WILMINGTON — Commissioners and the Board of Elections (BOE) see eye to eye on what structurally needs to be done for the BOE to move into the County Annex Building on South Nelson Avenue.
There was verbal agreement at Wednesday’s meeting of the two parties that they are “on the same page” on facility changes needed at the Annex, and that the only foreseeable thing that could now potentially derail the move is a hitch in acquiring new voting equipment the BOE is looking at.
If the move from the downtown courthouse to the westside annex does take place, it will not occur until after the spring primary election in May.
BOE-related enhancements to the exterior of the County Annex will include converting outside lighting to LED, and perhaps ultimately a programmable sign providing timely information about voting as well as vaccines at the health department — also located in the Annex.
A decision on the new voting equipment is expected soon, BOE staff said Wednesday.
On another topic at the commissioners office, Commissioner Brenda K. Woods questioned the prospect of the Clinton County Solid Waste District’s (SWD) Policy Committee considering and then making a recommendation on a matter of hiring an employee.
Woods said she went online and looked at policy committee rules related to the Ohio EPA and Solid Waste Districts and she does not interpret personnel questions as a role designated for policy committees.
The Clinton County SWD Policy Committee is a policy-making group when it comes to the plan the local SWD compiles, but it is not for hiring individuals, said Woods.
The employee position in question has been vacant for a while, said commissioners, and the SWD was asked to see how things went if the position — education specialist — were not filled.
Woods said she is wary of the policy committee having a role in this personnel decision.
“I just know where it’s headed. We’re just opening up a door that I’m not sure I want to open,” said Woods.
On the matter of the SWD Policy Committee, Commissioner Kerry R. Steed, who chairs the committee, said he does not want to hear only from yes-men.
“I don’t want to surround myself with a bunch of yes-men. I find any of these policy boards are invaluable to us,” said Steed. He added it is valuable to get another point of view.
The discussion was in the presence of the commissioners’ legal counsel Andrew McCoy of the Clinton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Commissioners President Patrick Haley noted the time for the next scheduled appointment after McCoy had almost arrived, and suggested the issue be discussed more later.
In a separate meeting, Cardinal Land Conservancy Board of Directors President Laura Curliss, J.D., was there in support of an agricultural easement on the Doug and Terri Barton Farm off Greenfield-Sabina Road, a property that’s in both Clinton and Fayette Counties.
Cardinal Land Conservancy was formed in 2014 when three area land trusts merged, including Clinton County Open Lands. Clinton County Open Lands was started in 2004 as a Leadership Clinton project.
In 2017, Cardinal Land Conservancy added more than 1,000 acres of preserved farmland in Clinton County.
Cardinal Land Conservancy is a land trust working in seven southwest Ohio counties: Clinton, Adams, Brown, Clermont, Hamilton, Highland and Warren Counties. Its mission is to conserve land and water resources in the seven-county region.
For more information, please visit www.CardinalLandConservancy.org .
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
