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Stark County commissioners approve 2026 appropriations, contracts and oil-and-gas lease
Summary
At their Feb. 25 meeting, the Stark County Board of Commissioners approved multiple 2026 appropriations and budget transfers, awarded contracts including a $79,500 jail water-heater replacement, appointed an interim program administrator and approved a five-year lease with EOG Resources for Sandy Township.
The Stark County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 25 approved a slate of budget appropriations, transfers and contracts, including a $1,025,000 Permanent Improvement Fund appropriation and a lease with EOG Resources for oil and gas production in Sandy Township.
Commissioner Richard Regula called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m., and the board voted unanimously on each motion recorded in the minutes. Finance staff presented appropriations that included $1,025,000 for anticipated 2026 capital expenses, $115,000 for the E911 Wireless Tax Revenue Fund, a $135,000 ARPA violent-crime grant appropriation, and smaller appropriations for court projects and public-safety grants. Commissioners approved these appropriations on a 3-0 vote.
The board also approved a $5,000 budget transfer for Building Inspection to purchase a vehicle and a long list of intergovernmental and prior-year journal entries covering reimbursements and telecommunications charges for various departments. Requisitions approved included a 2026 GM Terrain for Building Inspection ($35,000), $500,000 for respite services through Job & Family Services, a $1,750,000 quarterly payment tied to the Ohio Housing Trust Fund to the Recorder's office, and a $250,000 sewage disposal agreement for the Sanitary Engineer. All listed requisitions passed unanimously.
Among contract and procurement actions, the county approved a one-year janitorial services agreement with Cleanrite Commercial for $62,650, awarded the 2026 Stark County Jail Water Heater Replacement Project to Standard Plumbing & Heating Company for $79,500, and accepted change orders for several infrastructure and renovation projects. The board also approved a change order increasing an HCRP grant with Alliance for Children & Families Inc. to $90,252.22.
The Board approved preliminary legislation under ORC §5521.02 consenting to an ODOT project proposing a roundabout at SR 241 and Shuffel St., and adopted the annual list of complying contractors for drainlayer licenses for the Stark County Metropolitan Sewer District. Commissioners set a public hearing for March 25, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. on a road vacation petition in Jackson Township.
The board voted to appoint Jessica Evans as interim District Program Administrator to the Stark County Flood Plains Appeals Board, filling the remainder of an unfinished three-year term through March 31, 2028. Commissioners also approved a lease agreement with EOG Resources Inc. for oil and gas substances produced and sold from leased premises in Sandy Township, effective Feb. 20, 2026, through Feb. 20, 2031.
Every recorded motion in the minutes shows the same mover (Commissioner Alan Harold), seconder (Commissioner Bill Smith) and a unanimous vote of Commissioners Regula, Smith and Harold. The meeting adjourned at 1:44 p.m.
Next steps: the commissioners listed upcoming work sessions for early March and scheduled the next regular meeting for March 4, 2026.
