SIDNEY — Shelby County commissioners will convene public hearings, June 6 and June 13, at 10 a.m., in the commission chambers of the Shelby County Annex, 129 E. Court St., to consider the renewal of a 1/2 percent sales tax.
The tax is not new. It would be a renewal of a tax that has been collected in Shelby County for more than 20 years. It does not have to be voted on by the public. The commissioners can renew it by resolution and are considering a five-year renewal.
During a recent meeting, the commissioners authorized the issuance of bonds in the amount not to exceed $13,000,000 for a building project at Fair Haven. The commissioners, the county auditor and Fair Haven’s administrator traveled to Chicago recently to obtain a bond rating.
“The county hasn’t sold bonds since we built the jail,” said Commissioner Tony Bornhorst. Once the bond rating is known, the bonds will be for sale by Cincinnati-based brokers Ross Sinclair & Associates. The Fair Haven project will demolish one part of the existing building, construct a more modern addition and upgrade the rest of the facility.
The commissioners also opened and took under advisement six bids for the Newport sanitary sewer project. Thanks to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Water and Waste System Grant for $1,717,000 and a USDA loan for $511,000, the project, which has been under discussion for almost 20 years, can at long last move forward, Bornhorst said.
In other recent business, the commissioners:
• Authorized seeking bids for a Staley Road-widening project. The bids will be opened at 11 a.m., May 25, in the commission chamber.
• Accepted a petition to vacate county Road No. 208 in McLean Township. A hearing on the matter will begin May 25, at 10 a.m. in the commission chamber.• Awarded a contract in the amount of $27,301.81 to Carr Concrete for deck replacement on a bridge on Miami Shelby Road West.
• Entered into a Community Recreation Grant agreement with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to receive $196,000 for the fairgrounds grandstand project. The grant is for $196,000.00.
