By Haylee Pence
TROY – The Miami County Commissioners met on Monday, Jan. 10, for the annual reorganization of the board, which is set to happen on the second Monday of each new year.
Commissioner Ted Mercer was elected as president of the board for a one-year term, which began at this meeting and will end at the next reorganization of the board meeting in January 2023. Mercer is replacing Commissioner Gregory Simmons as president. Though no longer president of board, Simmons still sits on the board.
Commissioner Wade Westfall was elected as vice president of the board for a one-year term, which began at this meeting and will end at the next reorganization of the board meeting in Jan. 2023. Westfall is replacing Mercer as the vice president.
Following the election of a new president and vice president, the commissioners set the regular meetings for the 2022 year for general sessions on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. The meetings are subject to change as necessary.
Then, the commissioners approved the formula for the funds collected from the one cent sales tax where 75% of the funds received will go toward the General Fund. Other funds that will receive funds from the one cent sales tax include the Central Communications Fund, the Capital Improvement Fund, and the Super Fund Cleanup from largest percentage to smallest.
The next agreements involved the county engineer. The first agreement was to allow the County Engineer to purchase materials, employ laborers, and other various duties during the 2022 year. The next agreement was to set the salary of the county engineer, which is paid every two weeks. The county engineer was also authorized to administer permits.
The next agreement authorized the county engineer/sanitary engineer and the Miami County Transit to “participate in contracts of the Ohio Department of Transportation in the year 2022.”
The commissioners then authorized the participation in the State of Ohio Cooperative Purchasing Program (DAS). They also authorized the membership to the National Association of Counties for the 2022 year. They also authorized the payment of the 2022 Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission dues for a cost of $11,788.19.
Mercer was designated as the Official Voting Representative of Miami County at the Annual Meeting of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio for 2022. Westfall is the alternative.
The commissioners approved the 2022 pay grades to the Miami County Commissioners’ Compensation Program, which includes the Job and Family Services employees and non-union Communication Center employees.
Following this authorization, the commissioners approved appropriations in all funds in order to facilitate a 4.0% increase to all wage and wage related accounts, which will be effective no sooner than Dec. 23, 2022.
Then, they authorized the usage of internet auctions for selling personal property, motor vehicles, road machinery, and other items on GovDeals Online Auction and the Miami County website. Items are set to be posted for 15 days.
Director of Miami County Department of Job and Family Services Bonita VanGorden was authorized to serve as the Board of Miami County Commissioners’ designee and authorized to transfer funds from multiple sources for duties as the designee and director.
Next, the commissioners authorized the Miami County Animal Shelter director to submit a grant application requesting $1,000 for spaying and neutering pets.
Finally, they authorized a contract with R.T. Industries to provide workers for collecting the glass recycling containers at Miami County businesses for 2022 for a cost that shall not exceed $20,000.
To end the meeting, Mercer thanked Simmons for “his great leadership this past year.” He went on to say “[the commissioners] are a great team, and [they] get along well.” Mercer also thanked Miami County Administrator Charlotte Colley, for “her hard work and dedication,” along with Clerk Janelle Barga for “staying on target and keeping [the commissioners] straight in line.”
