The Delaware County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of four vehicles and a drainage improvement petition at their meetings on March 9.
Three of the vehicles were for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office: a Ford Transit-350 Cargo Van costing $28,732; a Ford Fusion costing $19,845; and a Chevy Tahoe costing $34,299. The three vehicles are all 2017 models. The vehicles had been budgeted and were necessary to maintain a serviceable fleet.
The fourth vehicle is an ambulance for the county’s Emergency Medical Services Department. The county’s records describe the ambulance as a “Horton Model 623 aluminum body conversion, mounted on a 2017 Ford F-550 4×2 chassis,” at a cost of $193,733. EMS Director Chief Mike Schuiling said the new vehicle had been requested during the 2017 budget cycle and would replace another ambulance that had more than 160,000 miles.
Also during their half-hour regular meeting, the commissioners approved:
- Changes to inmate outpatient treatment at the County Jail by Recovery and Prevention Resources of Delaware and Morrow Counties, Inc. According to Kassie Neff of the Sheriff’s Office, these services assisted inmates’ withdrawals from opiate addiction, resulting in lower recidivism rates. “We are way ahead of a lot of other counties,” Commissioner Barb Lewis said. Lewis also said the county may be able to get Department of Justice grants for more assistance with the epidemic.
- Procurement cards for EMS to be used for work-related expenses, which Schuiling said would save the department money, particularly in fuel costs.
- The use of the Willis Building Conference Room from 3-7 p.m. March 23 for a career fair. The commissioners talked about re-examining its facility rental costs.
- Adopting a concealed carry policy update in the county’s Personnel Policy Manual.
- In other business, the commissioners’ meeting on March 23 was canceled.
- Commissioners’ President Jeff Benton said that when Ohio Wesleyan University established its charter 175 years ago, Delaware’s population was 800; and that OWU, the county, and City of Delaware were interested in partnering on an entrepreneurial center, much like the City of Westerville does with Otterbein University.
County Administrator Ferzan Ahmed said he was attending Dublin’s State of the City presentation later that night. “I always say the best part of Dublin is in Delaware County,” Ahmed said.
Also, there was a 15-minute Public Hearing for Consideration of the Libertydale Drainage Improvement Petition. A report by the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District recommended the improvements to the Liberty Township development’s storm water management system; and a representative for the homeowners’ association also “strongly” supported the petition. The 82-lot Libertydale was platted in 1996-1998, and built in 1999-2001.
No one was opposed to the petition, so commissioners voted 3-0 (Benton, Lewis and Vice President Gary Merrell) “that the proposed improvement is necessary and that it will be conducive to the public welfare.” Granting the petition means that County Engineer Chris Bauserman will prepare plans and a cost-benefit analysis for improving watershed drainage, to be filed March 9, 2018.
