The Delaware County Board of Commissioners began 2020 in the usual way with the annual reorganization of the board during Monday’s regularly scheduled session.

By unanimous vote, Commissioner Jeff Benton was elected as board president and Commissioner Gary Merrell was elected vice president. Both were nominated by Commissioner Barb Lewis, who after the election process, turned the meeting over to Benton to conduct it from that point on.

In the vote to designate an official voting representative to the Ohio County Commissioners’ Association, Merrell was approved as Delaware County’s representative, while Lewis was chosen as the alternate.

After approving the list of representatives to the various boards and commissions that members of the board participate on, the board moved to the regularly scheduled business of the day.

Delaware County Economic Development Director Bob Lamb approached the commissioners, requesting the approval of an agreement between the Delaware County Finance Authority (DCFA) and the prosecutor’s office.

“This has been carried out over the last few months in going back and forth between the prosecutor’s office and the DCFA,” he said. “The DCFA will maintain its legal relationship with Taft (Stettinius & Hollister LLP) for project service, economic development, and bond counsel, but this will allow them to step away from handling administrative or ethical questions for the board.”

According to the DCFA web page on the county website, the county entity is a political subdivision created by the Delaware County Board of Commissioners through the adoption of Resolution No. 06-509 on April 24, 2006.

The purpose of the DCFA is to assist in economic development and job creation of the county. The DCFA also offers incentive programs with the ability to issue tax-exempt and taxable bonds for business, developers, nonprofit and governmental projects.

Merrell said he thought it to be an excellent move for the DCFA, and Benton said he thought the prosecutor’s office would be good in providing the needed services.

Also during the meeting, Director of Job and Family Services Bob Anderson presented a resolution giving him the authority to serve as the commissioners’ designee and having the authority to sign inter-governmental adjustment agreements, and develop and enter into service plans, contract agreements, and memorandas of understanding concerning the operations of his department.

Chief Deputy Engineer Rob Riley approached the commissioners seeking approval for a $400,000 grant to the Delaware County Transportation Improvement District (TID) for 2020.

Riley said the $400,000, plus the grant funds from 2019 would be used to start connecting the US 23 corridor and the Graphics Way connection between Orange Point and Menards, as well as and other projects.

“We’re doing some good things already,” he said. “Certainly the Home Road project is the big one going on right now. There has been a lot of interest from developers and folks that are interested in the TID help.”

Riley said construction on Graphics Way will begin this summer.

In other business, the board:

• Approved an advance of funds for the Delaware County Juvenile Court, $12,000 for the Crime Victims Grant, and $42,000 for the Crime Victims CASA fund.

• Set the date of Thursday, March 12, at 10 a.m. for a final hearing for the Villas at Walnut Grove Condominium drainage improvement petition in the commissioners’ hearing room at 101 N. Sandusky St., Delaware.

• Set the date of Thursday, March 19, at 10 a.m. for the final hearing for the Radnor Township watershed drainage improvement petition project in the commissioners’ hearing room.

• Approved the sanitary sewer improvement plans for Evans Farms’ next phase of construction for the Regional Sewer District.

• Approved a sanitary sewer subdivider’s agreement for the Pines Section two and three for the Regional Sewer District.

• Awarded the yearly bids for engineering materials for the Delaware County Engineer’s Office that include tree clearing, guard rail replacements, and curb and sidewalk replacement.

• Established a maintenance bond for Scioto Ridge Crossing section five of $51,100 for the engineer’s office.