(Photo by Amber Phipps) Washington County Commissioner James Booth announced his resignation on Thursday.

Washington County Commissioner James Booth formally announced his resignation from the board of commissioners during the regular meeting Thursday.

Booth hasn’t announced when his final day in office will be but said it’ll be by the end of the year.

“My hope is that I have served you as well as I could,” said Booth. “I’ve always tried to be humble and think before reaching a decision and how it would affect the people I was elected to represent.”

Booth has served on the commission since 2021 and said his campaign unintentionally began two years before he was elected when he lobbied for clean water in Lowell.

“In 2019 the water in Lowell was so bad…the Washington County Safe Water Project was something that got started when Charlie Schilling, Kevin Ritter and myself came together,” he said. “I went and bought 50 cases of water and then another 50 cases of water and so that’s how I got involved with the public.”

Booth said he had negotiated with the Ohio EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) about potential causes of the bad water and what could be done to help. When they discovered the contaminated water was a result of bad well lines, he was able to work with the Ohio EPA and come up with an affordable solution so the community had safe, clean water.

“The first duty of a commissioner is to take care of the county, you have to take care of business here before you expand out,” he said.

As the owner of a trucking company, Booth said he never sought out politics but he wanted to make a difference in the community and create effective conversations.

“I care tremendously about this county and I care about the well-being of the residents,” he said. “I am so appreciative of the confidence of the folks who elected me and it’s been very humbling to do what I’ve done and I’ve learned so much not only throughout the county but as a person because you meet so many people.”

Booth thanked a plethora of individuals he’s worked alongside in the county over the years but he wanted to give a special thanks to his son Cameron and his wife Heather Booth.

County Engineer Roger Wright wanted to inform the public that even though they completed installing tanks in Devola, they still have work to do with yard restoration in the area.

He said even though they finished installing the tanks, the project isn’t entirely complete because they are working in-between the seasons on yard restoration.

Wright said the weather can have an impact on what they’re able to complete but they will revisit the sites next spring and early summer to ensure everything is running properly.

He said they are scheduled for total completion by summer 2026.

Wright also provided a new road map for the county which included information with 266.88 miles of state roads, 339.15 miles of county roads, and 833.10 miles of township roads. Paper road maps and atlases are available at 103 Westview Ave. The digital version can be found on the Washington County Engineer website www.washingtongov.org/1187/Maps