Clark County Commissioners hosted guests from the Clark County Auditor’s Office and the Miami Conservancy District (MCD) at their November 25 meeting.

Shayne Gray, GIS Director from the Clark County Auditor’s Office provided the commissioners with an overview of the County Geographic Information System (GIS) System. GIS is mapping software that links a location of a map feature with textual data about that feature. Unlike an ordinary map, the GIS environment provides the ability to view and query the map based on the contents of the database.

According to Gray, the department provides and displays all property information collected by the Auditor’s Office. The auditor’s office is responsible for over 71,000 parcels in the county and provides information to the 911 office and law enforcement agencies throughout the county with information on jurisdiction, road segment location and right and left side road address ranges. With the information collected, the GIS system provides various other departments information on water, sewer, and storm sewer locations, and catch basin and illegal dumping locations. The newest feature provides the location of all the registered dogs throughout the county to facilitate the return of lost pets to their owners.

The information is updated weekly. For questions, comments, or complaints, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sarah Hippensteel, Manager, Watershed Partnerships and Mike Ekber, Manager, Water Resource and Monitoring of MCD provided the commissioners with an update on the organization’s work in the area.

According to Hippensteel, the MCDs mission is to provide flood control, preserve the Great Miami River Watershed and to protect the water quality. She reported that the overall water quality in the area is generally good, although MCD is concerned about the nitrites and phosphorous that can potentially seep into the water supply because of the predominantly agricultural industries in the area. She did say that the agricultural community cooperates fully to mitigate and change practices to minimize the impact.

She also noted that there was an algae bloom in Dayton in 2012; however, the agency continues to monitor the ground water supply for seepage. She said, “The area has good water and we hope to use this to attract new industry to the area.”

However, when asked if the MCD was involved with mitigating the effects of the landfill in Tremont City and possible contamination to the aquifer, Hippensteel backed off from any direct involvement by the MCD with the project. She replied, “The site is already a superfund site.”

Commissioner Rick Lohnes corrected her and told her it was not. She then admitted that MCDs role was to provide technical advice and to allow the local communities to take the action necessary to act upon that advice.

Additional information about MCDs Strategic Plan can be obtained at www.miamiconservancy.org under Publications.

Commissioners authorized a contract for the Department of Job and Family Services with Seeds 4 Life, Inc. for $10,000 to provide foster care and residential placement for children effect November 25, 2015 through June 30, 2017.

The commissioners also authorized the termination notification of a lease agreement with US Bank and ProSource for the lease of copier/printer/scanner machines at the rate of $741 per month. The contract, which was set to renew automatically on December 3, 2015, was terminated because the county changed their procurement practices for copier/printer/scanner machine leases. The agreement gives the vendor 90-days notice of termination and is effective March 2, 2016.

Commissioners authorized a contract with Columbus Engineer Consultants, Inc. for $47,962 to design the Old Columbus Road Bridge project.

In regular business for Nathan Kennedy, County Administrator, the commissioners acknowledged receipt of an Expedited Type 1 Annexation Petition for 28.24 acres owned by Walton Cox in Springfield Township to the City of Springfield.

They also issued a proclamation of the publication for the county residents the Clark County Emergency Operations Plan. The Emergency Operations Plan defines the roles and responsibly of agencies throughout the county to mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from the effects of all hazards including natural disaster, technological accidents and other major events. More information concerning the plan is available at www.clarkcountyohio.gov under Emergency Management.

For the Utilities Director, the commissioners authorized the purchase of three new vehicles for the department. They authorized the purchase of a 2016 Chevrolet Trax from Jeff Wyler for $18,833.50 net with trade-in of a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 with 162,255 miles, the purchase of a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD from Jeff Wyler for $22,505.96 with the trade-in of a 2007 GMC Sierra 1500 with 138,800 miles, and the purchase of a 2016 Chevrolet Trax from Jeff Wyler for $19,334.50 with the trade-in of a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT with 206,117 miles.

In addition, they acknowledged bids for the Joseph Drive Lift Station Project from LeVan’s Excavating for $126,921 and Insight Pipe Contracting for $115,838. The bids were referred to staff for further evaluation.

The next meeting of the Clark County Commissioners is scheduled for December 2, 2015 at 8:30 a.m. in the Commissioners Conference Room.