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Commissioners questioned by Children Services

Washington County Commissioners said Thursday they intend to stay the course on merging Washington County Children Services under the direction of Washington County Department of Job and Family Services.

“The commissioners don’t have a plan… there’s nothing inside the ordinance for us to have a spreadsheet,” said Commissioner Ron Feathers after the board was questioned by Children Services Board President Tim Loughry and board member Doug Mallett during the regular commission business meeting Thursday. “We’re not reinventing the wheel, we’re just using the power the state has given us to break the status quo.”

Feathers said the plans to implement the merger are still in the process of being formed.

Feathers also said in the meeting that each commissioner had independently researched different county set ups of serving child welfare and based on their research had concluded a merger was the best option.

Loughry asked the commissioners multiple times when their research results were discussed in an open meeting.

Each time he asked, their responses were that they had only independently researched other county agencies in Ohio but did not hold a public discussion until the vote on Oct. 25.

But Feathers said his mind was made up on Oct. 17, when the budget requested from Children Services for next year was $1.65 million.

“We had told you the maximum the county could support was $1.4 million,” he said to Loughry and Mallett Thursday. “Then Oct. 18 I penned the letter (to his fellow commissioners) that I would call a vote.”

Loughry’s additional questions to the commissioners Thursday included:

• What is the plan to reduce placement costs?

Washington County Job and Family Services Director Flite Freimann said there are mechanisms within Title 20 funds that he wants to pursue to share the cost burdens and relieve the county general fund burden.

• What are the specific plans concerning salaries of management staff?

Freimann also said management staffing from CSB may take on additional responsibilities for adult protective services and thereby see their salaries fall under shared cost pools.

“Why are we just hearing about these for the first time here? Why wasn’t this discussed in a public meeting?” asked Loughry.

“I’m not going to answer his questions,” said Commissioner David White.

Mallett asked what is motivating the commissioners to “rush to consolidate.”

“The financial crisis has passed, in 2019 we’ll have levy funds for placement,” he said. “To honor my CSB fiduciary responsibility there has to be more than just ‘trust me.'”

Feathers said the commissioners plan to make a final vote on Dec. 27, though if the Children Services Board votes to not support the merger before that date the commissioners’ vote must be unanimous in order to take effect.

The Children Services Board also has the option to file for an injunction to stop such a vote by the commissioners, Loughry explained.

He noted a letter he sent to the commissioners this week via legal counsel which outlines the position that the commissioners have not followed Ohio laws for open meetings and the proper timetable to consolidate the services.

“All available evidence indicates that, although a nominally public vote was taken by the commissioners on Oct. 25, their decision to merge CSB and DJFS was in fact made during or as a result of earlier, non-public deliberations or meetings by the commissioners,” reads the letter the commissioners confirmed they had received from Loughry’s attorney who cited the 2016 Ohio Supreme Court Case of the Keystone Committee versus the Switzerland of Ohio School District Board of Education. “Such ‘show votes’ violate Ohio law. Compliance… requires more than merely tallying final votes on an issue… It involves all of the discussions and deliberations on that issue to be held in open, public meetings that lead to the final vote. The deliberative process must be transparent to the public.”

Walters said he would not respond to the letter until he has the legal advice of the county prosecutor’s office.

Feathers confirmed there will be a vote regardless on Dec. 27.

“Then you guys do what you want to do, if that includes a lawsuit so be it,” Feathers said to Mallett and Loughry.

“The open contempt of some members of your board makes the decision,” noted White.

Other business

The commissioners also authorized replacement of a sewer lift station in Little Hocking for a winning bid of $175,501.

“It’s in need of replacement,” explained White.

“It’s been there 20 years,” added Feathers.

The board said part of the engineering consultant contract is to find funding to pay for the lift station and that the board is seeking to bond the project.

“It’s nice to have a bid below the estimate for a change,” noted Walters, referencing the engineer’s estimate for the replacement at $177,250.

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