The Richland County commissioners got a touch of excellent news weekday amid continuing projections of lower excise tax revenue caused by social isolation because of the COVID pandemic. The three-member board learned that the county has received a $113,000 web refund on Ohio Bureau of workers' Compensation audit premiums from 2018.
County risk manager Jennifer Phelps told commissioners that the county received a 100% refund on 2018 BWC premiums as a part of COVID relief legislation glided by the Ohio assembly, that discharged the funds previously usual. whereas the whole refund was around $264,000, $150,000 was subtracted for retroactive claim payments.
“They’ve been giving rebates for the last six or seven years supported the nice investments that the bureau has,” aforementioned Art Stehlik of KKSG and Associates, that is that the third-party administrator for the county’s workers' Compensation audit program. “The bureau has had a $10 billion surplus and they’ve had that for a handful of years and they’ve paid greenbacks back to employers supported that investment surplus.”
Stehlik and Phelps suggested that the cash be distributed to the county general fund and non-general fund agencies employing a formula established many years past that's supported payroll, claims, and minimum premium paid at the top of the year. Phelps projected that the distribution is done at the top of the year once 2021 premiums are due.
However, the board voted to come to the money to agencies and departments as before long as potential once Commissioner Tony Vero discovered that the county already has received the money. “In times like this wherever the money is tight and everybody might use the money, we'd like to urge it to the departments prior later,” he said. “I don’t suppose it’s truthful if we've got cash in hand, to mention we’re about to sit on this till the top of the year.”
Vero additionally aforementioned he and county auditor patron saint Dropsey area unit continued to trace projected excise revenues for March, once businesses were closed and state distancing restrictions were obligatory. officers still area unit anticipating a tenth drop, or a loss of $250,000 to $300,000, though actual figures won't be best-known till June as a result of excise distribution by the state lags 3 months behind collections.
Vero is conjointly aforesaid he and county auditor St. Patrick Dropsey area unit continued to trace projected nuisance tax revenues for March, once businesses were closed and state distancing restrictions were obligatory. officers still area unit anticipating a tenth drop, or a loss of $250,000 to $300,000, though actual figures won't be identified till June as a result of nuisance tax distribution by the state lags 3 months behind collections.
Vero noted that the county was seven-membered higher in nuisance tax revenue at the start of this year over 2019 although the board calculable a forty-five increase for the 2020 budget. “If we tend to take the certified quantity of four-dimensional higher than last year, we tend to expect to be concerning $250,000 but what we tend to projected,” he explained. “Pat and that I area unit gazing future 3 months — in June, July, and August — being around $800,000 light-weight from wherever we tend to projected to be.”
Commissioners chairman Marilyn John noted that whereas the variety of counties have already got asked departments to chop defrayment for the year by 2 hundredths, Richland County departments and offices solely are asked to explore ways in which to avoid wasting cash nonetheless this year and to start staring at ways in which they'll cut prices however not at a particular share.
“Do I feel we want to begin staring at that? affirmative,” she accessorial.
In different business Tues, commissioners voted to transfer the Willow Haven Park off Mansfield-Lucas Road in Washington administrative division to the county land bank for future sale. Commissioners voted earlier this month to vacate the park at the request of the administrative division trustees, United Nations agency asked for facilitating in addressing many tracts of land that were selected by developers as administrative division parks however were ne'er accepted as parks by the administrative division.
John suggested the transfer to the land bank once checking with the county prosecutor’s workplace regarding issues by the Willow Park Water Association that the land might are turned over to the Mansfield Metropolitan Park Association within the late Nineteen Fifties or early Nineteen Sixties. The association identified it's a good house building on the property that has many water tanks.
John aforesaid the prosecutor’s workplace determined that the park association taken state law incorrectly thus possession reverted to the county. “I checked if we are able to provide the land to the land bank to sell and that they aforesaid the land bank would have the chance to sell to close property house owners, and therefore the water association is one amongst them,” she said. “Regardless of the World Health Organization owns it, the water association has an associate easement on this property that may stay intact.”
0 Comments