Lorain County commissioners approve 0.5-mill health-district renewal for the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot and clear routine contracts

Lorain County commissioners voted Tuesday to place a 0.5-mill renewal levy for the Lorain County Board of Health on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot and approved a slate of routine administrative and contract actions.

The resolution the board approved declares the levy “necessary to levy tax in excess of the 10-mill limitation” for a 0.5-mill renewal covering the whole health district, with the tax duplicate listed for 2027 and collections to commence in 2028. Staff told the board the text contains typographical statute citations that will be corrected before certification. The motion to approve carried by voice vote.

Why it matters: the renewal measure, if approved by voters, will continue a property-tax levy that supports local public-health services. County staff said this is the same levy that passed in 2023 and that, if technical changes are required, the secretary of state or board of elections would inform the county about necessary edits before the item is certified for the ballot.

Commissioners also approved several administrative items on the consent agenda. Staff described a Bureau of Workers’ Compensation safety grant of about $25,500 awarded to the buildings and facilities team to buy a 40-foot narrow boom articulating man lift; the county’s local share for the purchase was listed as approximately $8,500. “So that grant came out to about $25,500, and they’re using those grant funds toward the purchase of a 40-foot narrow boom articulating arm,” a buildings-and-facilities staff member said. “The $8,500 you see here would be the local share that goes toward the purchase of that man lift.”

The board approved a contract increase of $47,955 for Fetchco Excavating related to unanticipated pavement repairs on the Janelle Drive Sanitary Sewer Extension in Columbia Township, bringing the revised funding total to $777,586, the sanitary engineer said. The board also authorized county personnel to apply for county credit cards (an authorization for an intern administrator not to exceed $8,000 and for the IT director not to exceed $5,000) and voted to continue pharmacy benefits-management services with True Scribe Management Services LLC.

All routine motions on the consent agenda — including transfers, requisitions, and bills covering four pages — were approved by voice vote.

What the record shows: the board discussed the health-district resolution’s statutory citations in public session and staff confirmed typographical errors will be fixed; staff also noted prior use of the same language in 2023. The board then entered executive session later in the meeting and reconvened to adjourn, with no additional public votes recorded after the levy motion.

Next steps: county staff said they will correct the cited statute language as needed before ballot certification and will coordinate with the secretary of state or county board of elections if edits are required. The levy will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot if certified.