The three-member Delaware County Board of Commissioners holds biweekly meetings to consider matters involving infrastructure, investments, and improvements for the entire county.

Jeff Benton is president of the board in 2023, Gary Merrell is vice president, and the third commissioner, Barb Lewis, served as president last year.

Much of what these elected officials do during their meetings is routine business, such as paying bills and okaying purchases, examining budgets, approving annual agreements, permitting right-of-way access for utilities and drainage improvements, and hearing reports from various departments and agencies.

However, gleaning through the minutes of the meetings also reveal decisions made on specific matters of interest to our readers, pertaining to where they live or frequent. As part of our commitment to providing the public with expanded local content, The Gazette will fill you in on some of the things the Delaware County commissioners are doing on a more regular basis.

On Jan. 12, the commissioners approved:

• Annexing about 4 acres of land in Brown Township and 4.4 acres of land in Delaware Township to the City of Delaware.

• Declaring Jan. 16 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in Delaware County.

• Donations made to the Department of Job and Family Services.

• Improvements to County Road 605 between state Route 37 and Murphy Road.

• Improvements to Orange Road and Cheshire Woods section 4a.

• Rules governing the public comment portion of their meetings (at some meetings there is none).

• Transferring a liquor license from Taranto’s Pizza to Bentos Lunch in Lewis Center.

On Jan. 19, the commissioners approved:

• Declaring six county vehicles to be sold via internet auction.

• Donations made to the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office for the Canine Therapy and Shop with a Cop programs.

• Investing in broadband infrastructure through the use of funds under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

• Leasing five vehicles for use by county agencies.

• Remodeling existing offices and 30,000 square feet of the former Big Lots for the Board of Elections and Records Center of the Willis Building, 2801 U.S. 23 N.

On Jan. 23, the commissioners approved:

• Certifying the county’s road mileage as 335.22 miles, unchanged from last year. The county is required to let the Ohio Department of Transportation know the length of the public roads it maintains.

• Improvements to Shanahan Road, widening it to a three-lane section from U.S. 23 to North Road.

• Purchasing a new truck ($134,030.22) and Boom Mower ($130,909.50) for the Engineer’s Office.