STEUBENVILLE — Jefferson County’s proposed spec building is on hold for the foreseeable future, commissioners said Thursday.

The county’s consultants, Mike Jacoby, managing director of economic development at Bricker Graydon Wyatt’s Argus Growth Consultants subsidiary, and Agracel’s Jason Kester, recommended putting the plans on the back burner, reporting that “more financial support (grant or very favorable loan)” is needed for it to be feasible.

Jacoby pointed out the state’s 2026-27 biennial budget had “significantly cut the Rural Industrial Park Loan program and defunded the All-Ohio Future Fund.”

“While we did line up JobsOhio funding for the spec building, without assistance from one of the state programs, the Port Authority, Agracel and I do not see a viable path forward at this time without an unacceptable amount of upfront cash investment,” Jacoby wrote. “None of us felt we could recommend the county should fill the financial gap created by the elimination of the state funding.”

Agracel had signed on last year as the county’s construction services consultant for the project, which commissioners had hoped to build at the industrial park. Without that help, the county would have had to guarantee the money, a risk commissioners said they could not take.

But while the project is on the back burner, Commissioner Eric Timmons reiterated they are not writing it off entirely.

“I think it was sold to us as a $7 million project, but with the (projected) funding it would have cost us about $4 million,” Commissioner Tony Morelli said, pointing out they had hired the “best in Ohio right now” to advise them.

“We never thought we’d be sitting here, let’s put it that way,” Morelli said. “Nothing was signed but I said it lots of times, if you can get a $7 million building and pay $4.5 for it and the state pays the rest, that’s a good deal.”

Commissioner Jake Kleineke said it was “disappointing,” pointing out funding cuts at the federal level had trickled down to the state, then to the county.

“We have some big plans,” he said. “Basically, the building we were going to build was a speculative building, which means that we had anticipated that we would fill it, rent it, make money off it. It would be an addition, bring economic development to the county. At one point in time there were grants and loans, low interest-type things, money was coming from so many directions that we would have had about a $7 million building for a fraction of that.”

Commissioners, meanwhile, scheduled a required public hearing for the 2027 tax budget for July 9, but Auditor E.J. Conn said he cannot offer specifics until he receives budget requests from department heads.

“Departments have until the 19th to get their proposed 2027 budget forms back to our department. After that, I should have some numbers,” he said. “I fully expect some cuts will have to occur, but right now until they return their budget forms we don’t know what to expect.”

Marietta College Appalachian Innovation representatives were at the meeting to urge commissioners to identify “opportunity zones,” a program driven by private sector investors “who save on capital gains through tax deferrals.” The program encourages investment in low-income communities.

The presenters said opportunity zones “help stimulate local economic growth” and are directed toward projects and businesses intended to revitalize neighborhoods, increase economic activity and create development opportunities in underserved areas.

They said incentives thus far “have moved at least $453.4 million in Opportunity Zone equity capital over the course of the state’s 2020 and 2021 budget, with over 350 entities investing in at least 215 distinct developments or businesses across 72 census tracts and 19 counties.” The median investor contributed $201,460, they said.

Also Thursday, commissioners:

— Deeded the county’s Cherry Avenue property to the Port Authority, which is seeking grant money to demolish the former Naval Armory.

— Had no objection to Taft Law representing the Port Authority in discussions pertaining to leasing a parking lot once part of the Eastern Gateway campus to parties interested in redeveloping the site.

— At the request of the Regional Airport Authority, executed a grant agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation that will allow it to proceed with purchasing and installing a new AvGas system at the Geary A. Bates Jefferson County Airpark.

— Signed off as sub-grantee for a nearly $80,000 grant for programs aimed at reducing crimes against women.

— Reappointed Richard Stenzel to an additional four-year term on the Regional Airport Authority.

— Approved a contract for aggregates for 2026 with the National Lime & Stone Co.

— Accepted resignations from two wastewater maintenance workers and agreed to advertise for replacements.

— Were told about 100 households in the Amsterdam area have not yet connected to the new sewer system.