NEWS RELEASE
Thursday, July 26, 2018
The
Board of Defiance County Commissioners met in regular session at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday,
July 26, 2018 in the in the Commissioners’ Session Room at 500 Court Street,
Defiance, Ohio 43512. President Ryan Mack called the meeting to order. Also present were Commissioners Gary Plotts
and Mick Pocratsky, Sherry Carnahan, Finance Manager/Administrator, and
Stephanie Metz, Clerk.
The
Commissioners met in General Session; they approved and signed various
resolutions, contracts and documents. The Commissioners also reviewed the
calendar of events and discussed upcoming meetings.
After
passing a resolution last week regarding a Replacement with an increase to
1.2-mills for E-911, Defiance County Auditor Jill Little provided new
information to the Commissioners. Any existing levies have a 10% rollback
attached to them. The State reimburses the Counties 10% of the levy amount, up
to a maximum of $60,000.00. This means that on existing levies, the landowners
receive a discount on their property taxes. This 10% rollback does not apply to
any new levies, including replacements. After learning of this, the
Commissioners, with deliberation with Sheriff Engel and Matt Hanenkrath, E911 Director, decided to rescind the resolution
for a Replacement with an increase to 1.2-mills. The County Auditor advised
that in order to receive the same monetary amount as previously proposed, the Sheriff’s
Office/E911 should ask the Defiance County taxpayers to approve a RENEWAL WITH
AN INCREASE TO 1.4-mills. The increase in mills from 1.2 to 1.4 is because a
levy cannot bring in any more revenue than the original millage did. The
valuations of Defiance County have increased since the first E911 levy was
approved, so the original 1.0-mill levy is actually collected at 0.8-mills.
Today in session, the Commissioners approved a resolution
to declare that the
amount of taxes that may be raised within the ten-mill limitation will be
insufficient to provide for the necessary requirements of the County and that
it is necessary to levy a renewal with an increase to a 1.4-mill ad valorem
property tax in excess of the ten-mill limitation, for a period of five (5)
years, for the establishment and operation of a 9-1-1 system, as defiance in R.C. § 128.01, and for a Countywide Public Safety Communications
System under R.C. § 307.63, and that it intends to submit
the question of that renewal with an increase levy to County electors at an
election to be held on November 6, 2018, as authorized by R.C.
§
5705.19(SS). This
Board also requested the County Auditor to certify to it both (i) the total current tax valuation of the County and (ii)
the dollar amount of revenue that would be generated by the renewal with an
Increase to a 1.4-mill tax levy specified.
Jason
Roehrig, Defiance County Soil & Water Conservation District Administrator,
met with the Commissioners to provide a quarterly update. Jason reported that Fenson Contracting, LLC will be
completing construction of Culp Ditch soon. The Jackman Ditch construction
should begin by September 1 and be completed by November 30. There were 30 site
reviews completed this year. The following Education Outreach Programs were
completed:
·
Pond Clinic hosted with 31 landowners in
attendance;
·
Kid’s Outdoor Science Camp at Camp
Palmer for 3rd through 8th grade with 18 Defiance County
students participating;
·
Penney Nature Center
Kid’s Camp for Kindergarten through 2nd grade with 26 in attendance.
The Investment
Advisory Committee of Vickie Myers (Defiance County Treasurer), Amy Galbraith
(Defiance County Clerk of Courts) and the Commissioners met for the Second
Quarter Investment Advisory Meeting. Ryan Nelson, Redtree
Investment Group, and Warren Schlatter, Landfill Manager, also attended the
meeting. The
Defiance County Investment Portfolio, Landfill Closure Portfolio and Post
Closure Portfolio were approved.
Jim
Harris and Wes Zwiebel, Brunersburg Water & Sewer
District, met with the Commissioners to inform the Board that the Ohio EPA
issued Proposed Findings and Orders for the Airport waterline, which is owned
by the County and operated by Brunersburg Water & Sewer District. The Findings
and Orders are due to continued exceedance of the total trihalomehtane
(TTHM) maximum contaminant level. The Commissioners will
work with Brunersburg Water & Sewer District and the Ohio EPA to find the
most economical and effective solution for the users of the system.
Release Approved: ____________________________________________________
Ryan
Mack, Defiance County Commissioner