The Highland County Board of Commissioners this week held its annual organizational meeting, re-electing its president to the post once again and electing a new vice chair.
Commissioner Shane Wilkin was re-elected as president of the board of commissioners, a position he has held every year since 2009. Jeff Duncan was elected as vice chairman of the board. Duncan was elected to the commission board in 2014.
Additional action at the organizational meeting included the appointment of former commissioner Tom Horst to the board of the Highland County Visitors Bureau, the rehiring of county employees, setting the payout for animal claims in 2017 on livestock killed by dogs at 50 percent of the market value, establishing the regular session meetings as Wednesdays, and the setting of public comment rules at meetings which includes that comments on topics discussed at that day’s meeting are welcomed, and that a person will be given 10 minutes to speak on other topics if what is to be discussed has been presented to the commission board clerk by noon the previous day.
A list was also approved of commissioners as board members to various organizations: Shane Wilkin – Community Improvement Corporation, Board of Health, Highland District Hospital Foundation Board, Board of DD, Senior Citizens, Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission, and the Southern Ohio Agricultural Community Development Foundation; Jeff Duncan – Area 7 Chief Elected Officials Consortium, East Fork Water Shed, Emergency Management Executive Committee, Family and Children First Council, local emergency planning committee, Workforce Policy Board, and domestic violence; Terry Britton – Community Action, court security, local emergency planning committee, FRS Transportation, Highland County Visitors Bureau, VOCA, and the solid waste district.
In other business, Evans Road in Liberty Township will soon see some improvements underway as a contract for a project was awarded by the commission board at its Wednesday meeting.
According to Highland County Engineer Dean Otworth, the project is to stabilize banks and realign channels in an area affected by the creek waters. Evans Road runs between U.S. Route 62 north and Careytown Road.
Commission board president Shane Wilkin opened six bids, and Otworth asked if the board would recess so that his office could review the submitted bid packets and go ahead and make its recommendation to commissioners. Otworth made the request so that the project could get underway, he said.
After a review of the submitted bid packets and Otworth’s recommendation, the contract was awarded to Mullins Construction, which submitted a bid of $27,150.
Otworth said the project should get underway within the next two weeks.
The Highland County Board of Commissioners meets each Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. on the second floor of the county administration building, 119 Governor Foraker Pl., Hillsboro. The meetings are open to the public. The board office can be reached by calling 937-393-1911.
Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.
