DEFIANCE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24,
2003
NEWS RELEASE
The Board of Defiance County Commissioners
met at 8:30 a.m. in the Conference
Room of the Board, 500 Court Street, Defiance, Ohio 43512
on Monday, February 24, 2003. The meeting was called to order by Thomas
Kime, Chairman. Present were Commissioners
Thomas L. Kime, Otto L. Nicely and Richard
L. Cromwell. Also
present were Becky Wagner, Operations Manager;
Alison Grimes, Clerk and Joan Brown, Deputy Clerk.
8:30 a.m. Russ Herman, County Chief Assistant Prosecuting
Attorney, met with the Board to review various documents pending his review and
approval. Mr. Herman is currently
up-to-date on all documentation.
9:00 a.m. General Session – First, Commissioners
opened bids for a new 2003 County van.
Also attending the meeting was Wes Moats, Mark Moats Ford, Defiance
and Dave Knipp, Beckman Chevrolet-Cadillac, Defiance. The following bids were received:
Mark Moats Ford $24,980
Defiance,
Ohio $ 8,980 with
trade-in
Ford
Windstar SEL
Beckman
Chevrolet-Cadillac $26,000
$11,000 with trade-in
Chevrolet
Venture LT
The bids were accepted as presented and will be reviewed and
awarded later this week.
Commissioners approved and signed various resolutions and
documents, approved several travel requests, reviewed the agenda items and the
calendar of events, discussed upcoming meetings and updated information for the
calendar of events.
10:00 a.m. Gaylon Davis,
County Engineer,
normally scheduled for this time period, was on vacation today and did not meet
with the Commissioners.
10:30 a.m. Due to human error, several county
employees were not recognized for their years of service at the recently held County
Employee Recognition Banquet. They were
asked to come in this morning to receive the congratulations of the Board and
their certificate of appreciation. The
following received certificates for their years of service:
10 years Ann Newberry, Clerk of Courts Office
Nancy Noffsinger,
Auditor’s Office
15 years Sharon Rathburn, Clerk of Courts Office
Linda Willitzer,
Clerk of Courts Office
Marlene Goodwin,
Auditor’s Office
11:00 a.m. Family and Children First Council – Amy
Murphy and Kathy Koch, Family and Children First Council Director and , met
with the Board for an update of her department.
Also attending the meeting were Kim Moss, Health Department, Rick
Edmonds and Barb Acomb, Good Samaritan and Susan Jackson, Job and Family
Services. Amy reviewed the various
programs and the funding for each. There
was some discussion between Family and Children First Council and Job and
Family Services in regard to receiving proper paperwork which is in the process
of being resolved.
Family and Children First Council is in the process of
updating their by-laws and have instituted a monthly newsletter. Radio spots are also being aired on WDFM,
WONW and WZOM. Amy noted that there was
a 215% increase in activities when comparing January, 2002 to January 2003 data.
1:30 p.m. Economic
Development – Jerry Hayes, Economic Development Director, met with the Board to
present information regarding the SANC (Figley Stamping) Enterprise Zone
Agreement. SANC is located within the Defiance
City School District. $5,000 will be invested in real property
improvements; $243,200 for new machinery and equipment and $160,000 for
inventory, for a total of $408,200. It
will also create 4 new full-time jobs, resulting in approximately $83,000 in
annual payroll. SANC requested a tax
abatement of 100% for 7 years. The project will begin by February 28, 2003 and be completed by December 31, 2003. Commissioners approved the agreement.
2:00 p.m. Tourism
Bureau – Karen Seigman and Kelly Worline, Tourism Bureau Director, met with the
board to review upcoming Bicentennial events and information. Deb Bloomfield, Deputy Clerk, resident
bicentennial liaison, also attended the meeting. They
checked to see that various aspects of the bell casting event on June 14 and 15
were covered by either the Tourism Board or the County. They also discussed options in case of
inclement weather. Activities will begin
at noon on the 14th,
culminating in the pouring of the bell around 5:00
p.m. The bell ringing
ceremony will begin at 6:00 p.m. on
the 15th.
The Ohio Chautauqua, scheduled for five days beginning July 16, 2003, is a traveling tent
show that presents history in the form of first person historical
characterizations. A different
characterization will be presented every day.
It is scheduled to be held at Pontiac
Park. After discussion, the Commissioners will help
support the Tourism Bureau with various events, specifically the Chautauqua
event. The Tourism Bureau also noted
that they would appreciate any monetary donations, volunteers or assistance for
any of the Bicentennial events.
Today’s meeting adjourned at 3:28
p.m.
Approved for news release: _____________________________
Thomas
L. Kime, Commissioner