Lisa Sobecki, president of the Board of Lucas County Commissioners, testified May 7, to the Ohio Senate Government Oversight Committee to highlight provisions she believes must be included or preserved in the state’s operating budget in order to strengthen Lucas County’s infrastructure, improve public safety and support the health of our residents.
During her testimony, Commissioner Sobecki thanked the Ohio House for including language that requires the Department of Medicaid to pursue an 1115 waiver for Medicaid coverage of pretrial detainees in county jails and strongly encouraged the State Senate to do the same.
“Right now, Medicaid is suspended or terminated when someone is jailed pretrial—before any conviction—placing the full burden of their health care, including mental health and addiction treatment, on counties,” Sobecki said. “Extending Medicaid to cover this population, as already happens in state prisons, would improve care continuity, reduce recidivism and lessen strain on local budgets.”
Commissioner Sobecki also urged the committee to include $20 million in funding for a dedicated H2Ohio Ash Tree Removal Grant Program. The emerald ash borer infestation has left thousands of dead trees in and near rivers, creeks and drainage channels in communities across Ohio, including Lucas County.
The fallen trees obstruct water flow, increase flooding risks and make routine ditch maintenance more costly and dangerous. Sobecki submitted photos of log jams in Lucas, Wood, Hancock, Stark, Monroe, Lake, Auglaize and Mercer Counties to demonstrate the substantial and destructive impact.
“A grant program to assist counties with safe removal of ash debris would directly benefit public safety, environmental quality and stormwater management,” the commissioner said.
She also noted her support for the Ohio House’s increase in indigent defense funding for counties in FY 2026 and FY 2027 and asked the Ohio Senate to maintain what is a meaningful step toward more equitable state-local cost-sharing in these constitutionally required services.
Additionally, Sobecki asked the committee to return the governor’s plan for jail construction grants, which would support Lucas County’s long-planned new pretrial detention center in downtown Toledo.
“This plan would support safe, modern and more efficient facilities, especially for larger urban counties where jails are aging, overcrowded, and increasingly unable to meet modern correctional and health standards,” she said.
She also highlighted the need for strong cybersecurity investments in counties across Ohio and advocated for an increase of the Local Government Cybersecurity Grant to $15 million in each fiscal year.
Sobecki voiced her support for the Ohio House’s Brownfield Remediation Funding Plan, which has helped communities like Lucas County turn long-blighted properties into economic opportunities.
Finally, she urged the Ohio Senate to maintain the Local Government Fund proposed by Governor Mike DeWine and upheld by the Ohio House.
Watch Commissioner Sobecki’s full testimony on the Ohio Channel online at ohiochannel.org/collections/o hio-senate-government-oversight- and-reform-committee.
