Hocking County joins hospital consortium to boost Medicaid reimbursements; commissioners approve CDBG application and multiple budget actions

Hocking County commissioners on June 5 voted to join a multi-county hospital consortium designed to pool a local hospital tax and use the funds to seek increased federal Medicaid matching dollars, and they approved application materials for federally funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects for the City of Logan and the Village of Laurelville.

The commissioners approved a resolution to join the consortium and unanimously appointed a county commissioner (referred to in the meeting as “Drew”) to represent Hocking County on the multi-county effort. County staff said the program would require hospitals to remit a local tax to the county; those funds would be aggregated and used to generate additional state and federal Medicaid reimbursement. County officials said the hospital CEO and CFO had endorsed the plan. The motion to join the consortium passed on a roll-call vote with all commissioners voting yes.

The meeting also included the county’s second public hearing required for the 2025 CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) Small Cities application and a vote to approve and sign three application documents: the residential anti-displacement and relocation assistance plan (which requires a signature and resolution number), an environmental review certification, and authorizing legislation on county letterhead. The county described two projects under consideration for the block grant application: a Neighborhood Revitalization Grant (NRG) for the City of Logan and a Critical Infrastructure Grant (CIG) for the Village of Laurelville. The county provided the following budget estimates and allocation-match figures during the hearing as part of the application materials: City of Logan NRG estimated total cost $787,600 (construction funds $700,000; administration $50,000; allocation match $37,600); Village of Laurelville critical infrastructure project estimated total cost $582,405 (construction $470,000; administration $30,000; allocation match $82,400). County staff said these figures will be refined as final cost estimates come in and that the county is eligible to apply for up to $750,000 through the neighborhood revitalization program and up to $500,000 for the critical infrastructure program.

Commissioners also handled routine and time-sensitive financial and administrative items. Approved actions included appropriation transfers and revenue certifications tied to sheriff’s sales and auditor/treasurer collections (amounts noted below), rescinding an earlier initial appropriation for a sheriff’s web-check account after an accounting error, and approving an annual proxy letter authorizing the sheriff’s designated official to sign Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles documents for the sheriff’s vehicle fleet. The board approved a final change order and contract closeout documentation related to the Rockbridge sanitary sewer improvement project; retainage was to be held until final inspection.

The board approved one appointment: Tom Williamson to serve on the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMH) board to fill a vacancy; the appointment was presented as beginning July 1 and filling the existing term (the meeting record described the term as beginning July 1, 2023 and expiring June 30, 2027). The board also approved a request to reserve five parking spaces for handicapped parking for the Washboard Festival during the event dates.

Other agenda items and community updates noted during the meeting included plans for a courthouse 100th-anniversary rededication and open house on June 23, the county’s planned formation of a land bank (commissioners said they aim to pass a resolution next week and to target a July 1, 2025 organizational date), and ongoing facilities and IT concerns at the courthouse (complaints of high temperatures and air-system work on the second and third floors).

Votes at a glance - Approved: Routine meeting minutes (May 13, May 15, May 22, May 27 emergency meeting, May 29) — voice votes and several roll-call votes as recorded in minutes; where roll call was recorded in the transcript, votes were recorded as indicated (see actions array). - Approved: Motion to approve and sign three CDBG application documents (residential anti-displacement and relocation assistance plan, environmental review certification, authorizing legislation on county letterhead) — voice vote: all in favor. - Approved: CDBG project budgets described in public hearing materials (City of Logan NRG and Village of Laurelville Critical Infrastructure) — informational public hearing; application documents signed. - Approved: Appropriation transfer — Recorder’s workers’ comp to supplies: $652.76 — voice vote: all in favor. - Approved: Appropriation transfer — Commissioners’ OPERS account to Medicare account: $2,500 — voice vote: all in favor. - Approved: Rescind initial appropriation for sheriff’s web-check account due to accounting error — voice vote: all in favor. - Approved: Treasurer additional revenue and appropriations (sheriff’s sale proceeds) — $5,724.94 — voice vote: all in favor. - Approved: Auditor additional revenue and appropriations (auditor sale proceeds) — $5,080.50 — voice vote: all in favor. - Approved: Annual proxy letter authorizing sheriff’s official to sign required Ohio BMV documents for the sheriff’s vehicles — voice vote: all in favor. - Approved: Appointment of Tom Williamson to the ADAMH/3/17 board to fill vacancy (term described as starting July 1, 2023, expiring June 30, 2027) — voice vote: all in favor. - Approved: Final change order/closeout for Rockbridge sanitary sewer improvement project (retainage to be held until final inspection) — voice vote: all in favor. - Approved: Reservation of first five parking spaces in downtown lot for handicapped parking during Washboard Festival — voice vote: all in favor. - Approved: Resolution to join multi-county hospital consortium (to enact a hospital tax to generate Medicaid match funds) — roll-call vote: unanimous yes. - Approved: Appointment of county representative (“Drew”) to serve on the hospital consortium — voice vote: all in favor.

What commissioners said and requested - Commissioners described the consortium model as a mechanism that asks hospitals to remit a local tax to the county; counties then apply those funds for state and federal Medicaid matching dollars, with the goal of increasing net reimbursement for hospitals that treat Medicaid patients. County staff said current Medicaid reimbursement at the local hospital runs at roughly 73% of cost and that the consortium model has been used in other states to draw down additional federal dollars. The meeting record states the hospital CEO and CFO endorsed the plan. County staff said Muskingum County will help manage the process in the multi-county arrangement. - On CDBG projects, county staff walked commissioners through eligible activities (sidewalks, flood and drainage work, catch basins, piping, sidewalk and paving improvements on Third Street and possible work at Church Street depending on other grants) and said final scopes will depend on contractor estimates. Staff emphasized the administrative and fair housing portions of the application and noted the anti-displacement plan would not be expected to apply to the proposed sidewalk and drainage projects.

Community events and notices - Courthouse 100th-anniversary rededication and open house: Monday, June 23, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.; ribbon cutting and public cookout with displays in the atrium. - Hocking Hills Children’s Museum event and League Logan Association family summer fashion fundraiser were announced; county staff left printed information for those interested.

Ending The board adjourned after public comment and routine closing motions. Several agenda items noted follow-up next steps: staff to finalize CDBG cost estimates for application, draft and file the land bank resolution for signature next week, and continue administrative closeout tasks for the Rockbridge sewer project.