Huelga honored by county for 45 years at tax map office

On a light day of activity during the Holmes County commissioners’ meeting on Monday, July 1 at the Old Jail, the commissioners honored one longtime employee and a local baseball team.

The commissioners passed another proclamation honoring Bonnie Huelga, longtime employee of the Holmes County Tax Map Office.

Huelga has served in that capacity for 45 years from 1979 to date, and the commissioners were eager to recognize her for her many years of service.

The proclamation said Huelga has demonstrated unwavering commitment, professionalism and expertise throughout her tenure.

“We have seen great movement and growing of that tax map office during her tenure,” commissioner Dave Hall said. “Bonnie took on a lot of leadership creating our GPIS program and did wonders for us through her years.”

Commissioner Joe Miller said it is a blessing to have committed people filling key roles in the county, especially ones that serve such lengthy commitments.

“That type of commitment has done wonders for Holmes County,” Miller said.

The commissioners passed a proclamation adopting an addition into the county journals for the Hiland baseball team coaching staff and players, who captured the program’s second consecutive Division IV state baseball title in June.

According to Hall, each of the participants’ names will be entered into the county’s official Book of Journals, where they will remain listed for historical purposes.

“If any of the kids want to come in some day, they will see their name in the journals,” Hall said. “Congratulations to the team. Two back-to-back championships is very difficult, especially in a sport like baseball.”

The Holmes County commissioners passed Resolution #07-01-24-1, appointing membership to the District 14 Public Works Integrating Committee.

Holmes County engineer Chris Young was appointed to the position on the committee, with Matt Chanay appointed as the alternate integrating committee member.

Young’s appointment will run through Nov. 30.

In other news the commissioners passed a resolution declaring the necessity to leave a tax in excess of the 10-mill limitation, declaring the amount of taxes that may be raised within the 10-mill limitation will be insufficient and that it is therefore necessary to levy a tax in excess of the 10-mill levy limitation for the Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities for the purpose of the operation of developmental disabilities programs and services.

The rate shall not exceed 3.75 mills for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.375 for each $100 of valuation for a five-year period.

The commissioners will pass this declaration along to the auditor’s office, and eventually, it will come back to the commissioners before being officially submitted to the public electors for an official vote during the Nov. 5 election.

That resolution joins similar resolutions for proposed renewal levies for the Holmes County Senior Center (Holmes County Council on Aging) and the Holmes County Home.

Hall said it is simply a procedural operation to get those levies on the November ballot.

The commissioners also passed a resolution approving an agreement with the Holmes County Department of Job & Family Services Child Support Enforcement Division Title IV-D program for services with the Holmes County Clerk of Courts.

According to Hall, it is an ongoing agreement that has been in place for nearly two decades under current JFS Director Dan Jackson and the courts, in the amount of $18,928.13.

It runs July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.

“It helps pay for some of (JFS’s) programs in the court system and the sheriff’s office as well,” Hall said.