By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — The Darke County Animal Shelter saved the county money. Commissoners Matt Aultman, Marshall Combs, and Larry Holmes were present.

Darke County Animal Shelter Chief Bair presented the commissioners with a Spectrum Business Services Agreement for new WIFI and land line services at the shelter.

“It is a good deal for the shelter. It is giving us our own land line phone and internet. Currently we do not have our own internet, and we are bouncing across from the Michael’s Center for internet,” Cheif Bair said.

This agreement change will take the shelter from two separately charged bills down to one. The current bills come from Bright Speed and First Communication totaling $207 a month, and the new Spectrum agreement will take them down to about $150 a month.

“It is saving us money, it is giving us our own land line, and our own internet that way, so it’s good for the shelter and county,” Chief Bair said.

Chief Bair also confirmed that there will be no changes to dog shelter fees this year despite the the economy.

“When we set our fees last year, we set a five-year agreement. I don’t see any reason to raise any of the fees at this time,” Chief Bair said.

The commissioners voted to terminate agreements with Key Funding Services, Inc. It is a mutual agreement that is allowed under contract to give the other party Notice of Termination by registered United States mail 30 days prior to termination or termination can be made effective immediately by agreement of both parties. Fifteen agreements will be terminated as of Aug. 31.

“These terminations will take affect Aug. 31st, so all billings and payouts will be finalized by then,” Aultman said.

The grants being terminated include but aren’t limited to the General Airport Consulting, Versailles Critical Infrastructure Grant, Arcanum Critical Infrastructure, 2022 CDBG Allocation, Gettysburg Critical Infrastructure, CHIP CDBG – Fair Housing, and PY2024 CDBG Allocation grants.

Commissioners Combs has been working with the Village of New Madison Public Library in accordance with the Scope of Services to provide Digital Literacy to Darke County. They are going to help purchase equipment to use that will be eligible for reimbursement from the grant in a sum not to exceed $5,356.02.

“The dollars have to be used for technology and internet access for literacy, so I was working with Director Brenda Milller in New Madison to purchase a list of items: computers and tables and listening devices for people who may have a hard time using modern-day technology,” Combs said.

He said the idea is to get more people “in the older age bracket” more engaged with technology, and the agreement was to allocate the money from the grant towards the library for those purchases.

The commissioners meet every Tuesday and Thursday for a public Regular Session starting at 1:30 p.m. in the Administrative Building; 520 S Broadway, Greenville.

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