Some 71 businesses in Jefferson County benefit from program
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STEUBENVILLE -- Seventy-one small businesses and nonprofits received grants for COVID-related expenses or losses through Jefferson County's Emergency Relief Grant Program, commissioners reported Thursday.
"This was our best vehicle to (help them)," Commissioner Dave Maple said. "We're not a granting authority, we don't often have the opportunity to (pump) money back into the community like that."
Commissioners had decided in November to set aside $1 million from the county's CARES Act fund allotment to assist beleaguered businesses and civic groups throughout the county. To be funded, applicants had to meet specific eligibility requirements and demonstrate either lost revenues or extra expenses they incurred in serving the community. Around 120 applications were submitted, but Maple said some just couldn't qualify.
"Seventy one businesses were funded out of 120 that applied," Commissioner Tom Graham said. "The ones that didn't (get grants) didn't have the proper documentation."
Auditor E.J. Conn told commissioners they allocated only about $620,000 of the funds allotted for the grant program, so at Thursday's meetings the remaining $380,000 was reallocated for other allowable CARES Act projects or purchases.
"We're up against a deadline, it's pretty tight," Conn said, reminding commissioners with CARES money they have to "use it or lose it" by Dec. 30.
"It's nice to be able to help out," Maple said. "I know the goal was a million dollars, but that's still a lot of money to get out there."
Graham said most applicants were awarded $10,000 grants, though some received less.
"A lot of names on the list are businesses I know," he said. "This is a great thing to help (them)."
Conn said the awards "(just) may save somebody's job or somebody's business."
"Anytime we're able to help, we're glad to do it," he added.
Not all applicants could document big dips in revenue, "so they had to go with COVID-19 expenses," Conn said. "That was probably the No. 1 issue."
Commissioners, meanwhile, nixed a CARES Act funding request from the Jefferson County Court Probation Department in its present format, saying as submitted the request wouldn't survive a state audit for using the funds.
"The problem we see with (the request) is the Office of Budget and Management strictly prohibits prepaying for services," Conn said. "I think in an audit we'd have some issues."
Chief Probation Officer Tracy Walenciej said her department has seen a significant increase in domestic violence offenders as well as substance abuse and probation revocations.
"All three present a threat to the safety of the community," Walenciej wrote. "Since the beginning of COVID-19, people have been under overwhelming stress. They are finding themselves without employment, unable to reach out to supportive services and lacking resources to deal with the stress. These factors have led to the increase in drug, alcohol use to cope, criminal behavior to obtain the goods they cannot afford and violence within the family."
She said the department needs funds for its house arrest and electronic monitoring program, an alternative to jail time; more instant urine screens to help reduce the number of drug-related probation violations; and a color printer to aid in record-keeping, allowing them to keep better tabs on high risk offenders and make it less likely offenders will falsify urine screens.
"It would be different if they were asking for more hardware for ankle bracelets so they can put more people on house arrest, but that's not what they're asking here," Commissioner Tom Gentile said. "Hardware is different from what they're asking here."
"I will say this," Maple added. "There's strong logic that COVID has caused less people (to be held) in the jail, more people are on probation … but the way it's worded here doesn't cut it."
Conn said funding might be possible if the probation department "would present some type of year-to-year comparison and something in writing from the judge that says they're doing it to keep (offenders) out of jail to reduce the spread" of the coronavirus.
"Reach out to them and fine tune it," Gentile said, suggesting the probation department develop a funding request based on the year-to-year comparisons.
"I'm more than willing to help them out as long as we get the numbers out and make the case for it being a COVID situation," Graham agreed.
"If they can come up with something that gets the money out the door before Dec. 30, that way they're not prepaying, it would be great," Conn said.
With the justice center roof replacement project completed, Maintenance Supervisor Patrick Boyle told commissioners three of the eight tankless water heaters in the building aren't functioning. The cost to repair the three units would be more than just replacing them.
While not that old, the warranty has expired.
"The normal lifespan of a tankless water heater is seven to 10 years," Boyle said, but nobody is cleaning the strainers in them and the heat exchangers themselves are not being flushed. That impacts the life span. They weren't maintained."
Boyle said he's already received one bid and expects another to be submitted any day. "Both vendors offered to show us how to clean them going forward," he said. "If they can show us how to do the maintenance, maybe we can get them to last 10 years this time."
Commissioners suggested the Department of Jobs and Family Services could benefit from Boyle's expertise with its building repairs, "but there may be some issues in how to address payment for his time."
"Regular maintenance is on you," Gentile said. "But sometimes regular maintenance leads to big items. It may save everyone money."
"I'm throwing the idea out for everybody. I think it could be a great plan, I think it could benefit the county," Gentile said.
In other matters, commissioners:
¯ Awarded the contract for Jefferson County Road 29 and 54 slip repairs to Ohio-West Virginia Excavating Co. for $147,205, more than $28,000 below the engineer's estimate.
¯ Refused to sign off on a memorandum of understanding with AEP related to its power line replacement project through Friendship Park, saying they'd prefer the changes be incorporated into the actual easement agreement.
"It would be nice to see language and a map, showing what they're going to do," Gentile said.
Graham said he'd like to see effective dates clarified.
"The MOU addressed some of my concerns, but I wanted my concerns built into the agreement not into an outdated MOU no one knows exists. To me an MOU gets filed in a drawer, an easement is recorded forever."
¯ Agreed to submit a letter of support for the Jefferson County Drug Task Force's application for an Ohio Drug Law Enforcement Grant to cover operations from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.
¯ Approved the Veteran Service Commission's request to replace carpeting in its offices with laminate flooring, "which has less upkeep and is easier to clean."
¯ Accepted Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District's Distinguished Service Award for 2021. Gentile, Graham and Maple were recognized for their efforts to promote conservation of land and waters, JSWC representatives said.