This meeting in my opinion exemplifies a major problem with the current make up of the current County Commission and their inability to comprehend the interconnectivity of multiple issues before them.  They talk of raising the sales tax on businesses (hotels& motels) already here in order to hire an economic development director that will have to offer tax breaks and other incentives to get new businesses to locate in the area.  They essentially hope to rent a new business for the life of the tax breaks and charge it to businesses already here.  I can tell you that without a doubt my motel – The Golden Inn and the Fairfield Inn have sent more business into New Paris restaurants than any combined groups of Preble County Commissioners have or can hope to.  Every guest that goes elsewhere because of high sales tax on lodging is one that will not even be told about New Paris, let alone visit it.

While these guys talk of having all the “players” involved at Goose Creek in hope of successful development they plan to send a leachate pipeline to Lakengren that could have, should have gone down Rt.127 to Camden.  

They take the comments of a Van Wert County OSU Extension employee that is paid for by a lodging tax as Gospel without ever having spoken to the businesses that collect that tax to see if they felt the tax a negative or a positive. This contrasts with their treatment and trust of the local OSU Extension agent who Commissioner David  Wesler wants in chamber on May 24, to speak on the record as to the preparation for this year’s 4H Fair. 

Let’s be honest about the area known as Goose Creek and the prospect of it being a successful development to the point that people will get off the Interstate at Exit 10. There is a bulldozed gas station at the exit, there is a long abandoned restaurant at the exit and there is a motel that not long ago was closed for an extended period of time.  None of which speaks to a public demand for more business at the exit and that is before you add in two truck stops and the truck traffic that some drivers will drive to another exit to avoid. As a county we need to exploit areas that are most likely to sustain economic development or offer the best bang for our limited county buck. Those areas are Eaton, the Stateline that is adjacent to many attractions that make it a regional draw for families shopping and going to movies, Camden which has the rail that State of Ohio officials Kevin Carver and Brewster Rhoades asked our County Commissioners about and they never mentioned and last but not least Lewisburg . It is high time we say enough to an adherence to a long out of date study claiming the best area to be Exit 10. Exit 10 is not now and will not be no matter how many well holes, PowerPoint Presentations and pretty pictures developers are paid to deliver. As far as I am concerned you can pay a developer $250,000 or $1,000,000 and the odds are they will think your idea is the greatest since sliced bread.

The biggest industry in Preble County is Agriculture and these guys just turned down Soil & Water’s request for an additional $12,000 to hire part time help in the summer months so the lone two employees still working there can work more efficiently.  While we are on the subject of Soil & Water does anyone one know what the 2^nd cleanest stream in the state is named and where it is located?

Goose Creek. 

Pave her over boys.

Preble County, Ohio

County Commissioners

May 12, 2010

Meeting audio and review

All three County Commissioners in attendance.

File 1

I. OPEN MEETING

II. CALL OF ROLL

III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

IV. PRAYER

End 2.27minute mark on CD – 575KB

File 2

V. PUBLIC COMMENTS

Jeff Golden speaking against raising lodging tax to 13%.

7.5 minute mark       Jeff Golden brings up disagreement with leachate pipeline going to Lakengren over Camden and asks for reasoning on the record.

13 minute mark      Gentleman in audience takes issue with the leachate pipeline running to Lakengren and feels the best choice was Camden.

15.35 minute mark on cd  

12.48 minutes – 2.93MB

File 3

Email from Dinah Farrington – Regional Director of Sales for the ownership group of the Fairfield Inn of Richmond, Indiana / New Paris, Ohio.

15.25 minute mark      Commissioner Stonecash reads email from Dinah Farringtion stating opposition to sales tax increase. Email:

Mr. Stonecash, Mr. Day and Mr. Wesler:

With all due respect, I am writing via e-mail to officially state that we at the Fairfield Inn Richmond/New Paris oppose an increase in the innkeeper's tax at this time.  When I attended the meeting April 21 and listened to the proposal regarding economic development, there was no discussion regarding how to pay for the proposal brought forward by the gentleman from the Extension Division of Ohio State.  At that time I said, when you begin discussion on funding various proposals, I wish to be a part of the discussion. 

At this time, an increase in the innkeeper's tax will hurt our hotel as well as the other two properties in the county.  We sit on the state line, the Golden Inn is just east of us also near the state line.  The city of Richmond is ripe with hotels and the total tax, that is state tax and innkeepers tax, is 12%. An increase of 1% does make a difference.  The majority of our guests are from out of town and are corporate guests during the week mostly visiting business and industry in Richmond and Wayne County Indiana. Weekend guests are primarily leisure. These guests are local residents coming in for a weekend away, or a family reunion, or weddings or most recently and for the rest of May, graduations.

Richmond has much to offer hotel guests. There are restaurants within walking distance to most properties. Pharmacies, malls, grocery stores, shopping is very close.  We at the state line do not have those luxuries.  When guests stay with us, they have to drive for all amenities.  We have to work harder to get those guests to start with. We recommend restaurants in Preble County every day. We try to find points of interest so that our guests can visit the county. Certainly we suggest venues in Richmond as well.

It is my understanding that the Chamber of Commerce is also working on a foundation to establish funding for economic development. I think this is the way to go.  Funding through a foundation gives local buy in and ownership of the project.

At the meeting on April 21 someone asked me how I would feel about increasing the innkeepers tax in the future after we got some economic development into the county and more business into the hotels. I said that would be a different story but we need to see the business first.

The innkeepers tax is collected only by the 2 hotels, the conference center and one bed and breakfast in the county at this time. There is no question we need economic development in the county!  We need a focus on tourism as well. It would seem that at least some of the innkeepers tax we collect should be used to try to bring tourism to the county.  We also compete against a well organized and very well run convention and tourism bureau in Richmond.  They have staff working every day to bring guests to the area and to stay in the Indiana hotels.

