TROY — The Miami County Commissioners approved the annexation of 260.369 acres of land from Bethel Township to the city of Huber Heights during their meeting on Tuesday.
The annexation was filed on behalf of Raymond and Kriss Haren, Gary Lavy, Barton Gessaman, and Michael Stafford. The application for annexation met the requirements for the approval by the Miami County Engineer.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Chris Englert said, “After the filing of a lawsuit, the board has been ordered and is required to approve the annexation petition.”
Commissioner Wade Westfall then commented, “I am extremely disappointed to have to cast a vote today on this issue. We are compelled by the courts to have to approve this annexation even though the commission and even the courts recognize the potential financial burden this measure will not only put on the Bethel Township, its school system, but the entire county. This commission will work diligently with other counties and our state legislatures to advocate for change in our annexation laws to make sure future annexations are fair and equitable for both land owners, communities, and our residents.”
Commissioner Ted Mercer agreed stating, “We’ve followed every avenue that we know best to try and conquer this annexation request, but we were unsuccessful.”
The commissioners participated in a bid opening for the Camp Troy pump station upgrades project and received one bid for $482,000 from Area Energy and Electric Inc. from Sidney.
Then, they opened statements of qualifications for 2023 professional design and engineering services. The commission received 30 statements.
Another annexation involved 163.634 acres from Concord Township to the city of Troy which was filed on behalf of Charles Isern and Ann Huegel. The annexation met the requirements for the approval by the Miami County Engineer.
The next resolution authorized the Municipal Court to purchase a 2023 Dodge Durango AWD SXT SUV for bailiffs for a cost of $43,067. The former vehicle, a 2018 Ford Explorer, is set to be transferred to the County Maintenance Department.
Then, the commissioners approved a contract between Job and Family Services and the National Youth Advocate Program for child placement services. The cost of the contract is $500,000 and runs from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2025.
Due to lack of qualified contractors in the area for Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) Program, two amendments were required for two previous resolutions which involve a nine-month extension to both programs to allow for projects to be finished.
“I would like to encourage all contractors that if their businesses are slowing down to get in contact of our department of development to put an application in to become a contractor. There’s a lot of work out there to be done. We’re having a hard time finding competent contractors,” said Westfall.
Commissioner Gregory Simmons was not present for the meeting.
