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Williams County Port Authority reports audit clearance, growth in housing projects and asks county for continued funding support
Summary
Williams County Port Authority board members updated the commissioners on a clean audit for 2022–2023, ongoing single‑family, duplex and senior housing projects, a near‑term federal grant application for a subdivision, and a request that the county continue previously discussed multi‑year funding to support working capital.
Williams County Port Authority officials gave the commissioners a quarterly update on ongoing housing and development projects, financial oversight and a request for continued county funding to build the authority’s working capital and support multiple projects planned through 2025.
Dawn Fitzgerald, who was sworn in at the start of the segment as a Williams County Port Authority board member, summarized the authority’s mission to “develop and promote workforce housing initiatives, enhance the local economic vitality of the county, and create sustainable housing solutions for members of our communities.” She told commissioners the authority had completed a two‑year financial audit with the Ohio Auditor’s Office that “revealed no exceptions for 2022 and 2023” and that the audit will continue on a two‑year cycle given the authority’s level of activity.
Fitzgerald and other board members said the authority is managing multiple projects: single‑family homes, duplex plans, the Ridge at Greenfield subdivision, Fountain Creek Senior Villas locally, and continued work on a proposed David Brown subdivision that has been included on a federal funding list pending congressional budget action and USDA distribution. The board noted a federal grant application for the David Brown subdivision would fund infrastructure and that the project’s funding flows through USDA.
The Port Authority reported it currently has about 10 developable lots available and that it expects to continue single‑family and duplex construction through 2025. Board members described a fundraising and sponsorship effort that has drawn private donations and in‑kind materials from local manufacturers and suppliers; the presentation packet assembled by Ashley (surname not specified in the public record) lists sponsors and contributors.
On finances, the Port Authority representatives said they regularly engage an accounting firm to prepare generally accepted accounting presentations and to support the audit process. During the meeting an accounting engagement cost was mentioned in discussion as roughly $6,000 for converting records and preparing the audits; the board described that step as an important control and an additional set of eyes on finances. The authority said it has raised nearly $1 million in private match funds for projects and that county contributions have been instrumental in enabling construction to proceed. During the session a board member stated the county had previously agreed to provide support at $333,000 per year for three years; board representatives said they had received two installments and described the cumulative county support as approximately $750,000 to date (figures stated in the meeting record). The Port Authority asked the commissioners to send a formal funding request letter that would be placed on a future meeting agenda for consideration.
Board members also discussed workforce and demographic challenges: an aging population, demand for workforce housing from employers, and the need to scale up multi‑family and subdivision projects to produce hundreds of units countywide. They said the authority can build single‑family homes at a modest pace but that larger impacts require subdivisions, duplexes and multifamily projects that need upfront capital to construct infrastructure.
The Port Authority noted a senior living project will require immediate funding commitments and that duplex construction has higher upfront capital needs; the board said it is exploring options including borrowing once its balance sheet supports debt issuance, and that sale proceeds from completed projects would be re‑invested to develop additional lots.
Commissioners asked for the authority’s financial statements and requested the Port Authority send a formal letter requesting the county’s committed funding so the matter can be scheduled for board consideration. The Port Authority said it will provide the requested documents and the formal request letter.
