By Haylee Pence
TROY — The Miami County Commissioners authorized agreements on Tuesday, Nov. 30, including a resolution for the national opioid litigation.
Prior to its approval, the Miami County Commissioners entered into an executive session to discuss “Pending Imminent Litigation.” Following their executive session, they approved the Emergency Resolution Settlement for the Opioid Litigation filed on July 21, 2021. The county will directly receive settlement money along with the region (Region 15) if the settlement is passed. Currently, the county’s allocation is between $188,090 and $268,701. The amount depends on a variety of factors in the settlement, including the number of participants.
The commissioners approved a number of other agreements during their regular session.
One agreement that was authorized was the agreement with the County Employee Benefit Consortium of Ohio, Inc. (CEBCO), which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2022. This agreement changes the benefits that county employees will receive moving from self-insured to company-insured. Commissioner Ted Mercer stated that employees will receive “better benefits.”
Another agreement the commissioners authorized was with the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) and the Municipal Court for the acceptance of funds for the usage of e-citations for local law enforcement agencies. A representative of the Miami County Clerk of Courts said there are three law enforcement agencies that have not utilized the e-citations, which includes Piqua, Covington, and West Milton police departments. The cost of this agreement is not to exceed $29,484. The Municipal Court received a grant for this agreement, which will be paid directly to the vendor (Equivant). The representative of the Miami County Clerk of Courts said he “believes it will be a great program” and “will do wonders” for the court system.
Next, the commissioners authorized a grant for the Community Service Litter Program held by the Miami County Municipal Court ISP for $20,000. The Community Service Litter Program provides litter cleanup for roads in the county and along the routes leading to the Transfer Station. Commissioner Wade Westfall said that “this is a great service.”
The commissioners then authorized the purchase and installation of various flooring in the Sanitary and Engineering Department. The cost shall not exceed $23,851.26, which will include the cost of removal of previous flooring, purchase of new flooring, and the installation of the new flooring. A representative of the Sanitary and Engineering Department said that “the flooring is the original flooring” from the construction of the building.
The next agreement was with the Job and Family Services, which involved approval for subgrant agreements between Job and Family services and other organizations, including the following organizations and their grant agreements:
• Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc., $13,500
• Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County, Inc., $36,000
• Miami County Transit System, $106,000
• New Creation Counseling Center, $16,000
The commissioners also authorized an agreement with Job and Family Services and the Miami County Transit System for the Non-Emergency Medicaid Transport Program (NET), which provides transport for individuals if they qualify for Medicaid. The cost of this agreement shall not exceed $80,000, which is funded by the Federal Medicaid Assistance Program grant.
Along with the NET agreement, the commissioners approved the Prevention, Retention, and Contingency Contract with the Miami County Transit System and Job and Family Services, which shall not exceed $20,000.
The Miami County Commissioners also approved the annexation of two acres of Concord Township to the city of Troy. Concord Township failed to respond to the proposed annexation after 25 days of the petition being filed, which constitutes consent to the annexation.
The commissioners opened bids for the 2021 Miami County Bridge Package with the cheapest bid being $1,017,613. The award was deferred.
