MARCH 2012 COMMISSIONER TIM BUBB UPDATE

This mild winter of 2011-12 is just about behind us and spring just officially just 20-days away.

Spring is a time of renewal with the landscape ready to explode with color in the days ahead, and the arrival of spring training and March Madness means that longer days and better weather are just ahead!

As your County Commissioner I can report that our Board continues to perform at a high level of achievement. We will begin March with a balanced budget for the year featuring reduced spending in many areas, and a continued emphasis on consolidation and coordination of government.


ELECTION DAY IS NEXT WEEK

Early voting is just about complete and the ‘Super Tuesday Primary Election Day’ is next Tuesday’s March 6th Ohio Primary.

For voting information call the Board of Elections Office at 740-670-5080 or visit the Licking County website lcounty.com and click on Board of Elections under the Administration tab.

Regarding The Election I Would Offer These Suggestions…


Recommend voting for the re-election of County Commissioner Brad Feightner. Commissioner Feightner, now completing his first term, is a thoughtful and responsive Commissioner who always puts ‘People before Politics’. Feightner brings new ideas and fair consideration to the issues the Commissioners face each day and he has earned your support and vote for a second term.

Recommend voting YES for the Licking Park District’s 0.25-mill Levy for Parks, Paths and Trails. This five-year levy will allow the Parks District to manage and maintain 24-miles of community bike paths, over 1,600 acres of parks and nature reserves, and 25-miles of recreation trails. This is a quality of life issue that affects all residents of the County. In addition these parks, paths and trails contribute to our community’s economic growth by increasing appeal for business development and tourism, as well as enhancing property values.

Recommend voting YES for the renewal of the five‐year, 1‐mill levy for the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities. This levy will renew the current funding for the Board of DD, which serves more than 1,400 Licking County residents and their families annually. A renewal of the March 2012 levy means property owners in Licking County will not see an increase in property taxes to support the County Board of DD. Substantial cuts in state and federal funds since 2002 have made local levy dollars crucial to the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities’ ability to serve the needs of county residents and their families.


Business Development Trip to Washington D. C. Successful - Continuing to Build Port Authority and Community Support

This past Wednesday, February 29th Commissioner Tim Bubb joined a delegation of business leaders and public officials in a ‘business development’ trip to the nation’s capital on behalf of the Newark-Heath-Licking County Port Authority. This purpose of the trip was to continue to build and rally the Ohio Legislative Delegation on behalf of retaining and recruiting new jobs, especially aerospace opportunities, for the former Air Force Base site in Heath.

Targeted visits included both of Ohio’s Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, and their staffs. Also, Congressmen Bob Gibbs, Pat Tiberi and Steve Stivers, and the Chief of Staff, Mick Kreiger, for House Speaker John Boehner.

In addition, Commissioner Bubb and County Engineer Bill Lozier were joined by Heath Mayor Mark Johns in visits with Director Grande Lum at the Small Business Administration’s HUBZone Program, and at the White House with Director David Agnew who coordinates with the nation’s cities and counties for the Administration. Both sessions were productive in looking at ways to qualify the Port Authority as a HUBZone site and bring this additional economic development to Licking County. Commissioner Bubb, Engineer Lozier and Mayor Johns also discussed several other development issues critical to Licking County and Central Ohio with the Federal Administration.

This 2012 Port Authority Delegation included... Heath Mayor Mark Johns, Mike Cadenhead of Bionetics, Al Bonacci of Goodrich, Joy Padgett Central Ohio Technical College, Bill Wright of the Port Authority, Bart Weiler of the Port Authority Board, Bill Lozier
Licking County Engineer, Rick Platt Port Authority Director, Tim Bubb Licking County Commissioner, Charles Dutch of The Boeing Company.


“Striking The Right Balance” – An Informative Update from Director John Fisher on his Agency – the Licking County Department of Job and Family Services

It has been said that the secret to success is finding balance in life. That mantra has always held true at Licking County Job & Family Services—and especially in fiscal year 2011.

