By Eamon Baird
TROY — The Miami County Commissioners authorized two resolutions regarding the Miami County Hazardous Material Response Team and equipment at their meeting on Thursday, March 14.
The first was to authorize and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Piqua, Troy, Tipp City, and Miami County concerning funding for 2024.
The second resolution pertains to the contribution share in the county to provide a share of the Emergency Management Agency’s annual Hazmat program budget of $24,429.60, based on the emergency hazardous sites (EHS) reporting under Ohio Revised Code 3750, currently as follows:
Piqua, with 14 EHS to contribute $6,840.29; Troy, with 24 EHS sites to contribute $11,726.55; Tipp City, with six EHS sites to contribute $2,931.55; and Miami County, with six EHS to contribute $2,931.55.
The second MOU is effective immediately until the end of the year and may be terminated by any party upon giving the other parties ninety days’ written notice of its intention to terminate.
Miami County Emergency Management Director Joel Smith addressed the commissioners about the reason for these changes.
“So collectively with the fire departments in the hazmat team, the new arrangement, instead of paying a staff member in my office, we’re going to use those funds to reimburse members of the hazmat team to do the work on their equipment,” Smith said.
Commissioner Ted Mercer expressed concern about these changes but agreed to pass the resolutions.
“I think I had more problems with these hazmat people being paid individually as a vendor. I still don’t get that, but if the prosecutor said it’s okay, we’re going to do it. It’s only a year, and we’ll find out in a year how it went,” Mercer said.
In other business, the commissioners authorized or approved the following resolutions:
• For professional architectural services, with WDC Group, of Springfield, as requested by the Facilities Director for the design and project management to develop an ADA compliant seating solution for the Miami County Fairground Grandstand for $15,970.
• To sign a Title IV-E Child Placement Contract with Health Recovery Services Inc. (aka Bassett House) Athens, Ohio, from Feb. 26 through Dec. 31, 2024, for a cost not to exceed $100,000.
• To appoint Dr. Fredric M. Francis to the Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services, with the initial (partial) term effective immediately and expiring June 30, 2024, to fill George Lovett’s expired term, which expired on Aug. 31, 2023, and to re-appoint Dr. Francis to said board for a full four-year term to become effective July 1, 2024, and expire on June 30, 2028.
• To sign the following employment verifications for Social Services Caseworkers in the Department of Job and Family Services: Alise N. Moneypenny as a caseworker at a pay rate of $21.56 per hour beginning on March 18; and Alyssa Bowman as a caseworker aide at a pay rate of 17.82 per hour beginning on March 18.
• To sign an employee requisition for a new facilities and maintenance technician, with a pay rate between $19.79 and $23.29 per hour, depending on qualifications, due to Michael Williams’s departure.
• To acknowledge receipt of the auditor’s February summary revenue and expense reports.
