Mount Vernon News

MOUNT VERNON — On Monday morning, the Knox County Board of Commissioners opened bids for two projects and had a brief meeting with Roger Shooter, director of the Jobs & Family Services department.

The first bid opening was for storm water retention ponds to be built near the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and jail. The estimate provided from the Knox Soil & Water Conservation District was $55,831.

The commissioners received 10 bids. The bids ranged from $39,875 — a bid submitted by Harold Cochran of Centerburg — to $69,000 by G&G Enterprises of Bellville.

Commissioner Allen Stockberger said the bids will be given to the KCSWCD to review and make a recommendation. Stockberger said the commissioners hope to approve a bid by Thursday.

The second bid opening was for video equipment to be installed in the new Children’s Advocacy Center, which will be undergoing renovation beginning this month. Shooter was present for the bid opening, and said his department did not have any estimates for the bid.

The bids for the video equipment ranged from $17,414.34, submitted by Radiant Technology of Lewis Center, to a high of $25,855 from Microman of Dublin. Information from all the bids was given to Shooter, who said his department would render a recommendation by Thursday.

Shooter also presented statistics of federal offset collections. A federal offset collection is, he said, “a tax intercept.” This intercept will affect an individual if he or she is behind more than $300 in child support payments. The Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services can intercept and take part or all of a person’s tax return or economic stimulus payment.

Statewide, said Shooter, there have been 117,122 offsets that have totaled more than $114 million through June 26. This is a large increase from last year, when offsets totaled around $80 million. Shooter said the large increase in the number is due to the economic stimulus payments that were awarded to all individuals who filed a 2008 tax return.

Shooter reported that Knox County has intercepted $455,492 through June 24. He did not have statistics on the number of people who had their tax return or stimulus check intercepted.

In the afternoon, the commissioners met with representatives of Congressman Zack Space, representatives of ADR and Associates, a representative of the Rural Community Assistance Program and a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who was on speakerphone. The issue discussed was possible funding sources for the decentralized sewer projects for six small, unincorporated hamlets around the county.

Lisa Morgan of the USACE described the 594 Program, which was created to fund non-federal water-related infrastructure in the state of Ohio. Morgan noted that since the inception of the program in 2001, $80 million has been appropriated for projects in the state, with a rough average of $15 million per year. She described the program as somewhat of a grant program, with up to 75 percent of the project’s cost being funded with federal funds, and the remaining money matched by a nonfederal partner.

Glenn Enslen, grant coordinator with Space’s office, described the 594 Program as simple earmarks in the federal budget.

Stockberger said he was confused and thought that the 594 Program had the authority to distribute a large amount of funds.

“This looks like it was an appropriation that was made back in ’99, so my misunderstanding of it was that there was a [$294] million appropriation,” said Stockberger.

Enslen explained it was only authorization stating that Congress had to appropriate up to $294 million for the lifetime of the program.

“Each year, Congress appropriates some amount of money to this program,” explained Enslen. “We haven’t exceeded the $294 million, so we continue to have the ability to appropriate to it, until they hit $294 million, then they’ll have to make a decision, whether this program exists or are we done with it.”

Enslen encouraged the county to apply for a federal earmark, but cautioned that it would be unlikely the county would receive all of its requested funding through the 594 Program. Instead, Enslen encouraged the county to work with Roberta Acosta with the Rural Community Assistance Program.

Acosta said that when she helps entities find funding for projects, she never plans on receiving federal appropriations. She said she could work with ADR and Associates to put together some different funding options with grants and low-interest loans.

Also in the afternoon, the commissioners awarded a wastewater treatment survey to ADR and Associates of Newark. The survey is part of the plan to bring the wastewater treatment plant at Howard up to new EPA specifications. Stockberger said ADR had the lowest bid at $13,500.