Commissioners deal with busy agenda

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The two new Van Wert County commissioners, Stan Owens and Todd Wolfrum, got a better idea of how some things work in the county after meetings held Tuesday.

George Brake, manager of the Van Wert Solid Waste Management District, met with the commissioners to provide an overview on how his agency operates. Brake also discussed a possibility that the local district could be merged into a regional operation, if a proposal being looked at by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is approved.

Commissioner Thad Lichtensteiger said that, at this point, it doesn’t appear that the EPA is as interested as it was in making the change, but added that it’s not clear at this point what might happen in the future. “We may have a reprieve, but we don’t know for how long,” he added.

Lichtensteiger said he liked having local control over trash and recycling operations, noting that he feels Brake and his board are doing a good job.

“They’re doing some neat, innovative stuff,” he said.

Economic development was also on the agenda as Darlene Myers of the Van Wert Economic Development Office and Denise Frey, president of the County Economic Development Advisory Group, provided an overview of their operations to the new commissioners, who had evinced interest in the set-up of local economic development operations.

County Department of Job and Family Services Director Mary Beth Holtsberry also met with the commissioners on her department’s staffing situation, following the retirement of Jan Burgei and Deputy Director Diane Balyeat, who headed the Child Support Enforcement Agency within the department.

Holtsberry said she was looking at the current staffing, as well as the organization within the CSEA, to get some idea of whether to replace one or both of the retiring staff members, and what would be the best way to do so.

The upcoming retirement of longtime county human resources person Jane Harris was also discussed, as was funding within the Family and Children First program, with no final decisions made in those areas.