Trumbull County commissioners approve routine contracts, purchases and ODOT property purchase; extend short-term senior funding

The Trumbull County Board of Commissioners on July 16, 2025, approved a slate of routine contracts, purchases and personnel actions and authorized the county to buy an Ohio Department of Transportation outpost in Brookfield-Hubbard for $150,000 payable in three annual installments.

The board voted, without recorded dissent, to approve contracts and purchases including a $3,995 payment to Printers Edge for graphics on the county EMA mobile command post; a multi-election contract with Phoenix Graphics for optical-scan ballot pages at a maximum of $53,200 per election (about $212,800 for four elections through the 2027 primary); and a $45,211.43 purchase of a 2025 Chevrolet Traverse from Coal Valley Chevrolet.

The commissioners also approved an ODOT-prepared professional services agreement with CTL Engineering Inc. for construction administration and inspection on the Old Town Viaduct project in Wethersfield Township for $366,488 and awarded other routine permits and supplier fleet authorizations for county road use and utility work.

Why it matters: several of the approvals are multi-year or affect county infrastructure and recurring budgets, including voting equipment, vehicle purchases, a bridge project and changes to water and fire-line billing. The board also acted on items with direct community impact: sewer and water projects, senior-services funding and a county sheriff budget supplement.

Most significant actions and context

ODOT outpost purchase: The board authorized entering a contract to buy the Brookfield-Hubbard ODOT outpost (Trumbull County parcel numbers listed on the agenda) for a total of $150,000 payable in three equal installments: at closing, Aug. 1, 2026, and Aug. 1, 2027. Commissioners and County Engineer David DeCristofaro said the facility has been used by the engineers office for several years and will reduce response times and operating costs for maintenance and snow-and-ice operations in that part of the county. "I just want to thank all three of you for seriously considering the purchase of this property," David DeCristofaro, Trumbull County engineer, said during discussion.

Senior services and short-term extension: The board approved an amendment to extend community senior-center contracts for two months (Sept. 1, 2025 through Nov. 1, 2025) and to provide additional monthly funding to keep services running while a request-for-proposal process is completed. Diane Jercovic, senior levy administrator, told the board the extension was necessary to avoid service interruptions and to allow time for the RFP process. Auditor Martha Yoder, speaking during public comment, urged the commissioners to schedule a midyear budget review meeting, saying, "Failure to plan is a plan to fail." Commissioners agreed to set a date after collecting outstanding reports.

Water, fire-line and meter-rate changes: The board established a new rate schedule for use of county hydrant meters and adjusted private fire-line rates and water-permit fees effective Aug. 1, 2025. The county said those adjustments are needed to reflect bulk water costs, meter replacement costs and capacity-related expenses for fire protection infrastructure; the water advisory board reviewed the changes before the vote and the board said some existing projects will be grandfathered to avoid sudden cost increases for customers.

Sewer and bridge projects: The board authorized advertisement for bids for replacement of two bridge superstructures (Newton No. 5 and Green No. 14) and approved the Pendleton-Gilmer sanitary-sewer improvements project in Warren Township after a public hearing showed property-owner support. The board approved Change Order No. 5 (final) for Corella Contractors Inc. on the Yankee Lake Sanitary Sewer Improvements project, decreasing the contract by $57,647.13 to a revised total of $2,619,977.01.

Public-defense agreements and municipal billing questions: The commissioners authorized intergovernmental service agreements between the county public defenders office and several municipalities (for service periods running Jan. 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025). One commissioner said the county needs clearer, itemized billing from the state public defenders office before future invoices are forwarded to municipalities; commissioners directed staff to seek more detailed cost breakdowns for future billing.

Personnel and administrative actions: The board approved multiple personnel actions, including transfers and reappointments (for example, reappointment of Amy Rear to the Trumbull County Floodplain Variance Board through June 11, 2028), resignations and a two-day unpaid suspension in the dog-kennel unit. The board also approved a $500,000 transfer from contingency to supplement the Trumbull County Sheriffs 2025 departmental budget.

Veterans outreach and public comments: During public comment, Alan Briggs, president of the Trumbull County Veterans Commission, thanked the commissioners for approving a county vehicle for veterans services and requested follow-up with the fair board about a permanent outreach structure at the fairgrounds. Several commenters, including the auditor and the senior-levy administrator, pressed the board to schedule a separate midyear budget review meeting so staff can present outstanding department reports before the commissioners finalize budget decisions.

Executive session and adjournment: The board entered executive session under Ohio Revised Code Section 121.22(G)(1) to consider employment matters and later under (G)(3) to confer with the county attorney on pending or imminent litigation. The meeting reconvened and the board adjourned.

Votes at a glance (selected items)

- Item 5: Payment to Printers Edge for EMA command-post graphics, $3,995 — approved (Bernard: yes; Malloy: yes; Hernandez: yes).

- Item 6: Contract award to Phoenix Graphics for optical-scan ballot pages (up to $53,200 per election; approx. $212,800 for four elections through the 2027 primary) — approved (Bernard: yes; Malloy: yes; Hernandez: yes).

- Item 8: ODOT professional services agreement with CTL Engineering Inc. for TRU Old Town Viaduct (Wethersfield Township), $366,488 — approved (Bernard: yes; Malloy: yes; Hernandez: yes).

- Item 14: Purchase agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation for Brookfield-Hubbard outpost, $150,000 payable in three installments — approved (Bernard: yes; Malloy: yes; Hernandez: yes).

- Item 23: New hydrant-meter rate schedule effective 08/01/2025 — approved (Bernard: yes; Malloy: yes; Hernandez: yes).

- Item 26: Change Order No. 5 (final) with Corella Contractors Inc., Yankee Lake Sanitary Sewer Improvements; decrease $57,647.13; revised contract $2,619,977.01 — approved (Bernard: yes; Malloy: yes; Hernandez: yes).

- Item 28: Two-month extension and additional funding allocations for senior centers (contracts extended 09/01/2025through 11/01/2025) while RFP work is completed — approved (Bernard: yes; Malloy: yes; Hernandez: yes).

What the record shows and what it does not: The meeting record reflects approvals, dollar amounts, effective dates and speakersremarks included above. Where agenda text listed specific parcel numbers, installment dates or contract totals, those figures are reported here as stated in the meeting. The transcript records concerns about future billing transparency from the state public defenders office and Commissioner requests for itemized invoices; the county directed staff to pursue more detailed figures before passing invoices to municipalities.

Ending: The board scheduled further follow-up on budget and senior-service matters and then recessed to executive session before reconvening and adjourning later the same day.