During this past year, the Agency has worked diligently to strike a balance between effectively serving community members in need, and being as efficient as possible with the hard-earned dollars of the taxpayers who support our organization.

One way we have achieved this balance is by actively embracing innovation and technology. Advances such as upgrading our phone systems and adopting online Public Assistance applications have made it easier for residents in need to access our services. In fact, since implementing the phone upgrades, we have decreased callers’ wait time by almost half and reduced the number of abandoned calls by more than half. At the same time, we have made it more cost effective for the Agency to provide struggling families and individuals with food assistance, access to medical care, transportation, and other types of help when they need it most.

In making these changes, the Agency has been conscious of the balance between technology and a personal touch. Our mission is first and foremost to provide a helping hand to meet basic needs during tough times while assuring the safety and welfare of some of our most vulnerable citizens, including children, the elderly, and the disabled. While taking advantage of the efficiencies of technology, we make every effort to continue to be a source of compassion, caring, and hope for a better tomorrow.

To that end, we placed a strong emphasis on helping individuals obtain and maintain employment during FY2011. The majority of the people we serve do work; however, many of them are underemployed. To support their families, these workers may need more hours, a better salary, or benefits. Licking County JFS provides the resources to help them reach these goals and achieve a greater sense of balance in their own lives.
As always, in everything we do, the Agency is committed to meeting or surpassing federal and state performance goals. We have always been a top-performing county, and we are proud to report that we consistently exceed overall state averages in performance in nearly every area.

As we look forward, Licking County JFS will continue to seek innovative ways to improve services to community members, stretch taxpayers’ dollars further, and remain a source of compassionate care for friends and neighbors in need. Ultimately, we will strive to find the balance that works best for every Licking Countian.

Orange Barrel Update…

Preliminary work has begun on the Hopewell Drive bridge, located between State Route 79 and State Route 13, in the City of Heath, Licking County.

Complete General Construction Co. is the contractor for this $977,000.00 bridge rehabilitation project. This preliminary work will not impact traffic, as two lanes of traffic will be maintained during this six week period.

The bridge is expected to close beginning June 11 through this October 15, weather permitting. The posted detour will be via State Route 13, Irving Wick Drive, and State Route 79, adding approximately five miles to a motorist’s commute.

* Factoid – According to the County Engineer the certified length of County owned and maintained roads is 421.582 miles!


County Green Energy Phase I over halfway done and Energy II About to Begin

Last fall the County, in cooperation with the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) began a major upgrade of a dozen County owned facilities targeting HVAC Systems and a variety of other upgrades to save energy, bring the building’s systems up to date, and save money. In fact the energy savings, and deferred capital costs and maintenance will pay for most of $4.7-million in improvements over the next decade.

The program is going so well, beginning on March 8th, the County will issue an RFP for County Energy Phase II with the intent of upgrading and making more efficient the County’s remaining 14 buildings with work to be accomplished in 2012 and 2013, again in cooperation with OAQDA.

In addition to benefiting the County’s inventory of buildings (large and small), these projects also benefit our local economy. Most of the workers and subcontractors are from Licking County, and many of the materials are manufactured locally. Below is a photo of boxes of insulated pipe wrap being staged for use in the upgrades of the downtown County Administration Building – made locally at the Owens Corning Fiberglas Plant in Newark.


Licking and Muskingum Counties Join Hands To Bring Water to the Small Village of Gratiot...
This past week a contract was signed between Licking and Muskingum Counties to jointly solve the issue of bringing clean/safe drinking water to the small Village of Gratiot. The Village sits on the line between the two counties. The agreement will allow Muskingum County to bring nearby water service into Licking County to serve the Village’s residents and businesses. This cooperative agreement will solve the long standing problem of not having a quality water utility service for the community, and is considered a Win – Win. Licking County Water Wastewater Direct or Kevin Eby was instrumental in helping make this happen.


Feel free to forward this e-mail in any direction you would like, and let me know the e-mail address of anyone who would like to be included on my Update Newsletter list.

Also, visit my website … TimBubb.com, where I post updates on my personal blog.

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


Best Regards! …

Commissioner Tim Bubb