Commissioners endorse, 'strongly encourage support' of Children Services levy issue

The upcoming Nov. 5 general election was one of the primary topics at the Wednesday, Oct. 10 county commission meeting, where Highland County commissioners David Daniels, Brad Roades and Terry Britton endorsed the Children Services levy issue and heard comments from a congressional candidate.

As previously reported, commissioners also endorsed a previous attempt to renew the 0.9-mill levy, which failed in the March 19 primary. Wednesday’s resolution takes it a step further, by both endorsing and “strongly encouraging the citizens of Highland County to support the Highland County Children Services Renewal Levy for approval in the Nov. 5, 2024 election.”

The agency is seeking a 0.9-mill levy in the Nov. 5 general election. Along with the renewal being rejected by voters in the March primary, a proposed five-year, one-mill replacement levy for the agency failed in the November 2023 general election.

The previous tax levy, which was first approved in November 2013 and renewed by voters in November 2018, was a five-year, .9-mill levy for Children Services placement costs and expired Dec. 31, 2023. The levy the agency is seeking this November would be at the same rate.

“Just to remind everyone again, it is a renewal levy,” Highland County Job and Family Services Director Jeremy Ratcliff said. “It will not raise taxes. It is based on 2008 property valuations. The current levy has only ever been renewed.”

As he did in March, Daniels read the resolution for the levy issue endorsement in its entirety. Among the reasons for the endorsement were the fact that “the total number of children in the agency’s custody since 2018 has increased 67 percent, and [there has been a] 111-percent increase in placement costs,” as “Highland County spends more than $10,000 a day in foster care costs.

“All children deserve to be protected from abuse, neglect and dependency,” the resolution says. “The agency strives to keep children safe, growing up in stable families with supportive communities.”

Some of the statistics listed in a handout by Ratcliff are that the Highland County Children Services agency had 497 children in custody in 2023, including 450 new cases in that calendar year. The agency received 1,100 calls last year, or an average of three calls a day for 365 days.

As noted in the commissioners’ resolution, the agency pays approximately $10,000 a day in foster care costs. Ratcliff said the levy would offset “about 50 to 55 days” of the annual placement costs. According to Ratcliff, the agency paid $3.8 million in 2023 and is on pace to pay $4.1 million in 2024.

One of the factors for the number of children in care, Ratcliff said, is that there have been 260 cases of sexual abuse in the last five years, or an average of one case per week.

“I appreciate this board's leadership in publicly supporting this levy,” Ratcliff told commissioners. “I genuinely appreciate your willingness to be out in front of this and encourage our citizens to support this levy.

“One-hundred percent of the funds go to pay for children in foster care. At the current rate, the levy will buy us about 50 to 55 days of foster care services. I appreciate your support.”

Some of the local Children Services statistics were also highlighted in a letter by commissioners, which they voted 3-0 Wednesday to send to the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO). In it, commissioners wrote that “if the current levy initiative fails for a third consecutive time, the anticipated cost to the general fund will exceed $1.3 million, nearly 10 percent of the total general fund budget.”

The letter was written to “urge [CCAO] to fight for counties and communities like us in Columbus and beyond” regarding rising placement costs.

“Highland County has approximately 43,300 residents with a median income of $60,522 and an approximate poverty rate of 14 percent,” the letter says. “In 2018, the average per-day cost for placement was $7,928/day. In 2024, this number exceeds $12,000/day.

“In 2018, Highland County spent approximately $1.8 million in placement costs for the year. In 2023, this number more than doubled to $3.8 million, more than a 100-percent increase in five years. During the same five-year period, the total number of children in care increased by 67 percent, from 297 to 497, but costs increased by over 100 percent.

“A day in time snapshot in September 2024 includes 18 children in private residential programs/group homes at a monthly cost of $157,257 for 18 children.

“Highland County JFS diverts millions of dollars per year away from staffing resources and other social service programs, including service to senior citizens, to pay the costs of foster care, and still the Commissioners have been forced to supplement the costs from the general fund by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
 
“The needs of children being referred to the CPS agency are higher than ever, and the number of children continues to climb each year. Additionally, the impact of the federal Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) places additional obstacles for federal reimbursement of eligible foster care expenses, and the continued use of 1996 Income Guidelines for eligibility cause fewer and fewer children to be eligible for any reimbursement at all.

“Counties cannot and should not continue to bear the brunt of this failing system; the costs will be too great.”

Before taking a motion to approve the letter, Daniels pointed out that this is “not a problem that is located only in or that's specific to Highland County.

