Carroll County approves Memorial Day funding

Carroll County Engineer Brian J. Wise delivered his annual report to commissioners at their Feb. 19 meeting, outlining major projects, funding sources and concerns over pending state legislation.

Wise said he was recently alerted to a proposed Senate bill that could affect Road Use Maintenance Agreements, which counties use to protect roads from heavy industrial traffic. He said RUMAs have worked well in Carroll County and helped prevent costly damage.

“They’ve kept a lot of road damage from happening,” Wise said. “I would hate to see them go because they’re very beneficial to a small county.”

He highlighted the largest project completed in 2025, the $1.455 million replacement of the Arbor Road “Catfish Pond” Bridge. The project replaced a 63-foot truss bridge with a 78-foot galvanized steel beam bridge on steel piling foundations with a reinforced concrete deck. Wise said the project was funded through a federal grant, with the county responsible only for limited inspection and testing costs.

Wise also discussed the county’s acquisition of the former ODOT facility, which is now being used for equipment storage. He said additional office space may be needed in the future. Crews are also nearing completion of a culvert replacement on Dew Drop Road in Perry Township, where a double-arch culvert that frequently washed out is being replaced with three larger pipes and headwalls.

“I can’t say enough about the guys I get to work with,” Wise said. “It’s a great group of hard-working people.”

He reminded commissioners that county roads are funded primarily through fuel taxes and license plate fees, not property taxes. The department received approximately $481,000 in Ohio Public Works Commission funding last year. Staffing currently stands at 26 employees following several retirements. Commissioners accepted the engineer’s annual report.

“Everybody thinks the roads are funded by property taxes. They are not,” Wise said. “They’re funded by your motor fuel taxes and your license plate fees.”

In an unrelated matter, commissioners later heard from Tom Barnett of American Legion Post 428 and James Newbold of VFW Post 3301 regarding Memorial Day 2026 funding. The organizations partner each year to conduct services at approximately 13 cemeteries, including Westview and Grandview.

Both posts requested $1,760 to cover expenses such as cemetery flags, porta-john rentals and chairs. Barnett said the small cemetery flags will again be purchased locally from U.S. Sewing Shack in Malvern, which has held its pricing in support of veterans. Commissioners approved $1,760 for each organization.

In other business, commissioners:

—APPROVED Change Order No. 3 for the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Project 24-03, granting a 60-day extension due to weather delays and moving the completion date to April 18.

—APPROVED the Transit Certification of Indirect Costs for fiscal year 2024 for use in 2026 as prepared by Maximus U.S. Services Inc., and authorized the board president to sign.

—APPROVED a right-of-way permit for George C. Williamson for a driveway on Canyon Road in Union Township.

—APPROVED a special hauling permit for Mervin Troyer for Arbor Road and Apollo Road in Fox Township. A $50,000 bond was provided as required.

—APPROVED a contract with Crown Vending Services for vending at the Carroll County Annex building.

—HEARD the Carroll County General Health District is seeking volunteers for its monthly pop-up food pantry held the first Wednesday of each month from noon to 2 p.m. at the Church of Christ in Carrollton.

—APPROVED hiring Beth Campbell as a part-time transit driver at $12 per hour for van driving and $13 per hour for bus driving, and Brittany Phillips as a part-time dispatcher at $14 per hour.

—ACCEPTED the resignation of Stephanie Bennett as dog pound keeper effective Feb. 2, 2026. Commissioners said they plan to review recent applications before advertising the position.

—APPROVED an engineering services agreement with Thrasher for the Stony Lake Area Wastewater System Improvement Project, which will be funded through grants.

—PAID the bills of $195,192.34.