By Carol McIntire
Editor
June 23, 2009
The Carroll County Department of Job and Family Services (DJFS) will once again sponsor a gas card program.
County commissioners gave the go-ahead for the project last week at the request of Kate Offenberger, director, who said excess Temporary Assistance to Needy Family (TANF) funds must be returned to the state if they are not spent by June 30. “We would like to use the money to sponsor a $100 gas card program for eligible families in the county,” she said.
Because of previously announced budget cuts by Governor Strickland, Offenberger said her department cut back on contracts in its Prevention, Retention and Contingency Program. Expecting another cut, they cut back even further. Due to the cuts, between $100,00 and $120,000 remains in the TANF account. Since the fiscal year ends June 30, she said any unspent funds must be returned to the state.
Her plan is to purchase the gas cards prior to June 30 and conduct the program in July. Families must be TANF eligible, have an income of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, have a person in the home employed and have a child living in the home. Questions on eligibility should be directed to the DJFS office at 330-627-2571. She said additional details will be announced as they become available.
In an unrelated matter, commissioners were visited by Brown Township Trustees, Tony Moncman, their flood mitigation appraiser, Vera Gotchall and Dixi Everhart, grant administrators. Moncman said he was there to explain his background in appraisals and the process used to appraise the properties within the Brown Twp. Flood Mitigation program. Moncman said he has over 25 years experience in the real estate business and has been a state licensed appraiser for 12 years.
“I was contacted to do appraisals for the Brown Twp. project in Jan. 2007,” he said. “I was instructed to do the appraisals based on their value prior to the Sept. 17, 2004 flood. I was to assume the properties were in at least average condition.”
Moncman said he did a physical appraisal of each property according to guidelines set forth by the state used their guidelines to determine the properties were considered real estate or personal property. He used the NADA appraisal book and used comparison properties in the area.
“Once the appraisal is done, I turn it over the state. I have no control over it after that, I have no interest in what they do with it after that and I don’t know how they work,” he said. “I am aware that some of the properties sold for more than I appraised them at, but I have not control over it.”
Commissioner President Larry Garner said he still has serious questions about the appraisals. Garner previously questioned the process, specifically relating to two mobile homes in the area. He handed out pictures of the two properties to show comparison of their present condition. He said the one he considered to be in “worse” condition, was mitigated for $63,000, while the one he said is in “better condition and 17 years newer,” was only offered $37,600. “There is a serious discrepancy here,” Garner said.
Moncman said the $63,000 property was sold for more than he appraised it, but he is not at liberty to discuss the appraisal amount. “You’ll have to call the state to get the amount,” he stated. “I have no control over what the state offers the property owners.”
Garner said he intends to have a meeting with the state officials involved in July.
Trustee Rod Wise said trustees have not received any complaints about the appraisals.
“When people call you with concerns, I ask you to remember they may not be the ones who are living in those horrible conditions,” said Trustee Ed Clark. “These people are living in horrible conditions: black mold and holes in their floors. Their kids are living in very unhealthy conditions. We want to get them moved out as quickly as possible.”
In other business, commissioners:
-DECLARED the heating and cooling situation an emergency at Carroll Hills School and authorized the school to proceed with the replacement project, even though the lowest bidder was 10 percent over the engineer’s estimate. Matt Campbell, Carroll Hills superintendent, said if the bids were all rejected and the project rebid, it would not be completed before school opens and the situation is a safety concern, thus they were asking for the emergency declaration. Campbell was authorized to proceed with the project with Henry Heating and Cooling as the contractor with a low bid of $100,586. There were four bidders for the project.
-WERE visited by resident Ann Yeager who asked about the possibility of having the law library open for more than one hour per day. Commissioners said the would look into the matter.
-AGREED to accept bids for premium diesel fuel at the supplier’s facility for use by the county highway department until 9:30 a.m. July 16 and open them at that time.
-SET the county budget haring July 9 at 9:30 a.m.
-AGREED to continue paying a mileage reimbursement of 10-cents per mile for witnesses in criminal cases.
-LEARNED from Commissioner Tom Wheaton $2 million in bond authority is coming to Carroll County.
-LEARNED from Garner emergency repairs has to be made to the barn at the County Home at a cost of about $700.
-RECEIVED the weekly dog pound report showing 27 impounded, 17 tagged, two redeemed and one put to sleep. There were seven citations for no log license.
-AGREED to send Sonja Leggett, the county’s loss control clerk, to a refresher training course for worker’s compensation at a cost of $750 for one day. Leggett can then train supervisors and employees on the Drug Free Workplace Program. Wheaton said the cost to have a company train is $595 per hour for each two-hour session. He said 11 sessions are necessary to train employees and supervisors, thus the county will save a substantial amount of money.
- ANNOUNCED the commissiners office will be closed June 26 so the clerks can attend a training course. |
