cost includes nine TVs and nine wall mounts, according to Britton.

“Last week, they got iPads; this week, they get TVs,” Roades said, referencing the commission’s May 17 vote to approve an amendment to the county’s contract with Inmate Calling Solutions, LLC, for a new plan that will offer tablets to inmates.

Britton moved to accept the quote, and “that’s all I’ll say.” Daniels said, “Fine,” and the motion passed 3-0.

• Daniels said that the Highland County Dog Pound is in the process of moving into their newly constructed new facility on North Shore Drive.

“What has held us up more than anything is we have been waiting to get phone and technology services over there, and they're out there as we speak now getting that service in,” Daniels said. “We have moved in, and they're kind of operating on a hybrid thing, but we've officially moved our operations over.”

Roades encouraged the community to check out the shelter and “come get a dog.”

Commissioners also voted 3-0 to make the following approvals:

• A resolution for a request from the Engineer for an additional appropriation from unappropriated funds to Material – Repair – MVL in the amount of $5,400.

• A resolution for a budget modification within the Dog and Kennel fund from Utilities to Other Expense in the amount of $2,000.

For more from Wednesday’s meeting, see the story at; https://highlandcountypress.com/news/may-17-proclaimed-aralyn-slack-dip….

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Highland County JFS Director Jeremy Ratcliff and Economic Development Coordinator Julie Bolender are pictured at Wednesday's commission meeting.

Comment

R. Ryan (not verified)

23 May 2023

QUOTE: “Last week, they got iPads; this week, they get TVs,” Brad Roades said, referencing the commission’s May 17 vote to approve an amendment to the county’s contract with Inmate Calling Solutions, LLC, for a new plan that will offer tablets to inmates. Terry Britton moved to accept the quote, and “that’s all I’ll say.” David Daniels said, “Fine,” and the motion passed 3-0.
3WM.

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