Mahoning County commissioners approve travel requests, contracts and ARPA amendments; lease for Mahoning Valley Campus of Care authorized

Mahoning County commissioners on Wednesday approved a package of routine travel requests, contracts and budget-related resolutions, including a lease agreement with Meridian Healthcare for space at the Mahoning Valley Campus of Care and several amendments to projects funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The approvals came via roll-call votes during the meeting. Commissioners voted to approve: in‑state travel requests for multiple departments; a set of vendor agreements and change orders; appointments and reappointments to visitor and tourism advisory bodies; ARPA addendums for several agencies; a year‑end cash-advance policy; and the appointment of outside counsel for an ongoing appeal. The board also approved two small “moral obligation” payments tied to county equipment and project work.

The items matter because they move county-funded projects and contracts forward and allocate ARPA and other restricted funds for local uses, including construction and economic development activity. The Meridian Healthcare lease fills space at the county’s Mahoning Valley Campus of Care, a multi‑building campus the county has been filling with healthcare and related tenants.

Among the cost and scope items the board recorded in the meeting: a travel request for building‑standards staff and related code training estimated at $2,000; a clerk’s‑office travel request for conferences and training estimated at $14,000 (non‑general funds); a HAZMAT in‑state travel allocation estimated at $3,000 (non‑general funds); a risk‑management travel allocation of $5,000 (non‑general funds); sanitary‑department travel estimated at $3,000 (non‑general funds); and veterans‑services travel and accreditation estimated at $20,000 (general fund). All travel requests were approved as presented.

On contracts and change orders, the board approved: an amendment with Paul J. Kantor, CPA, for hotel lodging‑tax audits (no change in amount, $10,000, non‑general funds); a services agreement with Travel Host of Northeast Ohio for advertising in 2025 at $13,025 (non‑general funds); a vendor agreement for vehicle parts/service with Spider Freightliner for an estimated $3,777.17; and multiple Healthy Homes contracts with Holland Company LLC for specified address projects (amounts listed in the agenda). The board also approved a final change order with J.S. Bova Excavating Inc. reducing the Lake Milton waterline replacement project (Improvement No. 513) by $68,750 (non‑general funds).

The board authorized a lease agreement with Meridian Healthcare for space at the Mahoning Valley Campus of Care; county officials said that, with this lease and another, the campus buildings will be fully occupied. The resolution authorizing the lease was approved by roll call.

Grants management presented ARPA‑related addendums the board approved: an allocation to the Mahoning County Community Improvement Corp. in the amount of $234,028.50; a scope change for a sanitary‑department ARPA award to include architecture, engineering and construction; and an amendment extending an agreement with the Western Reserve Port Authority related to the County’s campus plans. A separate item authorized acceptance of a community housing impact program plan with an associated $1,000,000 initiative (beginning 2024, two‑year timeframe), as stated in the agenda materials.

The board adopted a year‑end cash‑advance policy to formalize budgetary year‑end procedures and authorized the county-owned board of directors (COB) to enter agreements for disposition of property and to transfer funds as needed for transitions on campus projects. Commissioners approved a resolution to appoint outside counsel for an appeal under Ohio Revised Code sections cited in the meeting; the agenda listed a $25,000 authorization to the firm (appearing in the agenda as Resnick/Raskin/Ryder and with the addition of Todd Raskin), and the resolution passed.

The board also approved several routine personnel and appointment items: reappointments and new appointments to the county’s Division of Visitors Bureau and related tourism advisory panels, with terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025. A personnel resolution to appoint a mechanic II in a county department was also approved.

Smaller payments approved included a moral obligation payment of $2,141.42 to Value Industrial Trucks for services on a county fleet vehicle and a $4,800 moral‑obligation payment to a contractor (listed in the agenda as the Allen Company) to address a project issue.

All motions reported in the meeting were approved by roll call; the transcript documents the commissioners responding “yes” on the recorded roll calls for the items presented. The meeting record provided item‑level dollar amounts and fund sources on most items; where the agenda listed items without detailed contract terms, the board recorded the vendor and the amount or marked details as not specified in the agenda materials.

The meeting record also included a resolution concerning the vacation of part of Lynn Park Road in a township (the agenda referenced Ohio Revised Code section 5553.01) and a record of bids for a bridge replacement project listed in the county engineer’s record of bids.

Ending: The meeting concluded after routine approvals and a series of ceremonial remarks and testimony honoring departing commissioner David Ditzler. No formal votes on the ceremonial statements were recorded; the transcript shows the commissioners adjourned after completing the calendar of business.