JANUARY 2012 - HAPPY NEW YEAR - LAST YEAR COUNTY NEWS IN REVIEW

It is time to kick off a New Year and we would like to wish each of you, and your family and friends a healthy and productive 2012!

One of my resolutions will be to keep you informed each month of the positive activities of your County Government.

Recently Commissioner Doug Smith and I collaborated with Commissioner Brad Feightner on our annual Year End Summary of achievements. This seems like appropriate information to share as we put the ‘cork in the 2011 bottle’ and look ahead to a great year serving you in 2012!

Licking County Government in 2011

By County Commissioner Brad Feightner


The continuing economic uncertainties and challenges are still on many people's minds. During the past year your Commissioners have taken a conservative approach to Licking County government operations. This board understands and recognizes the needs of the community and has worked to determine new ways to be resourceful, reliable, and helpful to the citizens, businesses and the community as a whole. Working to ensure a sound economic outlook for Licking County’s future, your Commissioners continue to take measures to support economic development, workforce development and job creation.

New jobs have been created across the County and that is reflected by a declining unemployment rate from double digits a year ago to 7.7-percent in October. Economic development incentives put in place by the State, County and local governments have resulted in an explosion of development in New Albany’s prime growth area in western Licking County. In the past year, eight companies have agreed to locate in the new ‘Health and Beauty Park’ off Beech Road. These firms represent multi-million dollar investments and construction of 1.25-million square feet of manufacturing and distribution space. To date, more than 500 new jobs have been created and by 2014 the number of jobs in the Park is expected to be some 1,400. In addition, the County working with New Albany and Jersey Township cooperated in a 180-acre annexation, enabling a 300-acre development site south of Route 161 and east off Beech Road, for potentially another major project.


This past September, your County Commissioners were joined by State officials in dedicating the Job Ready Site (JRS) Development Road running some four miles from Route 16 in Pataskala to U.S. Route 40 in Etna Township. Built with a $3.4-million State Grant and $3-million in County funds, the Road serves the prime 305-acre JRS manufacturing site, and opens for development over one thousand acres of prime commercial real estate. The State is leading an international marketing effort with the JRS site considered among the most desirable major manufacturing locations in Ohio.

Your Commissioners continue to review every county department looking for consolidations and efficiencies to trim the budget. An example now underway is the consolidation of the 9-1-1 dispatching center and Sheriff’s dispatching function into a combined safety dispatching center in the newly acquired former Community Based Corrections Facility in Newark. This budget saving consolidation will also provide the latest communication and dispatching technologies to facilitate the arrival of emergency assistance.

In a bold move to upgrade public facilities and conserve energy, this past fall your County initiated a $4.7-million energy efficiency overhaul of 12-major County government buildings, including the 1876 Courthouse, Administration Building and the Justice Center. Two energy firms have the contracts for upgrading HVAC, major systems, windows, doors, plumbing and roofs. The projects are GUARANTEED to pay for themselves with energy savings, and additional benefits include stimulus and utility rebates related to the measured energy conservation.

Another example of consolidation was the merger of transportation by the Department of Developmental Disabilities into the Licking County Transit Program. This coordination of service is saving resources for the DD program by contracting for the service as a partner, and eliminating the number of busses on the street. County Transit responded with their best year ever as measured by a 99.2-percent efficiency rate, while at the same time managing a 72-percent increase in overall trips.


A final though on efficiency is the use of GovDeals as the County’s on-line monthly auction of surplus items. This past year alone the sales of surplus items totaled over $98,800, and since 2005 the total is some $464-thousand. This represents a major increase over the old annual fixed site auction of surplus items.


Feel free to visit the County Government website LCounty.com to learn more. Your thoughts and suggestions are always welcome.


It is an honor serving with Commissioners Tim Bubb and Doug Smith, our excellent staff, and our elected and appointed officials as we move forward with the attitude that we are a TEAM that can make it through these tough economic times and continue in making our home County a better place.


Best Wishes for a happy and productive New Year!


I can also be e-mailed at tbubb@lcounty.com, and my desk phone number at the Commissioner’s Office is 740-670-5118.



Happy New Year! … Commissioner Tim and Marianne Bubb