Trending
STEUBENVILLE -- The Jefferson County Commissioners agreed Thursday to ask the prosecutor if there's any way they can cede jurisdiction over 21 parcels in the Wells Township flood plain to the township trustees.
Trustee Ben Battenburg said the township needs enforcement jurisdiction to address problems with neighboring property owners using the FEMA parcels for their own purposes.
"The problem we're faced with now and receiving calls about ... (is) people who are using these lots for their own personal storage areas," he said. "There's some trash on some of the lots we're trying to maintain, and we have no jurisdiction as trustees to go in there and make people move this stuff or mitigate the situation."
Two decades ago all 21 properties were mitigated by FEMA -- the homes on them were purchased and demolished, then they were given to the county commission to "monitor and maintain." The program stipulates that FEMA-mitigated properties must remain in the public domain: They cannot be sold nor can they be built on.
Battenburg cited the plight of a woman who "went in and renovated a building, fixed it up and (now) has her own business," but a homeless person put a camper in a FEMA property next to hers.
"The first thing you see when you pull in is a toilet sitting in the yard," Battenburg said. "It's on a FEMA lot and I don't (currently) have the right as trustee" to make the squatter remove it.
Failure to adhere to FEMA's rules could cause problems down the road, "if we have another problem where we need their help, they could say we're not complying," he said.
Commissioner Dave Maple agreed it makes sense to ask the prosecutor to research the issue, adding that, "If there's a way we can transfer (jurisdiction) to the township ... that would be fantastic."
"It's much easier for them to decide what to do and to enforce cleaning up those areas," Commissioner Eric Timmons said.
Commissioners, meanwhile, peppered Jobs and Family Services personnel with questions about a $500,000 increase in transportation costs for Medicaid recipients in Jefferson County. While the costs aren't shouldered by the county, commissioners still wanted to understand why they'd taken such a big jump.
While the county's Medicaid population has held steady at roughly 29,000, JFS told commissioners they're "seeing a lot more trips" to hospitals and medical appoints for things like dialysis and medication-assisted treatment for drug addiction and counseling.
"I'm not questioning you guys, I think you do a great job," Commissioner Tony Morelli said. "It's actually ... I guess we have to take the good news, (that) we have that many people going for treatment. But that's a big number, 29,000 people on Medicaid."
Maple agreed, saying the numbers spiked so much "it (made) me want to know what changed." Transportation expenses are normally stable.
"It's a big increase in the amount of trips and travel," Timmons said later. "However, it's necessary to get the residents to the hospital. We also need to get (people who abuse) alcohol and drugs the help they need."
Maple reported that he and newly hired consultant Mike Jacoby had attended the Port Authority meeting earlier in the week and was "optimistic at the level of acceptance and interaction of their board and Jacoby."
Commissioners brought Jacoby on board at their Jan. 4 meeting to work with the Jefferson County Port Authority and its director, Robert Naylor, in developing a spec building at the Jefferson County Industrial Park. The port authority also has retained the services of Jason Kester of Agracel.
"Activity is at a level I like to see now," Maple said.
Commissioners also signed off on a road use and maintenance agreement with Ohio Power. The company is going to rebuild a transmission line in Wayne and Smithfield townships as part of its Dillonvale to Parlett Transmission Line rebuild.
At Regional Planning Commission Director Betty Lou Tarr's request, commissioners scheduled the first of two public hearings for the agency's community development block grant application for Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. in the commission office.
After meeting behind closed doors to discuss personnel matters/compensation and benefits for an Animal Shelter employee, commissioners moved to offer a part-time employee a full time position. They also held executive sessions to discuss contract negotiations with the recorder's unionized employees and the possible lease of county property, but took no action on either matter.