Commissioners Corner

The month of September is upon us and with that comes the start of school, and on the 23rd, the start of the fall season. Several of our community’s are having their fall festivals. With the arrival of fall, that means that winter cannot be far off. Hopefully, this winter will be much better than the last two we have had with less snow and ice.

Things have slowed in the Commissioners Office so far. We are still waiting to see exactly how much money we will be getting for our Local Government Fund (LGF). Darke County Auditor Carol Ginn, along with the Commissioners, has done a great job of staying on top of the money situation for the county. Carol has given us preliminary numbers several times, and as they change at the state level, she keeps us informed and as to what is happening. As of this moment, we might receive a little more than we expected, but as Carol will tell you, that could change in a heartbeat. At the end of October we will start the appropriations part of the budget, and by then we will know for sure on the amount we will receive. Be sure to thank Carol when you see her for staying on top of things in a very difficult and confusing year. As of right now, our income projections for the county are slightly ahead of what we had hoped. Thanks to all of you in the county who strive to buy locally whenever possible.

In other happenings around the County, the State Rte. 242 road closure project between the County and the State is moving along. Recently, we talked with Matt Parrill of O.D.O.T. District 7, and he informed us that the project is right on schedule with completion of the entire project set for May of 2013. This project will allow Darke County to use the existing 300 extra feet of runway safely for larger jet aircraft. With Darke Counties aggressive economic development strategy ongoing, this will allow businesses with larger aircraft the ability to use the entire available runway more safely. This project will be a further enhancement for our economic development, allowing us to go after more companies who wish to expand. Jeff Marshall, our Community Development Grants Coordinator, is also working with the F.A.A. on some other grants and issues to enhance the airport in the future. The Darke County Airport has become an important part of our economic development efforts, so it will be important to modernize and upgrade as much as possible for future use. On the economic development front, Marc Saluk and Mayor Bowers of Greenville recently attended a conference in Charlotte, North Carolina with other E.D. Directors and Community Leaders. Conferences like this one allow Marc to update his knowledge and help him with possible future leads on new businesses. The Development Office is continuing its aggressive hunt for new business and the retention of the great businesses we have. One of those businesses that need to be mentioned is Dynamic Weld of Osgood. This small business was incorporated in 1981 and employs 38 people. Dynamic Weld builds custom material handling and returnable shipping containers for American Honda. This growing business was recently honored by Honda as their “Supplier of the Year”. Congratulations to Harry Heitkamp and Gene Niekamp, the President and Vice President of Dynamic Weld, for this prestigious honor. The Commissioners were honored to be a part of the ceremony that was held at their manufacturing facility. The Darke County community is proud to have you here, and may you have much more success in the future. The Economic Development Office has more projects in the fold, and we will keep Darke Countians informed as soon as possible.

The Darke County Commissioners meet every Monday and Wednesday, at 1:30 p.m., in the Administration Building, south of the Courthouse. Please feel free to attend any meeting, or to contact us at (937) 547-7370, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during the day. Meetings are always open, and we hope to see you at one soon!

- The Darke County Commissioners