Treasurer and facilities present $80K–$110K options to secure downstairs motor‑vehicle and tax counters

Miami County Treasurer Trisha Lee and Building & Grounds Director Jim Starling presented options to secure the treasurer’s customer counters after several threatening incidents. Starling gave two cost estimates for the eight service positions at the downstairs treasurer counter: a ballistic glass system (1¼‑inch ballistic glazing in aluminum framing) at roughly $90,000–$110,000 installed, or a thinner safety glass system with integrated speakers and bank‑style pass‑throughs estimated at $80,000–$95,000. Starling said the ballistic glass is thicker and requires less framing; safety glass requires more framing to support it.

Commissioners and staff discussed whether to move driver‑license services downstairs (no formal decision), how to secure upstairs driver‑license workstations that now have fabric partitions, and whether grant funding is available (staff said they were not aware of a treasurer‑specific grant). Sheriff and security procedures were discussed indirectly; commissioners emphasized centralizing tax and motor‑vehicle services into a single secured area if possible.

Staff noted the county’s building‑reserve fund balance (more than $2 million) and said additional architect/bid package costs would be required to complete competitive procurement for work above $25,000. Treasurer Lee said abandoning upstairs partitions would require more extensive construction to create a secure windowed public counter area. Staff suggested also examining de‑escalation training and tech‑fund offsets for equipment but said that the technology fund is generally for hardware (printers/computers).

Ending: Commissioners directed Jim Starling and the treasurer to prepare formal bid documents, cost breakdowns and funding options and to return with a recommendation to include in budget discussions; staff will investigate grant or statute options for tech fund use and provide firm construction pricing for the next meeting.