By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — Darke County Job & Family Services (JFS) and the City of Greenville enter into an agreement for transportation services and Commissioner Larry Holmes spoke out about the sale of marijuana in local communities. Commissioners Matt Aultman, Marshall Combs, and Holmes were present.

Commissioner Holmes proceeded to spread awareness at the Tuesday meeting regarding legislation that is making its way down to the individual counties through the township trustee boards, village councils, and cities. The commissioners themselves have no say on distributors coming in, but those previously listed do.

“Many villages, cities, and communities are taking positions on not allowing the sale of recreational marijuana,” Holmes said. “We don’t have authority, but I’m pleased to see that action from those who do because it is not something we necessarily need to embody wholeheartedly in our communities, as it puts our families and children at risk.”

Holmes said he is “glad to see folks taking that stand.” Recreational marijuana, known as Issue 2, was approved in 2023. The yes vote allowed for the sale and purchase of marijuana, which a new Division of Cannabis Control would regulate. This would allowed adults who are at least 21 years old to use and possess marijuana, including up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana; and enacting a 10 percent tax on marijuana sales.

However, the legislature passed regulations giving control to the towns and cities to deny the sale of marijuana within corporation limits. Many communities within Darke County have created ordinances prohibiting the sale as a way of taking a stand against the companies before they come into the community.

“They are able to do this because they have the zoning power for the districts to accept that,” Commissioner Aultman said. “It does not have to do with zoning, but it is a ordinance that they can accept. I believe we have shared that.”

The target population is any resident of Darke County that meets the eligibility criteria of the Darke County JFS transportation program with medical related appointments being priority. In addition to, but not limited to, at-risk families and youth who are experiencing crisis and family problems, children with potential of being placed in an out-of-home placement, disabled, and elderly.

“This contract was not just an update as it has been in the past. DCJFS actually went out and obtained quotes,” Holmes said.

He advised Greenville Transit with the City of Greenville provided a contract that enables services both in and outside city limits.

“This provides a contract that provides services not only within the City of Greenville but outside the city and within the county,” Holmes said. “It is good to see that happen.”

The contract will provide transportation at a rate of $22.65 per person each way for both services within Greenville City limits to include Family Health Services and within Darke County Services including to Ansonia, Arcanum, New Madison, Etc. The approved hours for reimbursable service of Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., no weekend or governmental holiday hours. Rates are per passenger, and DCJFS will not reimburse for fees associated with “no shows”. The contract will run July 1, 2024 through June 30,2025.

An obligation of additional funds through the Ohio Department of Aging via Health Aging Grant were approved. The commissioners approved receiving additional funding in the amount of $3,085.

“When the State of Ohio came back after they had allocated all of the funds within the budget, the legislators had additional dollars to distribute to each county,” Aultman said. ” Our apportionment for the additional dollars that wasn’t originally distributed was $3,085.”

That money was split between needed programs within the county. One was the Community Action Partnership. They put $1,234 towards Housing Assistance through rent/mortgage assistance, utility assistance, and home repairs to residents 60 years of age and older to support long term housing security for an increase total of $43,309.

Shared Harvest Foodbank is among the programs, and it is to replace Grace Resurrection & Community Unity with Shared Harvest Foodbank to provide Food Assistance through the provision of food distribution to residents 60 years of age or older for a total of $43,309. The last program is the Darke County Libraries. It was amended and by removing Trustwell Living at Oakley Place and adding Darke County Libraries to purchase and provide laptops and related equipment to county nursing home facilities and libraries for improved digital literacy through supporting social connectedness for residence 60 years of age and older for an overall total of $22,117 divided between these entities.

The commissioners accepted a quote from Doss Business Systems in an effort to make their communication connections quicker within the county.

“Currently we have an agreement through Doss through another server that hosts our Email Exchange,” Aultman said. “To speed up and provide some security, we are changing the host service to an in house server.”

This change is to eliminate the amount of levels messages have to go through to get emails. Aultman said currently, an outside email coming in takes between 15 and 17 minutes to get into their personal emails.

“Whereas, in house it is almost instantaneous, so this will correct that. It will also add some data retention onto the plan. Cindy Pike has worked very hard to bring this forward for multiple county offices,” Aultman said.

The quote totaling $29,294, will include a monthly recurring fee of $794 plus tax. Adding email continuity will increase the monthly recurring fee by $441, and that cost is for a three-year archiving for a quantity of 100 at $4.41 a piece.

The Darke County Commissioners meet every Tuesday and Thursday for their public Regular Sessions starting at 1:30 p.m. in the Administration Building; 520 S Broadway. All are welcome to attend.

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].