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Commissioners Corner
June 21, 2011
The month of June has finally started to act like summer. The
rains have abated some, and warm temperatures have slowly
returned. We are sure that by now most of the farm planting has
been done, and from our own observations, crops seem to be doing fairly
well, at least the ones that have not had to be
re-planted. We know it is hard to believe, but at the
end of this month, the year will be at its halfway mark, and it seems
like we are just getting started.
As of this writing, we are still waiting to hear from the State of Ohio
on their final budget. We should know something by the 30th of
this month. This seems to be the normal process, although it has
been made much more difficult because of the State’s 8 plus billion
dollar shortfall. Normally by now we have had some indication of
what we have to work with, but so far not even a hint. The 2012
budget will probably be cut significantly, so we are going to have to
make some really hard choices for the county. We do not like to
be the bearers of bad news, but we feel it is better to let everyone
know what to expect than to just dump it on people out of the
blue. We will keep everyone informed on what we must do to
balance the Counties budget for 2012. We have had preliminary
budget discussions with our department heads, and we all understand
these are preliminary and will be set as soon as we know something
solid from the State.
On
a more positive front, the courthouse parking lot project has been
approved, and the contract went to Arcon Builders out of Arcanum.
The cost of the project will be $150,450.20. This money has
already been allocated from the N. S. P. (Neighborhood Stabilization
Program) funds we received to refurbish the courthouse. Arcon
should have the project completed within the next 2 months, and more
public parking will then be available for the
citizens.
The communication between our office and the people continues to
improve. The Community Ties program on the Tiger Radio station
(97.5 F.M.) continues to get good questions for us to answer each
month. The program is aired on the 3rd Friday of each month, with
people sending in questions about the county for us to answer. We
really enjoy this interaction with the public, and hope that you
continue to send in your questions for us to answer. The rise in
the conveyance fee from $2 to $3 dollars has been the topic of much
debate in the Commissioner’s office. We would like to thank those
who participated in the discussion and for the honest opinions
expressed. The expression of your opinions is vital to us to make
an informed opinion. As this is written, no decision has been
reached yet, but we will decide very soon. Thanks to all who have
helped us make our decision. The Economic Development Department
continues to be very busy and active in the retention and acquisition
of new business. As of now, the department has a myriad of
projects going on. Darke County continues to be very proactive in
our search for new jobs, and job retention. We should be able to
have some news on several of these fronts shortly. The Partnering
4 Progress group continues to grow, and this shows the effort and
importance economic development is playing in Darke County. This
is a group of investors who are pooling their resources to make Darke
County competitive in the jobs market. If you wish to learn
more about this effort, or to become a part of this group, you may
contact the Darke County Economic Development office at 937-548-3250.
As always, we encourage all of the residents of the county to get
involved. The Commissioners meet publicly twice a week on Mondays
and Wednesdays at 1:30 p. m. in the Commissioner’s Office, located at
520 S. Broadway in downtown Greenville, just south of the
Courthouse. We look forward to seeing you there!
The Darke County Commissioners
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