Post-meeting release 7/2

Commissioners receive several bids for CR 592 improvement project

[Tiffin, OH July 2, 2020] – The Seneca County Board of Commissioners received three bids for an improvement project on CR 592 Thursday morning.
The project, which includes pavement widening and resurfacing, received the following bids Thursday morning:

1.) Helms and Sons Excavating, of Findlay, for $447,460.50
2.) Gerken Paving, of Napoleon, for $384,955.40
3.) M&B Asphalt, of Tiffin, for $382,835.25

The engineer’s estimate for the project was $405,219. The bids will be submitted to Seneca County Engineer Mark Zimmerman to be reviewed before a contractor is selected and work can begin.
In other action, Seneca County Administrator Stacy Wilson reported General Fund revenues and expenses for June. She said revenue for the month was about $1,149,745, while expenses were reported at about $969,300.89.
The full extent of revenue losses due to the COVID-19 health crisis is still unknown to the commissioners, as the largest decreases to initial revenue projections are expected to be realized in July. This is due to the lag in sales tax collections experienced by counties.
The commissioners cut about $2 million of expenses from the 2020 General Fund budget in April, in reaction to anticipated revenue losses caused by the pandemic. These cuts were formalized after the county’s independent Budget Commission certified revenue losses of $2 million on April 7.
Wilson also said she is working with County Auditor Julie Adkins on a Coronavirus Relief Fund budget. Governmental entities must establish a special fund to be able to use CARES Act funding for the reimbursement of county expenses related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Seneca County received about $2 million through recently approved federal and state legislation, with about $930,000 going directly to county government. The other portion of the money is to be divvied up between the other political subdivisions within the county. All funds must be used for the reimbursement of previously unbudgeted expenses brought about by the health crisis.
Commissioner Mike Kerschner said the county has already logged about $550,000 in expenses related to the pandemic that could be eligible to be reimbursed by the CARES Act funds.
A work session to further discuss CARES Act funding and budgetary concerns related to the pandemic is scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 16. Elected officials and department heads from across the county have been invited to participate in the session.

In new business, the board approved:
* A $22,000 supplemental appropriation to the Workforce Investment Act Fund for equipment.
* A $100,000 supplemental appropriation to the Workforce Investment Act Fund for WIA Shared Cost.
* The support of the adoption of the Roth 457 option as an expanded portfolio choice within the Ohio Deferred Compensation Program, as was authorized by the passage of Senate Bill 220, which became Ohio law on March 19, 2017.
* Support of a Rural Industrial Park Loan Program application for economic development benefits.