STEUBENVILLE — The Jefferson County commissioners signed off on their 2024 budget Thursday.

Auditor E.J. Conn said the total budget for 2024, which reflects all sources, is $144,140,632.64, with the general fund portion totaling $20,562,393.14.

“It did go very smoothly this year,” he said, crediting his staff for their efforts. “It was a good year, and if we get started early next year, I think we can get it done even earlier.”

Conn also credited department heads for “not spending all of their (budgeted) funds.”

“It’s one of the healthiest budgets I can remember,” Commissioner Dave Maple said.

Meanwhile, Aaron Dodds of the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, who was recently appointed as the commissioners’ alternate to the Ohio Mid-Eastern Government Association executive board, reported on his first meeting.

Dodds suggested commissioners consider doing something similar to a community website and marketing program done to spur economic development in East Palestine here, “as Jefferson County has been on a perceptible transition with the closing of some industries and rise of others, while simultaneously seeing variations in the demographics.”

He also reported on funding opportunities as well as OMEGA staffing changes: Alan Knapp will handle Appalachian Regional Commission matters, Evan Scurti was promoted to handle economic development and Erin Wright will be director of infrastructure.

Commissioners also:

• Agreed to seek bids for the county engineer’s historic bridge replacement project, which consists of repairing, revitalizing and improving the existing historic truss to current standards. The estimated cost of the bridge rehab is $1,233,996

“I’m happy it’s at this stage and we can get it moving,” said Bridge Engineer Kara J. Bernhart. “It’s something we haven’t done before. Part of the project was to mimic all the original details and design, the metal work.”

Bernhart said she’s hoping the upgrade can be completed this year, “but it’s of a different nature–it will go out to bid, then the truss will be dismantled, not demolished. Some of the members we’ll be able to keep and repair, others will have to be made new, in kind, but that’s already been determined. Every single piece of truss has already been analyzed and we already know which ones (need replaced).”

• At Construction Engineer Eric Hilty’s request, awarded the bid for the guardrail project to PDK Construction Inc. for $804,578.

• Were notified the county highway department needs to replace 12 pieces of equipment — a wheel loader, two tandem chassis, two tandem dump truck bodies, two central hydraulic systems, a pickup truck, a wood chipper, an excavator mulching head, a skid steer planer attachment and a roll gate spreader–with an estimated cost of $772,820. The department will look into disposing of the used items through an online bidding site used by other agencies in Ohio.

• Agreed to pay for decals and window tint at the new Wintersville county court location, 512 Main St. The items will cost around $2,000.

• Learned the Jefferson County Drug Task Force had been awarded a $14,783 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant. The grant money, together with the required $4,927 local match, will reimburse 75 percent of overtime hours worked by task force detectives in 2024. The local match is provided by the detectives’ departments.

• Referred the only bid submitted for a new truck with an animal control body, for a total cost of $78,567, to Dog Warden Chad Coil for review.

• Renewed Markosky Engineering Group’s lease in the Tower building.

• Agreed to seek bids to supply the highway department with 87 octane gasoline and ultra-low sulfur diesel for one year “with prices for full transport and less.”

• Signed a Jobs and Family Services Contract with Advantage Family Outreach of Ontario, Ohio, at a per diem rate of $495 through June 30 on an as-needed basis. The facility is equipped for the custody and care of dependent, neglected and abused children