County leaders highlight progress, infrastructure upgrades at Holmes County forum

Holmes County continues to be a thriving place to work and live, and on Tuesday, Oct. 7, several local elected officials shared the county’s progress over the past year and their vision of the future during the Holmes County State of the County meeting in the Baker Building at Harvest Ridge.

Commissioner Joe Miller, Auditor Jackie McKey, Clerk of Courts Ronda Steimel and engineer Chris Young all shared with a large turnout of people wanting to learn more about where the county stands.

For the most part, it was good news.

“Holmes County’s success comes from the people who live here,” Miller said. “Our hard-working, highly skilled and dedicated community takes great pride in the quality and top-notch services they provide. Our residents are eager to help their neighbors and volunteer countless time and effort to support the community, many of the events generating a lot of revenue. That doesn’t come by itself. There is a lot of volunteers working to make each a success.”

Miller then moved into the topic of the increased motor traffic the county is facing, whether local or through tourism.

He said the county’s roadways are as good as any county, but the periodic congestion continues to be a thorn in the side of travelers.

“Those issues can’t be ignored since they directly affect the health and safety of our community,” Miller said. “That’s why we as commissioners remain focused on the challenges of improving Holmes County’s highways.”

The discussion centered around the ongoing effort to bring roundabouts to the intersections of state Routes 557 and 39/62 and County Road 201 and state Routes 39/62 west of Berlin, as well as ongoing discussion about the problematic intersection at state Routes 62 and 83 south of Millersburg and the one at state Route 39 and County Road 114 near Walnut Creek.

He said these major roadway issues take time to solve, and with increasing traffic, he said there is one way to alleviate some of the accidents taking place.

“I ask the people of Holmes County to be patient on the highways,” Miller said, adding bicycles, especially e-bikes, are a growing part of the county that will only grow in terms of numbers.

Miller said other county buildings including Job & Family Services, the engineer’s office and even the courthouse continue to require upgrades and updates.

He also addressed the need for more affordable housing and said the county continues to seek ways to provide that with more people desiring to move into the county.

Young discussed the state of the county’s roads, noting every trip to a business starts and ends on local roads. He said most of the income designated for the upkeep of county roads comes from gas tax and license plate fees, but Holmes County’s roads have featured something additional over the past decade that has helped maintain them, that being a quarter-percent sales tax that was passed by voters years ago.

“We’re blessed in Holmes County,” Young said. “There are only a few counties in the state that have that."

Young’s office put forth two 5-year plans nine years ago to help provide the sales tax that is designated specifically for county road repair.

He said with 250 miles of county roads to maintain, his office is continually working on upgrading those miles to ensure people’s safety. Young said Holmes County’s roads are among the best in the state because of that. He said most road repairs last about seven years.

“Bikes love it; drivers love it,” Young said. “A lot of businesses generate our sales tax, and much of that comes from visitors.”

He said it is imperative to maintain quality roads to continue to make Holmes County inviting to visitors and locals alike.

“We deserve good roads,” Young said.

The sales tax will be up for vote again next year, with the expected roads receiving work next year to include County Roads 53, 621, 292, 200, 160, 189 and 77, with about 30 miles of road included.

Young said it costs approximately $150,000 per mile to pave county roads.

He also talked about the sewer and water improvements that have taken place in the county over the past couple of years, noting it is something that continues to invite residents and businesses to the county.

Steimel, who helps the courthouse events and Department of Motor Vehicles run smoothly, said one big change in the DMV is online renewals for driver’s licenses and identifications. She said the new technology means drivers only must renew their license every eight years.

She also said those coming into the office can log in online and get a place in line, which she said will help eliminate lines.

She said TSA prechecks for those traveling by air are now available on the third floor of the courthouse.

“That means you can skip the security line at the airport,” Steimel said. “We should have that ready by the end of the year.”

She also said speeding tickets can now be paid online.

McKey discussed the state of rising property taxes, explaining some of the regulations that are passed down from the state.

“We’ve got a storm coming,” McKey said, noting the triannual statistical update will increase market values significantly. She said based on sales data, the state is ordering a 25% increase on agriculture and a 28% increase on residential taxes.

“We submitted lower values to the Ohio Department of Taxation several times, but it was denied each time,” McKey said. “Those numbers are an average over the county, so some will be higher, some will be lower.”

You can learn more about what is taking place by reading the taxation story in today’s paper.