As I said on April 21, we at the Fairfield Inn do want to help solve this problem but we do not want to be the ones to finance economic development alone. At this time I think exploring the concept that Matt Appenzeller proposes with the Foundation is certainly worth looking into. Private and public partnerships do work and this could be a very exciting time in Preble County. I am willing to work on this project and look forward to finding ways of funding economic development that do not require an increase in innkeeper's tax.

I would like this letter to be entered into the record regarding our reasons for opposing an increase in the Innkeeper's tax at this time. 

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Dinah

Dinah Farrington

Regional Director of Sales and Marketing

Fairfield INN Richmond/New Paris

9797 U.S. Highway 40 West
New Paris, OH 45347
Phone: 937-437-8009;Fax: 937-437-8306

20 minute mark on cd  

4.42 minutes – 1.07MB

File 4

9:00 A.M. – PUBLIC HEARING – 6-YEAR DITCH REVIEWS OF WIKELMAN #766, BROOKSHIRE #767A & #767B & BROUSE DITCH #770

30  minute mark      Don Smith representing the owners of Legacy 6

59 minute mark      RECESS THE HEARING

59 minute mark on cd  

39.04 minutes – 8.94MB

File 5

1hr.  1 minute mark      Bob – going to Pork Festival meeting and giving tickets for a dinner to Connie for that evening.

1 Hr.  9 minute mark on cd  

10 minutes – 2.28MB

File 6

10:30 A.M. – BUILDING MAINT. WORKER III INTERVIEWS

1hr.  9 minute mark      EXECUTIVE SESSION WITH BOB BROWER PRESENT

Ditch hearing officially closed.

Repeated executive session
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1 Hr.  22.4 minute mark on cd  

13.24 minutes – 3.06MB

File 7

1hr.  22.5 minute mark      Connie on Board appointments to Mental Health Board.

1hr.  24  minute mark      Connie – mentions email from Dinah Farrington.

1hr.  26  minute mark      June 14 celebration for Ray Reeder. All three commissioners to attend.

1hr.  27  minute mark      Don Pasolowski June 10,  1 – 4:00  wants to aid with JRS application at Goose Creek. Preble is in the competition because 6 applications are accepted and only 4 applied.

1hr.  29.5  minute mark      Eagle Scout application May 15,  Ethan Pope. Bob will try and attend.  Chris & Dave are busy.

1hr.  32 minute mark      Economic Developer application example will be ready for Monday.

1 Hr.  33.5 minute mark on cd  

11.14 minutes – 2.57MB

File 8

1hr.  34 minute mark      Soil & Water Discussion:

Bob – believes they can make it to the end of the year and county will transfer funds at beginning of 2011 to keep them going. Against giving any money now.

Chris agrees

David – stated his opinion the other day

Bob – they can help their office by having assessment.

NO OFFICIAL VOTE HELD

1 Hr.  38.8 minute mark on cd  

5.23 minutes – 1.23MB

File 9

1 hr.  39.5  minute mark      Sheriff's Request for a Dispatcher Discussion

1 hr.  51 minute mark      Bob – we asked for an 8% cut and got 6%. The added cost next year would drop it to 4.78%.  "So, anybody that is listening and saying we haven't been fair with the Sheriff's Department, I'm here to tell that we are being fair. At this point let’s make a decision."

Dave – yes

Chris – yes

Bob – yes  

Bob – yes because he wants it to be a unified board, we have to watch the budget.

Dave – brings up others giving raises last year out of General Fund.

Bob – Every one of these elected officials is going to come down here and cry.

1 hr.  55 minute mark      Sheriff to be instructed to use the $12,000 he has in an unemployment fund and the Commissioners will kick in $18,000. The Commissioners want the Sheriff back in chambers in three months to discuss "where we are at."

1 Hr.  56.6 minute mark on cd  

17.52 minutes – 4.08MB

File 10

1 hr.  57 minute mark      EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS EMPLOYMENT OF A COUNTY EMPLOYEE

Bob Brower present.

2 hr.  minute mark      Bob Stonecash makes motion to hire Christopher Harper as Maintenance 3 worker starting Monday, May 17 at $9.85 an hour, 120 days probationary period..

Motion passes 3 – 0.

2 hr.  2.5 minute mark      RECESS UNTIL 1:00 AT WHICH TIME BECKY SORRELL WILL BE IN CHAMBERS

2 Hr.  2.5 minute mark on cd  

17.52 minutes – 4.08MB

File 11

JFS MONTHLY MEETING – BECKY SORRELL

1:20 p.m. back in session

unemployment 13.3%

630 visitors to job center.

22 people attended workshops on how to find a job.

526 cash recipients

4949 food stamp recipients

2 hr.  11 minute mark      EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS THE POSSIBLE EMPLOYMENT OF A COUNTY EMPLOYEE.

Becky to proceed as discussed.

2 Hr.  12  minute mark on cd  

9.32 minutes – 2.18MB

File 12

2 hr.  12.5 minute mark      Bob – Went to see Pat Holmes yesterday at OSU Extension about how things are proceeding with 4H & Fair. Using a lot of volunteers.

Bob did not think it necessary to have her in as scheduled for May 24 as she was busy preparing for Fair and other projects.

Dave Wesler still wants her to come in and be on tape.

2 hr.  17 minute mark      Bob – brings up his $50 request per 4H participant as he has previously for a way to raise funds.

ADJOURN

2 Hr.  18.5  minute mark on cd  

6.36 minutes – 1.51MB