By Haylee Pence
TROY – On Thursday, July 14, the Miami County Commissioners met to authorize eight resolutions including a resolution to establish new funds for Miami County’s share of the opioid settlement.
Miami County will receive $49,940.23 to be used to help with any costs for opioid addictions. Other local cities and villages will receive funding as well which includes the following:
• The City of Troy — $7,777.49
• The City of Piqua — $7,514.44
• The City of Tipp City — $3,253.71
• Village of Covington — $667.43
These cities and villages applied for the funding. The funding will be provided for the next 12 years.
“I’m excited about this opportunity because if we can get at least one person off of drugs, it’ll be worth it,” stated Commissioner Gregory Simmons after telling the audience how difficult it is to minister funerals with the rise of overdoses.
The Commissioner’s Office is working to establish a board to vet requests for funding with the regulations placed on how the funding can be used and which programs would benefit the community most.
Another resolution was to authorize the Ohio Public Works Commission Agreement for the camp Troy Pump Station Upgrade Project. The agreement includes partial funding of $200,000.
The commissioners also authorized the one-time financial contribution to the Union Township Life Squad in the amount of $25,000 utilizing ARPA funds. The funds will be used to purchase a Striker MTS Power Load Stretcher Loading System which will be placed in an ambulance that currently doesn’t have one.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get this relief money. We’ve been able to give back to our small businesses, non-profits, and volunteer fire organizations. We’ve been able to do so many wonderful and necessary projects. All of this helps better our communities,” commented Commissioner President Ted Mercer.
The commissioners then signed an agreement with APP Architecture, Englewood, for their services for the renovations of the Commissioner’s Hearing Room and adjoining spaces. The cost of their agreement shall not exceed $40,700 with $3,500 in reimbursable expenses.
The next resolution was to sign a contract with Benefits Analysis Corporation, Troy, for their employee benefits analysis consultation which was requested by the Miami County Human Resources Department. The annual cost shall not exceed $12,000. Benefits Analysis Corporation was picked out of seven bids received.
The commissioners approved the adoption of a revision to the Miami County Personnel Policy Manual regarding policies related to travel and training. The policies were last revised in 1993. The new revisions include alternate rates costs based on cost of living associated with the area that the employee is traveling to in order to cover costs more effectively, according to Miami County Administrator, Charlotte Colley.
The commissioners also approved the preliminary 2023 Tax Budget for the county and the Troy-Miami County Public Library.
The final resolution was to authorize two employment verifications. One was for a full-time social services caseworker for the Department of Job and Family Services with a pay rate of $21.56/hour. The other is a full-time emergency management specialist for the Emergency Management Agency with a pay rate of $20/hour.
