In a formal resolution, the Lucas County commissioners have declared their support for an Ohio House bill that allows public bodies to meet via teleconference and video.
At the October 26 meeting, the commissioners noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, state legislators enacted House Bill 197 which authorized public bodies to attend and participate in meetings and hearings virtually and via teleconference or other electronic technology.
The bill was set to expire last December, but was extended until July 1, 2021 with passage of a substitute bill.
Board president Tina Skeldon Wozniak noted the commissioners “expended significant resources to establish and implement virtual meetings and hearings, including engaging in a variety of social media and meeting platforms.”
She added, “This resulted in increased participation while maintaining public safety during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
The commissioners would like HB 43, which allows for continuation of these meetings, to be passed.
It establishes that members of a public body are to be considered present by means of teleconference or video conference and counted for the purposes of determination of a quorum.
“Also, HB 43 will allow public bodies the opportunity to continue to conduct business in the event of a lack of in-person quorum due to illness or other emergencies,” Ms. Wozniak said.
The bill has passed the House and is currently in the Senate for consideration.
Other Business
In other business, the commissioners:
•Accepted a crime victims grant for $122,277 from the Ohio attorney general’s office. The funds will be used for the family outreach component of the sheriff’s DART program.
•Approved a grant from Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)/state victim assistance act (SVAA) to assist victims of crime.
The VOCA award is for $140,478 with a county match of $35,120, and the SVAA grant is for $108,769 with no match required.
•Approved a memorandum of understanding between the county sheriff’s department and Unison Health.
Unison employees at the corrections center will identify and assist inmates suffering from substance use disorder and mental illness. The memorandum is in effect from January 1, 2022 through October 1, 2023.
•Accepted a grant award from the Ohio attorney general’s office victim of crime act to the county juvenile court CASA department.
The $97,126 award with a county match of $24,281 will provide for salaries in the CASA department.
•Approved an intergovernmental contract with the sheriff’s office for the assignment of two deputies at the county shared services campus, 3737 Sylvania Avenue, Toledo, from July 1 to June 30, 2022 at a cost of $185,975.
•Accepted two sanitary sewer easements for a parcel on Angola Road in Springfield Township, and a water supply line at East Harbor Avenue, Washington Township
The commissioners’ next meeting is at 11 a.m., Tuesday, November 9, in their hearing room, first floor, One Government Center, and is open to the public.
~Jane Maiolo
