The largest new request for $1.85 million comes from Sheriff Richard Jones. It includes $900,000 to renovate the dispatch center, $423,000 for repairs to heating and air conditioning systems at all three jails and a new scanner system that would cut deputy time recording homicides and other serious crimes and fatal accidents from around 2 hours to 15 minutes in some instances.
Chief Anthony Dwyer said the dispatch center is sorely in need of upgrades after multiple smaller protects made short-term fixes.
“It’s a Band-aid, it needs to be fixed professionally to run properly,” Dwyer said.
An expansion of the medical pod at the main jail is not included but could be added. The sheriff is applying for a state grant that calls for a 36-bed pod with an estimated cost of $6.6 million. Dwyer said he hopes the commissioners will consider the pod if the state grant is denied.
“This money is being sought after by a lot (of other jails) so I don’t know that we have great expectations that we’ll be successful,” Dwyer said of the state grant.
There are two projects that request facilities to address social service needs. The Board of Development Disabilities would like $1.2 million to renovate the adult services center on Symmes Road in Hamilton that is run by Easterseals. The plan is for Easterseals to provide transitional employment opportunities to residents with disabilities, veterans, youth and those who are economically disadvantaged.
The second project would be an emergency mental health crisis stabilization center by the Community Health Alliance and subsidiaries Sojourner and Transitional Living Inc. Scott Rasmus, executive director of the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board, made a verbal request for a facility but told the Journal-News last week he is backing off for now.
“The last thing I want to do is create a facility and its goal or its role in the community is not fully defined or understood in the community by everybody,” Rasmus said. “And that it’s sustainable and that it functions appropriately. So I’ve decided to sort of back off on an RFP or proposal at this point.”
He told the Journal-News he just learned about the Sojourner request and he will continue to do his due diligence, in part because his board must consider the sustainability factor, since the ARP money expires in 2024.
Sojourner CEO Scott Gehring said officials have been talking about this project since 2015 and he didn’t want to waste the funding opportunity.
“Since these funds are being allocated now I wanted to make sure we were in line to be able to hopefully get some of the funds aside,” he said. “Because no matter where this facility is located, there are going to be capital requirements.”
The request asks the commissioners for capital, start-up and operating expenses but “the total costs associated with this project will be projected based on approval of this concept and determination of a facility location.”
Commissioner Don Dixon said the crisis center will require a broad approach.
“From the commissioners’ perspective we want it to be inclusive so we’re going to be looking to any program that encompasses all the agencies not just one,” Dixon said. “There’ll be many discussions about that but Scott Rasmus will be involved for sure.”
Butler County Recorder Danny Crank is seeking $1.6 million to complete digitizing real estate records. Chief Assistant Recorder Denise Goll said they used $320,870 in CARES federal relief funds to scan approximately 1,600 books of recent records. Scanning the final batch of 1,700 large, bound books, that date back to 1797, will be much more difficult, hence the increased cost. The cost also includes additional storage space, disaster recovery replication and back-up solutions.
Crank explained that his request should fit well into the parameters of the ARP funding restrictions because fewer people would need to come to his office for records, thus reducing the chance for the spread of COVID 19.
The federal guidelines allow entities to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on households and businesses, non-profits and other industries; grant premium pay for essential workers, government or to employers dealing with the pandemic; revenue loss due to the pandemic and investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.
Mark Hecquet president and CEO of the Butler County Visitors Bureau is looking for $1.4 million to recoup lost hotel tax revenues due to the pandemic. Since it is unclear when the commissioners might begin awarding the first half of the money — the second installment comes next year — he estimated losses through the end of this year.
Clerk of Courts Mary Swain is hoping to get $100,000 to $200,000 to replace the 20-something-year-old jury management system.
Previous requests include $13 million from MetroParks to create a county-wide scenic waterway overlook system; fill gaps in the Great Miami River trail corridor and recoup lost rental and license fees due to the coronavirus pandemic, among other items. Middletown is looking for $6.6 million to help the city “transform and redevelop” the Ohio 4 corridor entrance to the city and also support the Oakland Neighborhood revitalization.
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