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Miami County commissioners elect Westfall president, adopt tax allocation and approve contracts
Summary
At a Jan. 5, 2026 reorganization meeting the Board of Miami County Commissioners elected Wade H. Westfall president, approved a one-cent sales tax allocation formula, authorized engineering and contractor agreements totaling up to $590,000 across vendors, and entered an executive session on personnel with no action taken.
Wade H. Westfall was elected president of the Board of Miami County Commissioners at a reorganization meeting on Jan. 5, 2026, with Gregory A. Simmons elected vice president for one-year terms. The board immediately adopted its 2026 meeting schedule and a range of administrative resolutions.
The board voted on multiple organizational items and operational authorizations. Gregory A. Simmons moved and Ted S. Mercer seconded the motion electing Wade H. Westfall as president; the roll call vote was Ted S. Mercer, Yea; Gregory A. Simmons, Yea; Wade H. Westfall, Abstain. Later, Ted S. Mercer moved and Wade H. Westfall seconded the motion electing Gregory A. Simmons as vice president; the roll call vote was Gregory A. Simmons, Abstain; Wade H. Westfall, Yea; Ted S. Mercer, Yea.
The commissioners adopted a distribution formula for the county's one-cent sales tax effective Jan. 1, 2026 that allocates 75% to the General Fund (001), 14% to Central Communications (109), 1% to Super Fund Cleanup (126) and 10% to Capital Improvement (309). The board also directed that the additional one-fourth of one percent renewed by Resolution Nos. 24-07-831 and 24-07-832 be paid into General Fund Account #3126.
Administrative delegations included authorization for the Miami County Engineer to perform certain road, bridge and culvert work by force account in 2026 when competitive bidding is not required, and to develop and administer permits for county-maintained highways. The board authorized participation in Ohio Department of Transportation contracts under O.R.C. —75513.01(B) and agreed that Miami County would directly pay vendors under any such contract.
The board approved Independent Contractor Agreements for on-call plans-exam services for the Department of Development with the following not-to-exceed amounts for the 2026 term (funding: Fund 01051): Michael Bruns, Bruns Consulting, LLC ($170,000); Candace Goodall, Architect ($170,000); Joseph McGovern, McGovern Imagery LTD ($100,000); and Michael J. Wehrkamp, Wehrkamp Engineering, Inc. ($150,000). The board also authorized contract negotiations with Choice One Engineering to design the Woodward Hills Water Study for Bethel Township.
Other financial and membership actions included payment of 2026 Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission dues ($14,412.56) with designated members and alternates, payment of National Association of Counties dues ($2,175.00), and designation of Wade H. Westfall as Miami County's voting representative to the County Commissioners Association of Ohio with dues of $11,949.00.
The board authorized the disposal of surplus county property via GovDeals internet auction in 2026, specifying required public notices and posting procedures. It accepted a repair quote from Tony's Body Shop (Covington, OH) not to exceed $4,471.75 to repair a 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer in the Department of Development fleet after a reported deer collision, selecting the lowest of multiple bids.
The board approved a Memorandum of Understanding for Child Abuse and Neglect Assessment requested by the Department of Job and Family Services, effective Jan. 1, 2026, pursuant to O.R.C. —72151.421(J)(2) and O.A.C. 5101:1-33-26. By a series of resolutions the board also assigned authority to Sara Bowers, Director of the Miami County Department of Job and Family Services, to act as the board's designee for specified transfers of allocation funds and to sign inter-county adjustment agreements for calendar year 2026.
The board reappointed Scott Taylor as Miami County Apiarist for the 2026 season with appropriations not to exceed $6,000 and directed the clerk to certify the appointment to the State Director of Agriculture under O.R.C. —7909.07. A signatures-only approvals item and a Miami County Community Engagement letter were also accepted as submitted.
The meeting included an executive session convened at 9:30 a.m. under O.R.C. —7121.22(G)(1) to discuss certain personnel matters; the board adjourned from executive session at 10:38 a.m. with no action taken. The board canceled the General Business Meeting scheduled for Jan. 6, 2026. "Respectfully submitted: Janelle S. Barga, Clerk" appears in the meeting record.
