Commissioners: County has never been stronger

FINDLAY — The Hancock County Board of Commissioners report the county has never been stronger. Commissioners presented a State of the County address to the public Thursday. The address had previously been given at the Hancock County Republican Party's First Friday Luncheon earlier this month. A PowerPoint version of the presentation is attached to the online version of this story. Hancock County took in approximately $19.7 million in sales tax last year, a number that has consistently trended upward in the last ten years. Currently Hancock County has a 6.75% sales tax rate but the county receives only 1%. According to a map shown by the commissioners during the presentation, 50 of Ohio's 88 counties have a 7.25% sales tax rate. Commissioner Bill Bateson called the 1% received by the county, "discretionary spending." "We operate quite a bit of the county with just that 1%," Commissioner Tim Bechtol said. He added that the $19.7 million brought in last year equated to approximately $1.5 million to $2 million every month. Commissioners also noted they would be worried about county finances if a proposed ballot measure that eliminates property taxes in Ohio were to pass. If property taxes were eliminated, Hunker said, the whole county would suffer. "It's not our goal or our objective to create any belief, but to let you know where your money is going," Commissioner Jeff Hunker said. According to a table shown as part of the presentation, approximately $73.2 million was collected from the county property tax and divided between local school districts. Findlay City Schools enjoyed the most benefit from this tax and received almost $37 million. Van Buren received almost $10 million; Liberty-Benton received $8.2 million and the rest was divided between the remaining 15 school districts in Hancock County. Other levees that would be eliminated by the proposed ballot issue total $19.6 million divided among community organizations that include the Blanchard Valley Center, Hancock County Job and Family Services, Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services as well as other essential services. The county itself would take an almost $4 million hit from its general fund if the ballot issue is approved. Commissioners have said that if the issue passes, belts everywhere would tighten and some services would cease to exist. Bechtol explained the county is mandated by the Ohio Revised Code to fund certain line items and with tighter budgets, little would be left for "non-mandated" services that include Hancock Area Transportation Service, Hancock Regional Planning Commission and Raise The Bar Hancock County. He said that while the county is not required to fund these services and projects, the county does so because of the value brought to county residents. On the topic of flood mitigation in 2025, Bateson said the county had devoted $5 million to a Norfolk Southern railroad bridge instead of to the second phase of the river benching project. "We were ready to get the second phase benching going," Bateson said, explaining the county's $5 million was devoted to the bridge project because the county is waiting on a $24 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that must be devoted to projects not started before the grant money is dispersed. The FEMA grant will pay for the second phase of river benching. "That's the county, once again, working with the city to achieve some goals," Bateson said. On another note, the commissioners also discussed the completion of the Allan J. Davis Judicial Center. The building was officially deemed completed in February 2025 and held court hearings in the new building shortly after. "It was a multi-year, multi-board project," Bechtol said. Bechtol also said the building was completed under budget. "As you may recall from the construction process with the design contractor, the initial estimates were in the $22 million range," he said. "We asked them to value engineer everything we could out of the building without depreciating or depleting what the courts needed for their essential operations." This brought the estimate to $20.8 million, but the county paid only $19.3 million. Other projects completed last year include the construction of a radio tower to assist the Hancock County Sheriff's Office with internal communications, the county Job and Family Resources building reopened and moving the public defenders office and the veteran services offices to new locations. Look forward to the rest of this year, commissioners hope to complete such projects as moving the Board of Elections office into a new building on Olive Street. Bechtol noted this move would have to be completed between the May primary election and the November election. "We don't want to move them in the process of an election period or the month of election," he said. "We want to have them in a secure location for that operation." Hunker discussed ongoing projects in the county including the recycling program that is a joint effort with other county municipalities. Currently, the county has 18 recycling sites scattered throughout Hancock County. Hunker also mentioned a landfill expansion that cost the county a little over $1.8 million. "It was a huge investment in the future," Hunker said. "It's not everyday, you get to see the start of a new landfill cell." In the last year, the landfill also acquired new vehicles to be used for landfill operations and maintenance that cost a total of $777,284. "To keep the landfill going and to keep the equipment you need," Hunker said. "It's a large investment."