Commissioners hear investment update, review various contracts and resolutions

Highland County commissioners David Daniels, Brad Roades and Terry Britton were updated on the county’s investments and considered numerous contracts and resolutions at their Wednesday, Nov. 20 meeting.

Highland County Treasurer Vickie Warnock conducted the investment advisory committee meeting with commissioners to review the third quarter for 2024.

The totals as of the end of September, as presented by Warnock, included:

• STAR Ohio: $29,587.80 interest, currently at a 5.29-percent interest rate, with a $6,836,452.30 balance;

• STAR Plus: $10,650.45 interest, 3.85-percent interest rate, $3,438,703.01 balance;

• Fifth Third (CDs): $9,648.38 interest, 2.73-percent average interest rate, $11,167,983.86 balance;

• Checking account: $43,137.40 interest, 5.2-percent interest rate, $10,000,319.87 balance; and

• ICS account: $122,542.77 interest, 5.4-percent interest rate, $18,032,635.83 balance.

The total monthly interest is $215,576.80, and their annual interest for the first half of the year is $1,867,053.23, Warnock said.

“Fifth Third is always lower,” Warnock told commissioners. “We did recently renew two CDs that have been in there for like three years, when interest rates were not very good, and it was paying like .60 and .70 percent. We did reinvest those, and they're paying, I know it's over four percent now, and we did those for two years.”

Daniels asked if Warnock had any recommendations for any changes, and she said she did not.

In other discussion:

• Commissioners approved several resolutions for the Highland County Job and Family Services agency related to foster care costs.

The first was a resolution to grant Highland County Job and Family Services Director Jeremy Ratcliff the authority to release and accept funds per OAC 5101:9-6-82, for an intercounty adjustment through the calendar year 2025.

“This allows us the ability to trade funds with other JFS [agencies] throughout the state to help pay some of our foster care bills,” Ratcliff said.

Next was a request from JFS for a budget modification within the 2050 Public Assistance Fund in the amount of $136,703.66.

“Next week, you'll have an additional resolution to divert additional social service dollars away from those activities to help pay foster care bills,” Ratcliff said.

Also approved was an additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the 2460 Child Emergency Fund in the amount of $56,142.42.

“This is a result of our budget meetings we had back in the summer,” Ratcliff said. “The thought was, if we could target additional resources toward expanding our own agency-licensed foster homes, we would be able to keep our kids closer to Highland County, potentially even in Highland County, save drive time and save our dollars going out in private businesses, which are network homes. We appreciate the board's support allowing us to do that.

“Since September, we've hired two additional staff to be able to do that, and we have a total of 13 homes that are currently in the process. One has been fully licensed, 10 are pending trainings, going through the preliminary steps, and two are in the process of transferring their license to our agency, which will be a little bit less upfront work because they're already licensed. We’re hoping to expand our local capacity at a lesser rate than we'll pay in private businesses.”

• Commissioners heard a request from Warnock for a new badge scanner for her office from Greystone Systems. No action was taken Wednesday.

Warnock said she wanted this system to be able to keep her interior office doors locked, with the badge system allowing her staff to move in and out easily.

“Especially with the upcoming first-half settlement [for property taxes] and the craziness that it's going to be, I would like to be able to keep the doors locked at all times,” she said. “Not only that, but then with the amount of money that we have coming in and out. Right now, we do have the keys. We would have to let other offices in and out.

“With this, we would just be able to scan it and be able to allow them in and out, but be able to keep the doors locked.”

According to Warnock, the system would allow access through badges for her staff and “a push button” for other county employees to come in and out.

The quote from Greystone Systems was for $185.75 per month, or, as Britton pointed out, $2,229 per year.

“Think about it and let me know,” Warnock said.

• Commissioners voted 3-0 to reject a change order request in the amount of $6,670 from Alpha Construction for extra blacktop patching at the records storage building currently under construction.

Roades said there were issues with the timing of the request, with the contractor wanting immediate approval or else “the cost would probably more than double.”

“Did you think that this change order cost was excessive for the amount of work that needed done?” Daniels asked.

“Very much so,” Roades said.

• Commissioners authorized a letter of exclusivity with the County Commissioners Association of Ohio andPalmer Energy.

“This gives them the ability to look at our historical data and come up with a price per unit for the electricity and the power that we're using,” Daniels said.

As previously reported, fFollowing several months of discussions with various energy companies, commissioners voted Oct. 9 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.”

• Also considered, but not voted on, was a proposed planned service agreement with Weller’s Plumbing and Heating.

“Tom Mottie, the person who takes care of all the maintenance for Weller’s for us, I talked to him because there's an attachment in that service agreement with Amaresco, which takes care of all the controls,” Britton said. “Their price on the control side was a little excessive, so I asked him to go back to them and review that.”

• At the recommendation of county human resources manager Amy Bradley and records manager Julie Wallingford, commissioners voted 3-0 to approve the hiring of Austin Neville as a part-time records assistant.

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

• A contract with Canon Solutions America, Inc. for a 63-month copier lease at the Justice Center for the Sheriff’s Office.

• An owner-contractor agreement contract with Mechanical Construction Company for Phase II improvements at the Rocky Fork Wastewater Treatment Plant.

• An amendment to a contract with Canon Solutions for the records storage building for laserfiche cloud remote implementation services for the Health Department.

• A letter of support for the Alternatives to Violence Center for funding through the Office of Criminal Justice Services.
    
• A resolution to rescind Resolution No. 24-224, Rocky Fork Lake Sewer District Fund.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the 5030 Rocky Fork Lake Sewer District Fund in the amount of $5,000.

• A request from JFS for a transfer from PA Grant to Public Assistance Fund (2050) in the amount of $57,542.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General fund in the amount of $1,000.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General fund in the amount of $800.

• A request from the Engineer for an additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the 2065 Repair MVL Fund in the amount of $32,592.

• A request from Victim Witness for an additional appropriation from unanticipated revenue within the 2540 Victim Witness fund in the amount of $5,000.

• A request from Victim Witness for an additional appropriation from unanticipated revenue within the 2540 Victim Witness fund in the amount of $4,000.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General fund in the amount of $2,000.

• A budget modification within the 2070 Soil and Water fund in the amount of $1,200.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund in the amount of $927.52.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund in the amount of $26,304.04.

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.