Latest news with #AshtabulaCountyProsecutor'sOffice
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commissioners refine bed tax collection process
JEFFERSON — The Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution that opens up a new way of collecting back bed tax during a Tuesday meeting. The resolution allows the county to collect past-due bed taxes by applying them to real estate taxes for collection. The commissioners have been trying to collect back bed taxes from the Anchor Motel, and this will open up the process for collection possibilities, Commissioner Casey Kozlowski said. Kozlowski said the Ashtabula County Prosecutor's Office has been working on the collection process as well. The Ohio Revised Code was recently tweaked to allow the collection through real estate taxes. During a work session, the commissioners discussed options for helping government entities that have a one-time need to demolish a building on their property. Saybrook Township Trustee Bob Brobst recently described a process that included a $100 fee to the health department and a $110 fee to become a certified contractor to demolish a building on the township's property. Brobst asked the commissioners to consider waiving the $110 fee to register as a contractor for government entities. The commissioners invited Ashtabula County Chief Building Official Tom Congdon and office administrator Cari Ellsworth to discuss the idea. The commissioners affirmed the building department and health department fees, but expressed a willingness to review the contractor fee for governments. The annual certification of contractors was placed in county rules to make sure those doing work in the county were properly certified. The commissioners suggested continuing the process as-is, with insurance provided and other necessary details handled, but allow the fee to be waived for government entities. The commissioners said they would work on the wording of the potential change in rules with the Ashtabula County Prosecutor's Office. The commissioners approved a five-year contract with Pitney Bowes for postage equipment, not to exceed $817.18 per month, to be billed quarterly. The commissioners approved a three-year agreement between Ashtabula County Sheriff William Niemi and the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, retroactively to Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2027.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commissioners approve software upgrade for building department
Feb. 5—JEFFERSON — The Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners approved a service agreement between the county building department and Citizenserve Community Development Software at a Tuesday meeting. At a Jan. 22 meeting, County Building Inspector Thomas Congdon and Office Manager Cari Ellsworth said the new software would allow the department to have customer service talk with customers and help the county work with municipalities. The building department had been using Cityforce Software, to that point. During a work session before the meeting, the commissioners talked with Ashtabula County Prosecutor's Office about a few issues, including a bidding complaint. The county previously advertised for a food truck for the Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake. The commissioners rescinded the original bid for the food truck at a meeting last week, after the company found they would not be able to fulfill it. They then awarded the bid to another company. Ashtabula County Administrator Janet Discher said the first bidder claimed in an email they were not treated fairly. "The original people that we awarded the bid to were the only ones that submitted the 2025 year, and that's what we asked them to bid," she said. Discher said the decision to rescind the bid came after the original bidder said they could not provide a 2025 model. Ducro said he thought the commissioners do not want to be the ones to respond to the email. "I just want to make sure we get a proper response to him from our legal," he said. Ducro said he assumed a response would be devised by Discher and the prosecutor's office. Ducro also spoke at the meeting about a venue in the county which has not been paying its lodge taxes. "This has been an ongoing thing for a long time," he said. The unpaid taxes have gone back around six months, Ducro said. Assistant Prosecutor Christine Davis said she will check with the staff working on it to see what the next steps are. Davis said the commissioners should reach out if they have any pressing issues in the future. The commissioners approved union agreements between the Ashtabula County Sheriff's Department and the Fraternal Order of Police.