“Almost every county in the state has been struggling with the cost of child protective services and and foster care," Daniels said. “We've got a letter here that we would like to send out to CCAO to talk to them about making this part of their legislative platform going into the next few years, to find ways for them to advocate for counties at state level, to find some solutions to the problems that all the counties are facing.”

On an unrelated election matter, Second Congressional District candidate David Taylor asked to address commissioners as he is campaigning for election this November.

Taylor, the Republican candidate, introduced himself as a Clermont County resident; a graduate of Amelia High School, Miami University and the University of Dayton School of Law; a former prosecutor; and current owner of his family business, Sardinia Ready Mix.

If elected, Taylor said his top priority will be expanding broadband in the Second District, which includes Highland, Adams, Brown, Clermont, Clinton, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton counties and part of Fayette County.

“It's a broadband desert,” Taylor said. “My biggest in-district goal is to work on the broadband piece.

“That's more than just an economic issue. People in this district are left completely out of the work-from-home economy. You're not going to attract businesses to a place that doesn't have basic services.”

Taylor added it is an “economic necessity” as well as a “health and safety issue” for residents in the district.

“I think if you get that piece fixed, that's the most short-term transformative change you can make in the Second District,” Taylor said. “It brings us into the 21st century, where we're not a part of the U.S. or world economy in a meaningful way when we don't have connection to the internet. That's how important that connection has become.”

Commissioners thanked Taylor for his comments, with Daniels and Britton both offering suggestions as well.

“One that never gets mentioned is our irresponsible fiscal policy in the federal government,” Daniels said. “We are now, what, up into the $37 trillion worth of debt. That affects each and every one of us back here. Whether or not we believe it or not, it affects our way of living. It affects our economy as well. I mean, at some point or another, that's got to slow down.

“I would send you with, I guess, my list of things that need to be done, and that would be one of them. I mean, there's a lot of things that we need to solve and a lot of problems we need to tackle, but that's the one that I think still should be important on everybody's mind.”

Britton added that cracking down on the “drug epidemic” would be one of his top priorities.

“The drug epidemic drives a lot of things that goes on in Highland County and beyond,” Britton said, “Children Services, unemployment, you name it. Drug epidemic is a big, big issue, and we've got to get some sort of handle on that.”

In other discussion:

• Commissioners agreed to enter a negotiated sale agreement contract with the county treasurers office and NAR Ohio, Inc. as a new method of combating delinquent property taxes in the county.

“This is something new that we are going to try,” Highland County Treasurer Vickie Warnock said. “[NAR] will be working with the county, the prosecutor's office and land bank, looking at properties in the county to possibly put tax liens on.

‘The owners of the property, if there is a tax lien put on it, will then work with NAR as far as a contract with them to make payments back to get the delinquency caught up. NAR, If they do put a tax lien on a property, will actually pay the delinquent taxes to the county, so it will be cleared up. Then the owner of the property will be responsible for paying NAR back as far as a contract.”

According to their website, “NAR Solutions works with local governments to acquire, manage and collect amounts related to municipal tax liens and delinquent property taxes. NAR Solutions has been purchasing and managing property tax liens since 1996.  Having acquired assets in a dozen states, we have the expertise and technical knowledge necessary to seamlessly transact with new clients.”

• Via resolution, commissioners awarded the Rocky Fork Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Project (Phase II) bid to Mechanical Construction Co., Inc., in the amount of $1,172,800. In a separate motion, commissioners authorized the execution of a notice of award to the contractor.

Mechanical Construction had submitted a total base bid of $1,046,000, but as pointed out at the bid opening by ARPA funding coordinator Nicole Oberrecht, the county had “a lot of alternates listed” in their bid packets to review.

In June, commissioners met with Environmental Engineering representatives to revise bid specifications for the second phase of their Rocky Fork Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades, as the second phase of the project was originally estimated at $2,210,000. (The first phase, which is nearing completion, was awarded at $2,597,700.)

• Following several months of discussions with various energy companies, commissioners voted 3-0 to approve a contract with CCAO Service Corporation, CCAOSC Energy Solutions and Palmer Energy Company to enter the County Commissioners Association of Ohio’s electricity purchasing program.

CCAO Assistant Director John Leutz and representatives of Palmer Energy met with commissioners Oct. 2 to discuss the program, as they previously considered joining in 2022.

