The Logan County Chamber of Commerce hosted its monthly Business Impact Meeting Wednesday morning at Mary Rutan Health, where the Logan County Board of Commissioners shared several updates on county operations, recovery efforts at Indian Lake, and concerns over a statewide push to eliminate property taxes.
Commission President Joe Antram announced that the Logan County Job and Family Services office will soon relocate.
The agency is currently located at 1 Hunter Place on the north side of Bellefontaine, but will be moving to the RTC Industries building at the intersection of State Route 47 and County Road 32.
Officials expect the move to be completed by May 1.
Commissioner Greg Fitzpatrick also noted that this weekend marks the anniversary of the Indian Lake Tornado that heavily impacted the Indian Lake region.
As part of the ongoing recovery discussions, the county is working with several local governments — including the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point, along with Richland Township, Stokes Township, and Washington Township — to apply for a $300,000 grant to conduct a feasibility study on bringing municipal water to areas around Indian Lake that currently rely on sanitary sewer service.
The effort is being coordinated with assistance from the Logan County Chamber of Commerce and the Logan-Union-Champaign Regional Planning Commission.
Fitzpatrick emphasized that the proposal is only a study, not a commitment to move forward with a water project.
“This is strictly to gather information and determine feasibility,” Fitzpatrick told attendees.
The grant would require a 20 percent local match, totaling $60,000.
Participating communities and partners have already pledged contributions that would cover the required match.
Fitzpatricks noted that after the 2024 tornado, a community recovery survey identified municipal water as one of the top priorities among residents.
Commissioner Mike Yoder also addressed a developing issue related to property taxes.
A grassroots group across Ohio is currently collecting signatures to place a proposal on the November ballot that would eliminate property taxes statewide.
Yoder warned that such a move would have serious consequences for local governments and services.
Property taxes collected locally remain within the community, he said, and eliminating them would significantly impact funding for schools, local governments, and public services.
After the meeting, the Commissioners sat down to share more:
