DEFIANCE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2003

NEWS RELEASE

The Board of Defiance County Commissioners met in regular session at 8:30 a.m. in the

Conference Room of the Defiance County Board of Commissioner, 500 Court Street, Suite A, Defiance, Ohio 43512 on Thursday, December 18, 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, County Administrator, Alison Grimes, Clerk and Joan Brown, Deputy Clerk.

8:30 a.m. General Session – Commissioners approved and signed various resolutions, contracts and documents, approved various travel requests, reviewed the agenda items and the calendar of events, discussed upcoming meetings and updated information for the calendar of events.

The Board was informed by Mark Hopper of Public Safety Services that Daryle Rogers, a Defiance resident, donated 3 rolls of HAZMAT chemical CAUTION – STAY CLEAR tape for the County’s Emergency Management use. The tape is used to identify unsafe areas at a chemical spill. Using this tape at spill locations not only assists emergency personnel but informs the public of potentially unsafe areas. The Board appreciates Mr. Rogers’ donation and a letter of thanks has been generated to send to him.

During General Session the Board also discussed several budget issues.

9:30 a.m. Becky Wagner, County Administrator, was next on the agenda to present her latest update to the Board. She informed the Board that Greg Reinhart, County Wastewater Operations Director, passed the necessary tests and received his Class III Wastewater Operator license from the Ohio EPA.

Randy Vogel, County Humane Officer, notified Becky that the Humane Shelter was purchasing a vehicle for their use; he thought at a cost of around $6,000.

Becky then reviewed information with the Board concerning the purchase of software for the Wastewater Operations office.

FMLA training for all department heads under the umbrella of the Commissioners is being finalized by Beth Miller of CORSA, the County’s risk management company. Any other department heads that may be interested will also be invited to take the training.

Under County housekeeping issues – several ruts behind the Evergreen Lane Office Complex will be filled in with grindings by Ron Cereghin, Maintenance Supervisor.

At 10:22 a.m. she requested EXECUTIVE SESSION regarding Personnel (ORC 121.22 (G) (1)). EXECUTIVE SESSION ended at 10:29 a.m. The meeting was informational only; no decisions were made.

10:30 a.m. Tim Houck, Landfill Manager, met with the Board at this time for a review of Landfill activities. Paperwork for the purchase of the land adjacent to the east side of the facility has been completed and the purchase should be finalized by the end of the year. Tim noted that the frost protection layer has been installed at the Landfill.

Mr. Houck also reviewed current landfill income and expenses. November sales are down slightly from recent years but, overall, sales are comparable to previous years.

At 10:55 a.m., the Board entered EXECUTIVE SESSION regarding Land Acquisition (ORC 121.22 (G) (2)). EXECUTIVE SESSION ended at 11:01 a.m. Tim was instructed to contact the property owner with an offer to purchase.

The next Solid Waste District meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 26 at 1:30 p.m. with Williams County hosting.

11:00 a.m. Andrew Brossart, Seasongood and Mayer, scheduled to meet with the Board at this time, cancelled due to inclement weather in the Cincinnati/Columbus areas. He will reschedule his meeting for another time.

At noon, the Board and Becky attended a Community Improvement Corporation luncheon/meeting at Kissner’s Upstairs.

At 2:00 p.m., the Board met with Warren Schlatter, Engineer’s office and Marlene Goodwin, Auditor, regarding the financial aspects of the tax mapping program and the possibility of adding another employee to assist with this program.

At 2:11 p.m. the Board entered EXECUTIVE SESSION regarding Personnel (ORC 121.22 (G) (1)). EXECUTIVE SESSION ended at 2:22 p.m. Warren and Marlene will meet to review and detail specific requirements of each deed mapping.

At 2:59 p.m., after Marlene and Warren left, the Board received a phone call from Merlin Butler, Poggemeyer Design Group and the Board entered EXECUTIVE SESSION again for Land Acquisition (ORC 121.22 (G) (2). Commissioner Kime left the room during this discussion. EXECUTIVE SESSION ended at 3:13 p.m. The Prosecutor will be contacted to clarify several questions.

Today’s meeting adjourned at 3:14 p.m.

Approved for news release: _____________________________

Thomas L. Kime, Commissioner