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Commissioners approve magistrate court funding, Belpre America 250 sub-grant

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The Washington County Commission approved a resolution Thursday recognizing March as American Red Cross Month and handled several routine financial and administrative items during its regular meeting.

Commissioner Charlie Schilling said the resolution honoring the American Red Cross recognizes the organization’s role in supporting residents and communities throughout the region.

“It was our pleasure, obviously, to support the American Red Cross here locally,” Schilling said. “They support a lot of organizations and a lot of people in our communities, and we’re very appreciative of the volunteers that just work tirelessly with that organization.”

Commissioners also approved several additional appropriations, including $130,000 from the county general fund for a capital project to build out a new space for the magistrate court.

Two additional appropriations of $200,000 each were approved for behavioral health contract services. Schilling said those funds come directly from the agency’s levy funding.

The commission approved budget transfers related to the county’s budget stabilization fund and the opioid remediation grant.

Commissioners authorized a subrecipient agreement with the city of Belpre related to a state grant supporting the nation’s upcoming semiquincentennial celebration. Washington County received $22,000 from the state’s America 250 grant.

“$6,500 of that was granted to the city of Belpre for some projects they’re going to be doing down there in 2026 for the America 250 celebration,” Schilling said.

Additional items approved included travel for Children Services staff and Family and Children First council representatives, as well as the director of the Washington County 911 to attend a conference focused on improving emergency services.

Schilling said travel for Children Services typically includes meetings and visits related to children in the agency’s care.

The commission also approved a Title IV-D contract for the county’s Child Support Enforcement Agency, allowing the office to access federal funding tied to its work with the clerk of courts and the court system.

Other agenda items included a satisfaction of mortgage related to Washington-Morgan Community Action Partnership (WMCAP) and an Ohio Criminal Justice Services sub-grant agreement for Axon data storage.

Schilling said the action was simply a release of a lien tied to one of the organization’s housing programs. According to Schilling, WMCAP places a mortgage on homes where the organization has completed renovation work as part of its housing assistance programs. Once a homeowner fulfills the program requirements and the obligation is paid off, the mortgage is released.

The commission also approved smaller financial items, including routine payments such as retirement contributions and employee health and dental insurance.

The commission also noted upcoming county dates, including a finance meeting scheduled for March 25 at 10 a.m. in the commissioners’ assembly room. They also noted that the courthouse will be closed May 25 in observance of Memorial Day.

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