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Darke County Commissioners…
Commissioners
Corner
The showers that showed up in April are still here in May. Just a
few farmers have been in the fields, and as of this writing on May 23,
the forecast is for rain on and off all week. Hopefully, the
weather man is wrong and we can finally see a good stretch of
sunshine. However, the rain has not slowed down things in the
Commissioner’s office; we are still continuing to pursue certain
projects.
The State Rte. 242 project is moving along very nicely.
Commissioner Rhoades had a meeting with the State Highway District 7
people last week, along with Engineer Jim Surber and Grants Coordinator
Jeff Marshall. The District 7 Programming Engineer, Matt Parrill,
informed them that the time table for this project is a little ahead of
schedule. This project is important to Darke County for the
simple reason of easier accessibility for the larger businesses in the
county. A future expansion of the airport is critical for
economic growth, and we will continue to advance this
agenda. The State of Ohio should have their budget
completed by mid June, so until then a lot of items are on hold.
We are having preliminary budget hearings and as of now everybody has
done a nice job of holding the bottom line steady. The
Commissioners do want to sincerely thank all the Department Heads for
their cooperation and understanding during these tough economic
times. Most of our people in the Courthouse and Commissioners
Office have not had raises for several years, yet they continue to
produce at a very high and efficient level. Their dedication and
hard work is greatly appreciated.
We have 11 applications for CDBG (Community Development Block Grant)
funds, but as of now we do not have any idea how much will be available
to the County. We will prioritize the applications and when we do
find out how much is available, we will distribute the funds as
needed. It is rumored in Columbus that the CDBG grant will be
disappearing altogether, but we have heard nothing as of yet.
This is a good tool for us to use in helping fund much needed projects
throughout the County.
In June, there will be 2 hearings on the proposal to raise the
conveyance fee from 2 dollars per thousand to 3 dollars per thousand on
property sales. This increase will be used exclusively for
economic development. None of the increase will go to the County
to be used in the general fund. The money will be earmarked for
the #106 fund which is economic development. Once the money
is put in this fund, it must be used only for economic development.
This will give the Economic Development Department a much needed tool
to help small and large businesses to expand, and attract new
businesses into Darke County. The hearing dates are June 15th and
June 20th at 1:30 p.m. in the Commissioner’s Office if you wish to
express your opinion.
On the economic development front, we seem to be having quite a few
successes and continue to pursue more opportunities. Continental
Carbonic will be up and running at full tilt soon, and we welcome them
to Darke County. In talking to their leadership, they seem to be
committed to Darke County and will be a good corporate citizen for we
hope a very long time. The Integrity Ambulance development should be
starting soon, and this will be a welcome addition also. Thanks
to Mayor Bowers of Greenville for his assistance in helping this
project get underway. Marc Saluk, the E. D. Director,
continues to be very busy with expansion and new projects. We
hope this trend continues, even though Marc doesn’t seem to have much
time for anything else! Sorry Marc, but we do appreciate your
efforts and hope you continue with the success we have had so
far.
The parade season has started in Darke County and the Elected Officials
hope to see you at all the Darke County events. If we don’t see
you at the parades, or festivals, hopefully we will see you at a
meeting. The Darke County Commissioners meet publicly every Monday and
Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., at 520 South Broadway, in downtown Greenville,
just south of the Courthouse. Hope to see you there!
The Darke County Commissioners
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