Post-meeting release 10/22

Commissioners hold session on campus of Tiffin University Tuesday morning

[Tiffin, OH Oct. 22, 2019] – The Seneca County Board of Commissioners met on the campus of Tiffin University Tuesday morning for an off-site board session. The meeting occurred in the Chisholm Auditorium inside Franks Hall.
Dr. James Gucker’s Business Law course observed the session and had the opportunity to ask questions to the commissioners and other presenters.
The commissioners thanked the students for taking time out of their day to learn more about how the county operates.
“We very much consider the university students as part of our community, so it’s important their local government is accessible to them,” Board President Shayne Thomas said.
Seneca County Dog Warden Kelly Marker, Seneca County Sheriff Bill Eckelberry and Captain David Pahl, who works at the sheriff’s office, presented to the students.
Marker explained her position as dog warden and shared some interesting facts with students. She said Labradors and Chihuahuas are the two most common dog breeds in the county. She said all dogs in the county must have a dog license.
To learn more about the dog warden’s office, visit the department’s Facebook page.
Eckelberry discussed the history of sheriff’s offices in Ohio and spoke about the history of his office and the Seneca County Jail.
He said the sheriff’s office is responsible for enforcing the law over 545-square-miles in the county. He said about 7,585 calls for service were responded to in 2018, a figure that does not include duties performed when no paperwork was filed.
The sheriff’s office includes three sergeants, 12 road deputies and three detectives.
Pahl discussed the jail, which has 36 corrections officers, a lieutenant and three sergeants.
He said the jail has the capacity to hold about 225 inmates.
In other business, Public Relations Coordinator Jimmy Flint discussed the upcoming 2020 Census count.
He said it is important for students to be counted as Seneca County residents, as they live in the county for more than six months of the year.
Federal grant funding is awarded based on census data, so it is important for the county to have an accurate count. On March 5, the North Central Ohio Regional Council of Governments is to host a kickoff event to start disseminating information related to the count. The count is to begin April 1.
Also during the meeting, the commissioners agreed to move forward in funding a holiday lighting display at the Seneca County Justice Center. The cost of the display, which includes decorating a tree and adding garland to the justice center building, is $16,676.70. Most or all funding is expected to be covered by donations from private sponsors.
In other action, County Administrator Stacy Wilson said the budget process is beginning, as departments were to submit budget proposals last week. The commissioners hope to approve the 2020 budget in November. Wilson said expenses and revenue are about what they were expected so far this year, with each at 84 percent of the projected figures.
In other business, the board approved all appropriations and resolutions that were included in the pre-meeting release.