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STEUBENVILLE -- Jefferson County is on the verge of getting its Social Security office back, and the Jefferson County commissioners are closer to landing a major tenant at the Towers office building downtown.
Commissioners emerged from a 12-minute executive session Thursday to authorize Commissioner Tony Morelli to sign a lease agreement with the General Services Administration, subject to final review by legal counsel.
"We're one step closer to getting a Social Security office back into Jefferson County," Morelli said. "The icing on the cake is they're going to be leasing from the Towers building, so that's good."
Social Security had a presence at the mall a few years ago, but had some lease issues and when the pandemic hit the employees were shifted to the East Liverpool office.
Commissioner Tom Graham credited Morelli with identifying the void and seizing the opportunity to fill it, citing the "conversations he's had with U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, on this."
"That's the point we tried to drive home, we've got to give Johnson, his staff, some 'attaboys' -- they helped us get the attention of Social Security," Morelli said.
"We all said we needed a Social Security office in Jefferson County and we had space, too. But the driving point was getting one back here in the county and it worked out really good for us."
Graham said he's thrilled Social Security will return to Steubenville "and it will be right here, accessible, in a building in downtown Steubenville," pointing out that years ago the local office was in the Towers.
"We're thrilled to have them back in the Towers building where they were at one time," Graham said. "We've been working on this for a couple of months, and now it looks like it's going to happen. We're glad to have them back."
Maple pointed out that when commissioners purchased the Towers building nearly a decade ago, "I think we paid $800,000 for (it) and put a couple million into it. Now we're looking at 90 percent (building) capacity."
"I think it was a good buy," Morelli interjected. "I'd like to take credit for it but I wasn't around then. It was a smart buy."
Maple said at the time, "We were paying rent … the board of health, soil and water, OSU Extension, just about everybody that's in there, it was coming out of the general fund. Now, because it's public-private, we've got revenue coming in to cover some of the rent, so it's good."
"Do the math on what Social Security is going to bring in, it will be about $50,000 extra per year for our general fund," Morelli said.
Commissioners also awarded the contract for the fire escape repairs to Cattrell Cos. Inc. of Toronto. The total bid was $698,400, well below the $795,000 budgeted for the job, and will include removing and remediating all the lead paint as well as glass panels and frames, reinstalling exit doors, prepping steel and installing steel mesh panels with supporting angle frames and solid steel panels at grade level, priming and painting the entire structure, installing emergency lighting, replacing existing tower roofing and any miscellaneous repairs.
"This is great news," Graham said. "It's been a couple years in the making. I'm looking forward to getting this project done correctly."
Maple, who abstained from the vote due to a potential conflict of interest, said he was "glad this one is moving forward."
A question arose about which account to draw the funds from, though, with Morelli suggesting they should ask their consultant before taking the money out of their ARPA funds.
"Right now, no decision has to be made on where to take the money from to pay them," Graham said.
"With the last motion we made, this board is verifying it has the money to pay them from two or three sources," Maple added. "We just haven't chosen one yet."
"I agree with that," Graham said. "The money is there to pay for it, it's just a matter of where we want to take it from."
Graham, meanwhile, said it's a relief to know the fire escape is going to be rehabilitated, pointing out it will finish off the renovations to the exterior of the courthouse.
"We (already) spent $1 million (on the exterior), but the fire escape was so unsanitary we let it go until we had the money," he said. "It will be a great lift to the courthouse and surrounding area to have it done, and I'm happy a local contractor got it."
He said the work "will be starting this year, soon.
Commissioners also signed the new, three-year contract negotiated for Jobs and Family Services workers. Employees will see 3 percent a year increases each year during the life of the agreement.
County resident Dale Poole urged commissioners to reject the Prevention and Recovery Board's request for a levy referendum on the November ballot, saying people on fixed incomes are being pushed to the brink.
"They want to put it on the ballot and the property owners are the ones paying for it," he said. "Just this year I've had a $400 increase because of the school levy. There's got to be other ways to finance some of these other projects. It's just tough. I'm on a fixed income. If they keep raising property taxes, sooner or later someone's going to lose their home because they can't afford to pay.
"I'm not saying they don't do good work -- just find other ways to pay for it," Poole pleaded.
The board had told commissioners three weeks ago they need the money to shore up a budget devastated by state funding cuts -- it's gone from $8 million in 2011 to $3.7 million in 2021, even as opioid addiction has ravaged the county.
Commissioners made no decision, telling PRB officials they'd first have to do a "deep-dive" into their finances "to make certain there was a need and no other options before a levy is proposed to taxpayers."
"We do not fund that agency," Graham said. "And if somebody comes to us and asks if they can put a levy on, and Commissioner Maple says 'We have to look deeply into their finances,' he means that. And people have a right to vote yes or no."
Maple said the deep dive is ongoing. In the meantime, he said commissioners are "really appreciative of your position that people don't have tons of money for extra taxes. We'll continue to appreciate that."
On the flip side, he pointed out there are people in Jefferson County in need of the services PRB provides, "so we have to continue to evaluate that."