According to the Palmer Energy site (palmerenergy.com), "The County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAOSC) partnered with Palmer Energy Company to help manage a natural gas and electric program for member counties. This program was designed specifically to help counties save money on their natural gas and electric bills by utilizing the strength of group buying.  

“By joining together, counties can leverage their buying power when shopping the market, thus securing the best deals possible.”

• At 9:15 a.m., commissioners conducted a bid opening for crop land in Leesburg.

After receiving no bids on their first attempt last month, commissioners received five bids Wednesday, including from Hattan Farms, $240 rent per acre or $14,160; Brad Williams, $211.95/acre or $12,505.51; Owen Larrick, $211/acre or $12,449; Kip Shoemaker, $187.56/acre or $11,066.04; and Baldwin Farms, $140/acre or $8,260.

According to commission clerk Ashleigh Willey, after an unrelated executive session Wednesday morning to discuss employee compensation, commissioners voted to award the bid to the highest bidder, Hattan Farms.

• After a discussion and recommendation by Roades, commissioners voted to deny a change order request submitted by Alpha Construction, putting an end to a months-long debate.

The company is the contractor for the county’s new records storage building under construction on Beech Street. This particular request was first discussed in April, as Oberrecht said contractors “hit a [gas] line that wasn't marked” and were seeking reimbursement for time lost and repairs. At that time, Oberrecht said that McCarty Associates had recommended reaching out to the gas utility company to see if they “are interested in absorbing that change order” because they “didn’t feel like it was Alpha’s responsibility nor the county’s.”

According to Roades, “Pike Gas charged $400 for the fixing of the gas line itself, then Alpha came back with $2,644.79 on their behalf of what they were considering as their lost and down time for that instance.”

Roades said that contractors had called and obtained a ticket number before digging, but the gas utility determined that “since the ticket was expired, they're no longer liable for that.” He said that the gas company had documentation for when contractors initially called, when they dug and called the fire department.

“We can partially approve, we can deny or we can have a conversation, see if they want to amend it to a more reasonable number,” Daniels said. “What do you guys want to do?”

Roades said it is “time to put this to bed” and said that based on his conversations with the gas utility, “it is a cut and dry situation.”

“So your recommendation would be to deny?” Daniels asked.

“Yes, it would,” Roades said.
 
• Several maintenance-related issues at the Highland County Justice Center were briefly discussed. Daniels said Marshall Septic Service provided a $375 quote for work on “the grease traps in and around the kitchen” at the jail.

“We’ll continue to use that company,” Daniels said.

Highland County Sheriff Randy Sanders also said that a control panel at the Justice Center was “fried” and “has to be fixed,” as the commissioners’ office authorized a request from the county maintenance department Tuesday.

• Daniels announced that Highland County Board of DD superintendent Larry Gray informed their office that an open house for a new residence on West Main Street in Leesburg is scheduled for Oct. 15 from 1-2 p.m. The home was constructed by Highland Housing, which rents to individuals with developmental disabilities.

• Highland County mobility manager Carl Rayburn reminded commissioners and the community that the quarterly Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting is set for Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. at the FRS Administration Building, 313 Chillicothe Ave., Hillsboro. The agenda includes discussing coordinated plan goals; the mobility management report; a transportation mobility app; weekend transportation; regionalization information and updates; updates from transit service providers; and open discussion.

In other news, the Work Ride Solutions program — through which FRS is offering free rides to and from work, now through Nov. 1, thanks to a national grant — has seen an increase in the past week, with 38 individuals enrolled.

“We're starting to reach out to existing customers to let them know, if they want to, they can also apply and use that to go back and forth to work for 30 days,” Rayburn said.

Rayburn also reminded the community that they are offering free rides to vote, either at the Board of Elections for early voting or at their precincts on Election Day. He said they are even able to help callers “identify which spots they need to go to” in order to vote in person on Election Day.

Commissioners also made the following other approvals, each by a 3-0 vote:

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the County General (1000) fund in the amount of $3,500.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the Repair MVL (2065) Fund in the amount of $71,180.96.

• A request from Highland County Job and Family Services for a budget modification within the 2050 Public Assistance fund in the amount of $271,000.

• A resolution to authorize the County Sheriff to declare a list of items as no longer needed by the County and obsolete, pursuant to ORC 307-12(A)(1), and approved for destruction.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within Repair MVL (2065) Fund in the amount of $48,493.99.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund in the amount of $15,000.

• Commissioners also approved a pay application in the amount of $67,885.60 from Doll Layman, Ltd. for their ongoing work at the Rocky Fork Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant.

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