Adams County Commissioners Kelly Jones, Barbara Moore and Jason Hayslip
Submitted by Marla May
The Board of Adams County Commissioners met in regular session on March 17, 2025, at the Government Center with the following members present: Barbara Moore, Kelly Jones, Jason Hayslip. The meeting was called to order by President Barbara Moore and opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Jason Hayslip. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Randalyn Worley was present for the session. Also present was Jeff Reinart.
It was moved by Kelly Jones and seconded by Barbara Moore to approve the minutes. Vote: All Aye.
It was moved by Jason Hayslip and seconded by Kelly Jones to approve the following bills for payment: Vote: All Aye.
It was moved by Barbara Moore and seconded by Jason Hayslip to approve the following additional appropriation of funds: Vote: All Aye.
The following reports were submitted to the board for their review: Dog and Kennel Activities Report for week ending March 14, 2025.
It was moved by Kelly Jones and seconded by Barbara Moore to appoint Jason Grooms to the Alexander Salamon Airport Authority Board to fill the expired term commencing retroactive January 14, 2025, and term ending January 13, 2030. Vote: All Aye
Adams County Jail Administrator Rick Phillips met with the board to discuss the following issues:
· Fayette County Sheriff’s Office MOU
· Village of Greenfield Jail Inmate Housing Agreement
It was moved by Jason Hayslip and seconded by Barbara Moore to enter into an agreement with the Village of Greenfield, Ohio for inmate detention at the Village of Greenfield jail not to exceed $65.00 per day per inmate commencing March 17, 2025, and ending December 31, 2025, as presented by Jail Administrator Rick Phillips. Vote: All Aye.
It was moved by Kelly Jones and seconded by Jason Hayslip to enter into an agreement with Fayette County, Ohio for inmate detention at the Fayette County jail not to exceed $80.00 per day per inmate commencing March 17, 2025, and ending December 31, 2025, as presented by Jail Administrator Rick Phillips. Vote: All Aye.
EMS Chief Dustin McCleese met with the board to discuss the following issues:
· 126 Runs this week.
· Credit card authorization.
· EMS Billing Review.
· Federal Data Study Complete.
· Vehicle Maintenance.
· Cold storage unit update.
It was moved by Barbara Moore and seconded by Kelly Jones to approve an agreement between the Adams County EMS and Eastern Joint Fire and EMS District (EFJED) to provide emergency medical services in 2025 to Eagle Township, Brown County, East of US 62 as recommended by Adams County EMS Chief Dusty McCleese. Vote: All Aye.
Commissioner Hayslip discussed with the board his meeting with Maximus and the possibility of adding the government building on Sunrise Ave to the county’s cost allocation plan. Also discussed was the offering of Air Evac to county employees by payroll deduction. It was agreed that a survey would need to be sent out to all employees to see if participation is wanted.
The board discussed with Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Randalyn Worley the issue with the Spectrum contract associated with Veterans Services. Commissioner Moore placed a call to Samantha Ferguson, the county’s representative for Spectrum, and left a message for a call back. The board agreed that when the Veteran’s Services moved from the Annex to the Adams County Government Community Building located on Sunrise Ave in West Union, FreedomLinx should have been notified. No resolution was passed authorizing the new contract service price for Veteran’s Services.
It was moved by Jason Hayslip and seconded by Kelly Jones to enter into an agreement with the County Commissioners Association of Ohio Service Corporation (CCAOSC) for participation in Worker’s Compensation Group Retrospective Rating Program for 2026.Vote: All Aye.
Economic Development Director Paul Worley met with the board to discuss the following issues:
· Locust Grove Sewer Project: public meeting March 27, 2025 at 6 pm.
· Winchester Broadband Grant-ARC meeting on March 18, 2025.
· Federal Community Project Funding update.
· Adams County Training Center: Renovation updates for contractor estimates. STNA class starting on 3/24. Medical Assisting class starting on 4/17. HVAC instructor hired. Update on Foundations for the Trades class.
· Adams County Welcome Center: Pre-construction meeting with AxCraft, ODNR, and TVB on March 19, 2025, at 10 a.m. in the Annex Conference Room
· Weekly/Monthly Meetings: Winchester Industrial Park rail spur project call on March 11, 2025. Land Bank meeting on 3/17. OEDA Legistlative Conference on 3/19. Alta Fiber meeting on 3/20.
It was moved by Jason Hayslip and seconded by Kelly Jones to proclaim the week of March 16 – 22, 2025 as National Ag Week in Adams County and read as follows: Vote: All Aye.
Those present for the reading of the proclamation were: OSU Extension Office 4-H Educator Kristy Watters, Adams County Farm Bureau, Brett Barton, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Heather Utter, and OSU Extension Office Ag Natural Resources Educator Jenny Stoneking.
Stephanie Donnelly, University of Cincinnati Director of Business and Administration, met with the board to discuss a grant currently being offered in Adams County for juvenile mental health programs in schools. For the past three years, the Adams County Health Department has partnered with the University of Cincinnati to utilize the grant but had been informed that the health department would no longer be partnering with them. Health Commissioner Jason Work explained that his department has lost thousands of dollars over the last three years on the billing of this program and it’s simply not in their budget to sustain this program. Mr. Work further explained that his staff can internally handle the needs of the children in Adams County schools. The Health Department has a licensed social worker and case manager available.
Mr. Work stated that the board for the health department has also looked into hiring another social worker. Mr. Work was confident that his staff along with referrals to Ray of Hope counseling services could continue to serve the youth of Adams County in the schools. Dr. Kaitlyn Bruns and Dr. Melissa Wagner, University of Cincinnati Hospital, expressed concerns that taking away theirservices will gravely impact the county.
Danielle Poe, Behavioral Health Director Ohio Valley Local School District, explained that when the program started the school district provided the start-up funds for the program three years ago. The initial funding was made available through funding from the state. There are no funds available to further the billing of the program services. Alan Bird, CEO Adams County Regional Medical Center, was hoping an organization in the county would be able to partner with UC to fund any gaps from coding and billing until the program becomes sustainable.
Commissioner Moore asked why the hospital was not willing to participate. Ms. Moore stated the county cannot get into the insurance coding business. Mr. Bird explained that ACRMC has many projects in the works and no funding is available. The board suggested reaching out to the juvenile courts to see if they have any funding available. Commissioner Moore advised that the county has no reserve funds to fill the gap of billing losses of the grant. The board agreed that a juvenile mental health school program was a much-needed service. Dr. Wagner suggested that the adult services portion of the grant could possibly offset the juvenile billing shortage in the future.
Health Commissioner Work confirmed that the Adams County Health Department would continue offering adult services through the grant. Mr. Work reiterated he was confident his staff could provide mental health services in the schools. The children would still have access to a licensed social worker and referral plans the same as they are receiving now through University of Cincinnati. Everyone in attendance agreed that a lot more detailed information was needed before anyone could make an informative decision.
Those present for the meeting were Pete Daggenbach CFO ACRMC, Alan Bird CEO ACRMC, Stephanie Donnelly, Director of Business and Administration University of Cincinnati, Bonnie Pertuset RN Director of Nursing Adams, Madelyn Porter Youth Director, Braydan Shelton LSW, Jason Work Health Commissioner Adams County Health Department, Debora Plymail Ohio Means Jobs,Dr. Kaitlyn Bruns, Dr. Melissa Wagner UC Hospital, Danielle Poe Behavioral Health Director OVLSD, Sonya Meyer Director Adams County Children’s Services.
It was moved by Kelly Jones and seconded by Jason Hayslip to adjourn. Vote: All Aye.
