The Top of Ohio Patriots held an engaging town hall meeting Tuesday night at the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, featuring prominent local leaders including Bellefontaine Mayor Dave Crissman, Bellefontaine Police Chief Chris Marlow, Logan County Commissioner Mike Yoder, and Logan County Sheriff Randy Dodds.
Each official provided updates on current initiatives and community developments.
Sheriff Dodds emphasized the blessings of living in the area, highlighting the strong sense of community and safety.
Chief Marlow introduced himself and echoed the Sheriff:
Mayor Crissman also introduced himself and talked about growth coming to the City of Bellefontaine and the plans that are coming:
Commissioner Yoder took the opportunity to discuss some of the recent advancements within the county, particularly new additions to Logan Acres:
After the presentations, the floor was opened for discussion, including an extensive question and answer session.
Many community members were concerned about the situation in Springfield, possibly spreading to Logan County. law enforcement assured the crowd that discussions have been had and that right now, Logan County is just a place of employment for many Haitians and a pass-through as many are heading to and from work. Both Dodds and Marlow expressed that they are on high alert for any possible situations that may arise. They also encouraged the old adage: “If you see something, say something!” “Go with your gut and instincts if something doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t!” Marlow stated. the pair agreed that they would rather take calls from the community and hopefully prevent something that respond to something that already happened. Both gentlemen also spoke about the employment struggles their agencies are having and talked about what they are doing to combat competition with the surrounding areas that are paying more. The funding isn’t there to pay employees more when it boils down to it. The solution: shop local! Keeping dollars local, adding to local sales tax, increasing budgets, and allowing for higher pay to be competitive.
Several people asked about growth within the area, and Mayor Crissman spoke to the city about making a master plan to handle the influx of possibly 500 homes being built within the area, and with growth comes growing pains. He said for the last several months the city has been working together to make the necessary expansion plans.
The meeting underscored the collaborative efforts of local leaders in addressing community needs and fostering growth in Bellefontaine and Logan County.