Lucas County commissioners approve a slate of contracts, grants and appointments; Gerken named to Board of Revisions

The Lucas County Board of Commissioners approved a series of routine and administrative items during its Feb. 4 meeting, including grant acceptance, intergovernmental agreements, procurement actions, board appointments and personnel actions.

Key outcomes at a glance:

- Approved the minutes of the January meeting (roll call: Commissioner Cabecki, Commissioner Gerken, Commissioner Lopez — all yes). - Approved the Sheriff’s office 2025 federal equitable sharing agreement and accepted the FY2024 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) totaling $268,043, with the Sheriff’s Office share listed as $56,289.03 (roll call: Lopez, Gerken, Cabecki — all yes). - Authorized an intergovernmental mutual-aid agreement with the City of Toledo Building Department for inspection and plan-review assistance (motion by Commissioner Gerken; roll call yes by Gerken, Lopez, Cabecki). - Authorized advertisement of a request for proposals (RFP) for annual life-safety inspection and testing services (Facilities) with a one-year base and three 1-year renewals (motion by Commissioner Gerken; roll call yes by Gerken, Lopez, Cabecki). - Approved three Job and Family Services items: an intergovernmental agreement with County Human Resources for dedicated HR/payroll services; participation with LISC for an employment incentive program (noting the program was described as scheduled to end in the upcoming state budget); and an intergovernmental agreement contributing to Lucas County Family Council for intersystem care coordination (roll call: Gerken, Lopez, Cabecki — all yes). - Approved January 2025 purchase order then-and-now certifications (roll call yes by all commissioners). - Workforce Development: authorized advertisement of an RFP for one-stop management services for Ohio Workforce Area 9 (projected funding stated at $650,000) and approved a service agreement with Experience Management Institute for strategic-plan consulting after receiving a single qualified response; both items passed on roll call. - Approved a correction to the 2025 property insurance premium to add a missed brokerage fee of $30,000 (motion by Commissioner Gerken; roll call yes by Gerken, Lopez, Cabecki). - Appointed Skipper Jay Clark, Sarah Godwin and Matthew Averell to terms on the Lucas County Workforce Development Board ending Oct. 31, 2026 (roll call yes by all commissioners). - Reassigned the commissioners’ seat on the Lucas County Board of Revisions: the board adopted a resolution appointing Commissioner Pete Gerken to a one-year term on the Board of Revisions; the change was presented as a measure to avoid the perception of conflict in light of an ongoing/impending investigation and with support for a third-party review by Otter Moline (roll call yes by all commissioners present). - Authorized a professional services agreement with Highbridge Consulting for advocacy services at an annual retainer of $11,500 (roll call yes by all commissioners present). - Entered executive session to discuss personnel matters related to appointments and collective bargaining (motion and roll-call approval). - Approved two personnel appointments at the Child Support Enforcement Agency: Alexis Hartfield to full-time account clerk specialist 1 at $18.16 per hour (bargaining unit pay grade 18, step 1) and Sarah Paradis to full-time clerk 2 at $15.63 per hour (bargaining unit pay grade 16, step 1); both appointments include the probationary period required by the collective-bargaining agreement (roll call yes by all commissioners present).

All roll-call votes recorded during the meeting were unanimous in favor of the actions listed above. Several items were presented by department staff: Britney Sadler (Sheriff’s Office) presented the equitable-sharing and JAG items; David Golis presented the mutual-aid agreement with Toledo; Jeff Nowak presented the RFP to advertise for life-safety inspection/testing services; Brita Osborne presented three Job & Family Services items; Mary Kunkel presented purchase order certifications; Burma Stewart presented Workforce Development items; Diane Robinson presented the property insurance correction; and Hope Modlin presented personnel matters.

Notes and clarifications: the JAG grant total ($268,043) and the Sheriff’s share ($56,289.03) were provided by the Sheriff’s office during the meeting. The property insurance correction added a $30,000 brokerage fee that was omitted from an earlier resolution. The Workforce Development one-stop management RFP listed projected funding of $650,000 for the management contract period. The resolution appointing Commissioner Gerken to the Board of Revisions was described by the Board as intended to avoid a perception of conflict while a third-party investigation by Otter Moline proceeds; no findings or outcomes of that investigation were provided during the meeting.