(Photo by Amber Phipps) State Representative Kevin Ritter (second to the right) congratulated Commissioner Eddie Place (middle) on his new role as commissioner for the county.

State House Representative Kevin Ritter was in attendance at the Washington County Commission meeting on Thursday morning.

Ritter had served as a commissioner for the county beginning in 2018 before being elected as the new State Representative for the 94th House District in November.

As a House Representative for the 94th district, which consists of Washington and Meigs counties and 10 of 14 townships in Athens County, Ritter is integrated closely with his Appalachian community.

“It is remarkable how people around the state understand little about Appalachia,” said Ritter during the public comment portion of the meeting. “It’s been a full-court press on trying to educate people about our area…it’s something that I try to do every single day.”

The commission approved the bills to be paid and addressed the new accounting system which elicited some comments from other departments.

The new accounting system took effect this week and requires the departments to file and mail out the bills themselves.

“I’m not saying we can’t do that, we certainly can do whatever we’re required to do,” said Director of Washington County Department of Job and Family Services Flite Freimann. “It’s been an ongoing concern about government efficiency and I’m not sure that adding one more shuffle back and forth is incredibly efficient.”

Referring to past discussions about late bills and fees, the commissioners and department heads are working to alleviate billing discrepancies.

The new accounting system now requires additional training in order to use and elected officials are to invest more time into the bill paying process.

“I understand there’s growing pains with the system and I think a discussion with the auditor would be a great idea,” said Director of the Child Support Enforcement Agency Kimberly Lowers. “A lot of the responsibility of this new software system has fallen on the departments now.”

It was agreed upon to discuss the matter further with the county auditor to find a solution that was the most efficient and timely.

Commissioner James Booth recognized one of four letters of support for the Little Hocking Water Association which stated support for the main waterline system on State Route 339.

“Sewer was an issue, which we’re solving now, was an issue for business going in so we had to work with that to get that done, so basic infrastructure is definitely needed,” said Booth.

Another letter of support was for the replacement of the water tank in Beverly. The equipment was 50 years old and required replacement in order to provide the village with adequate water pressure and quality.

The commissioners also approved the $20,000 bridge inspection fee for 13 fracture critical bridges and nine structures for inspection.