Partnerships are foundational when it comes to developing and enhancing Holmes County’s economic picture, and on Monday, Dec. 9, the Holmes County Board of Commissioners met with a pair of leaders from the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau to discuss their ongoing partnership heading into 2025.
Tiffany Gerber, chamber executive director, and tourism marketing manager Jennifer Feucht met with the commissioners to celebrate the acceptance of Resolution #12-09-24-3 approving the agreement between the two entities.
In 1993 the commissioners levied a 1% excise tax and added another 2% excise tax in 2001 on all transactions taking place in Holmes County on all lodging stays.
The county designated the chamber as the recipient of these excise lodging fees with the knowledge the chamber would turn around and reinvest the collected revenue back into the county through its promotional efforts.
The resolution simply continues an agreement that has been working for the county for many years.
Gerber was pleased to celebrate the partnership and asked if the commissioners would like to assume a permanent seat on the Holmes County Tourism Council, of which Phil Tieszen of Keim is the president.
Currently, Jen Halverson, director of the Holmes County Park District, resides on the council as the other permanent seat while Mark Leininger, executive director of the Holmes County Economic Development Council, currently resides on the board representing the commissioners but has an expiring term at the end of the year.
“Some members of the council have asked if he would like to stay on in a permanent capacity like Jen,” Gerber said. “I’d like to pose the question if the county itself would like a permanent position.”
Commissioner Dave Hall said because there is this developed partnership already between the chamber and the county, it would be good to have a permanent seat on the tourism council board.
“I did talk to Mark, and he would be more than willing to step up if the board deemed to do so,” Hall said.
Gerber said the position would belong to the county, so if Leininger should ever wish to step out, the county would have an opportunity to replace him.
In referring to the chamber and Leininger’s office, Hall said there has been a terrific relationship that has proved to be beneficial over the years.
Gerber said Shasta Mast has officially taken over as the new Leadership Holmes County educator, part of the chamber’s services.
In other county news, the commissioners discussed the ongoing lighting project for the Holmes County Courthouse.
Mid-State Contractors is starting the process of adding copper attachments on the courthouse that will allow the lighting project to move forward.
“Mid-State is going to add those attachments by welding them on. We will then buy the lights and have an electrician install the lights,” Hall said.
Mid-State has been in on the meetings with the lighting system designer to better understand exactly what the county wants in the lighting system and how it will operate.
The county also requested supplemental appropriations for the Holmes County engineer in the amount of $109,823.92 as part of the commitment to furnishing wastewater and well capabilities to Cherry Ridge.
“We’re appropriating the last branch of the grant funding,” Hall said. “The grant was $3,124,000.”
“It’s been a long, ongoing process,” Commissioner Joe Miller said. “Many years ago Sugarcreek ran the water to the Holmes County line, and many years ago, residents ran a 2-inch line to ProVia and to the crossroad.”
The problem was water is difficult to find through wells in that area, and the system that the residents built wasn’t capable of handling the capacity, so an alternative route was created through developing a larger, more capable system through the Walnut Creek partnership.
There was discussion about Sugarcreek providing the water, but Miller said they wanted to incorporate to provide the water. Miller said that became a sticking point and led to the discussion with Walnut Creek.
The available funds came through stimulus dollars through the state, and the county became the lead entity that allowed the grant to become available to Walnut Creek Township to move forward in providing water to Cherry Ridge.
“It’s a really nice system,” Miller said, noting there is now a new water tower on Cherry Ridge.
“It was a well-designed project,” Hall said.
The commissioners also passed a resolution for the Holmes County auditor to allow weights and measures inspections and services for Holmes County.
“According to Holmes County Auditor (Jackie McKee), this will be cheaper for us to contract service with Stark County,” Hall said. “They’ve been doing this job the last quarter, and everything seems to be running very well, and (McKee) is asking the board to sign a contract for our county to allow Stark County to provide these services.”
Commissioner Miller said this move was initiated because Stark County has better equipment to do the job compared to what Holmes County has.
Resolution #1-09-24-2 was adopted, authorizing access to perform an environmental assessment to inspect another well on the courthouse property connected with the purchase of the former gas station where the Holmes County Extension Office now resides.
BJAAM Environmental Inc. will drill a test well to monitor the well system.
According to Miller, the system must be tested periodically.
