Highland County Commissioners Shane Wilkin, Tom Horst and Gary Heaton met with Heather Gibson on the proposed budget for the Help Me Grow program during the commission's Nov. 17 meeting. Gibson said she is anticipating a budget that closely resembles the current budget for the coming fiscal year. “I’m projecting the same budget, pending any changes in April (2011),” she said.

The finance committee of the Greenfield City Council will recommend a 30-day acceptance of a proposed health insurance plan, a move council members say will buy them some time to seek alternatives.
 During a Greenfield City Council meeting held this week, it was reported that the city was facing a potential increase in its premiums of 44 percent.

The following are the holiday hours for the Highland County. Board of Elections office.

An economic development initiative based out of Ross County is working on job creation and expansion that could be beneficial to the residents of Highland County.
       During a meeting Wednesday with the Highland County Commissioners, Greenfield City Manager Betty Bishop introduced Chris Manegold of the Economic Development Alliance of Southern Ohio.

The Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education has voted to accept three-year contracts for the teachers and employees unions, with no increases. However, the district has agreed to a one-time lump sum payment of 2 percent.
 The board discussed the matter for nearly an hour in executive session Wednesday during their regular monthly meeting, and later voted 5-0 to accept the contract, with no discussion in open session.

The following is the Greenfield Police report for Nov. 11-16.

December 12 will be Luminaria Night in the village of Leesburg. Lighting of the traditional Luminaria candles will begin at 5 p.m. Village shops and businesses plan “open house” 5:30-7 p.m., closing in time for villagers to attend the Combined Community Church Service at the Leesburg United Methodist Church at 7:30 p.m.

December 12 will be Luminaria Night in the village of Leesburg. Lighting of the traditional Luminaria candles will begin at 5 p.m. Village shops and businesses plan “open house” 5:30-7 p.m., closing in time for villagers to attend the Combined Community Church Service at the Leesburg United Methodist Church at 7:30 p.m.

The city of Greenfield is facing a proposed potential increase of 44 percent to insurance premiums, a figures that was surprising to city council members considering that last year, there was a decrease in the cost of premiums.
       Council members voted to table all legislation regarding financial matters until a clearer picture on the budget and future costs with hard numbers can be examined. Among the legislation tabled included potential pay increases for the finance director and chief of police.

While the Highland County Board of Commissioners has worked over the past two years to cut millions from the county budget, keeping it balanced remains difficult.
 Board president Shane Wilkin told The Highland County Press that when the county has reduced the budget to the point the commissioners have, unexpected expenses can be difficult to factor in.

Ohio State University reportedly has evacuated four buildings Tuesday, Nov. 16 due to bomb threats e-mailed to the FBI.

COLUMBUS - The Ohio Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) will hold a series of working sessions, beginning Friday, November 19, at 9:00 a.m. at the Ohio Department of Transportation¹s (ODOT) Central Office in Columbus. This will be a voting session to approve minutes of the previous meeting.