Ohioans to Protect Public Services formally launches
 Since last year, CCAO has been actively involved in building a statewide coalition focused on raising awareness of the essential services funded by property taxes and the impact that a loss of this revenue stream would have on the vital services that Ohioans depend on every day. Our message continues to emphasize property tax reform, not abolishment.
Yesterday, the coalition, Ohioans to Protect Public Services, released new educational materials for your review and use. You can access these resources at ProtectPublicServices.org.
The website offers a growing library of information highlighting the programs and services supported by local property tax dollars. These include public safety, services for the developmentally disabled, infrastructure, and more. Additional materials will continue to be added over time.
Copies of these materials are also available on the County Government Toolkit on CCAO’s website.
Providing our members with resources to support their local outreach has been a key priority for CCAO. We are encouraged by the continued growth of this bipartisan coalition, which now includes the business community, first responders, local governments, labor organizations, senior services, schools, developmental disabilities advocates, veterans groups, and many others.
CCAO members may find these materials especially helpful when engaging with their communities about the importance of local property taxation.
Please note that, while these materials have been reviewed by legal counsel and were found appropriate for member use, we recommend consulting your county prosecutor or other legal counsel if you have any questions about sharing them through official channels.
If you have questions concerning Ohioans to Protect Public Services, please contact Managing Director of Enterprise and Retirement Services Steve Caraway.
America 250-Ohio's Heritage Tree program seeks to plant a white oak in all 88 counties
The United States' 250th birthday is less than three months away!
This week, Counties Current is spotlighting the Heritage Trees: Planting History program that America 250-Ohio is promoting. The Heritage Trees program encourages each county to plant a white oak tree to honor the 250th birthday.
Photos of the recent plantings of the Hamilton County Heritage Tree and the Lawrence County Heritage Tree are shown above as this week's cover image.
Ohio nurseries are providing the trees, and each is selected based on the county's soil type and climate.
As of April 20, 2026, there are 28 counties that have planted their Heritage Tree and another 18 that have a planting scheduled. The map at the end of the article shows the counties that have planted trees and those with planting scheduled.
If your county hasn't arranged for a Heritage Tree yet, it isn't too late! We highly encourage counties that have not yet made arrangements to review the Community Planting Resource Guide and to contact America 250-Ohio Commission Operations Manager Quanta Brown and Heritage Trees Working Group leader Leslie Wagner.
Additionally, CCAO plans to put an additional spotlight on the Heritage Tree program on social media this Wednesday in honor of Earth Day! If you have photos of your county's tree and would like it included, please email the photo to CCAO's communications team at comms@ccao.org.
Two weeks left for Ohio Counties Scholarship applications!
The 2026 Ohio Counties Scholarship application is available through the CCAO Research and Educational Foundation and will be until May 1 (next Friday)!
This scholarship supports the next generation of public servants. Since 2023, the Foundation has awarded $30,000 in scholarships to 15 young leaders from 14 Ohio counties. As in past years, five scholarships will be awarded, one to a student in each of CCAO's five districts.
Applicants should plan on a career in public service in Ohio.
This includes, but not limited to: elected official, public administrators, civil servants/government employee, social workers, military, education, healthcare, law enforcement and justice, emergency services, non-profit and community service, conservation/wildlife, city/state planners, public works employees, and workforce development.
We would greatly appreciate any help you can provide in sharing this opportunity within your county during the home stretch, including:
- Posting on social media
- Sharing through press releases or newsletters
- Distributing to local schools, guidance counselors, or local partners
Thank you for helping us spread the word and reach Ohio’s future leaders!
Please reach out to Managing Director of Enterprise and Retirement Services Steve Caraway at scaraway@ccao.org if you have any questions. Top Top DCY and Ohio 211 partner to expand access to supportive services statewide
Last week, Governor DeWine announced that the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) is partnering with Ohio 211 to expand services to all 88 counties. The expansion will be fully implemented by July.
Ohio 211 is a free service that connects callers to a number of support systems based on their needs, such as nutritional assistance, housing and shelter, transportation, legal assistance, and more.
The expansion will also facilitate access to the department's Family and Customer Support Call Center to help callers get connected to DCY services and programs.
For more information about Ohio 211, visit the program's webpage.
OhioMeansJobs Virtual Career Fair: May 13, 2026
Don’t miss your chance to connect with qualified Ohio job seekers – at no cost!
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is hosting the next OhioMeansJobs Virtual Career Fair on Wednesday, May 13, from 1-4 p.m. This online event makes recruiting faster and easier for employers of all sizes and industries.
By hosting a free virtual booth, you can:
- Reach candidates from every corner of the state
- Promote immediate job openings to an active talent pool
- Conduct on‑the‑spot interviews
- Recruit for full-time, part-time, summer, and internship positions – all in one convenient session.
Participation is free, but space fills quickly.
To reserve your booth, email EmploymentServices@jfs.ohio.gov by May 6, 2026.
NACo presidential appointment applications open until May 8
The submission window for consideration for a NACo presidential appointment is open and will remain so until May 8.
The appointments include chairs and vice chairs of NACo's policy steering committees and subcommittees, leadership and membership slots for the Large Urban County Caucus, the Midsize County Caucus, and the Rural Action Caucus, as well as other standing committees, advisory committees, and others.
You can submit applications for consideration through the NACo Member Portal.
Additionally, if you are interested in serving in a non-leadership role on a NACo steering committee, please contact Boards' Liaison and Events Manager Robin Garrett and she will help you with that process. Top State funding opportunities
The table below contains current state grant or loan programs. A full list can be found on the Ohio Grants Partnership webpage.
Grant Program
|
Brief Summary
|
Eligibility Criteria
|
Amount Available
|
Application Due Date
|
| County Coastal Erosion Control Loan Program |
To provide financing for construction of erosion control structures in coastal erosion areas. |
Counties with Lake Erie shoreline containing coastal erosion areas:
Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Lake, Lorain, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky
|
Unspecified total, no maximum per request |
May 22, 2026 |
| Dam Safety Loan Program |
To provide financing for planning, design, and construction of dams and repairs. |
Counties, county sewer districts, and soil and water conservation districts, among others |
Maximum loan: $7.5 million |
May 22, 2026 |
| H2Ohio Conservation Ditch Program |
To fund construction of two-stage and self-forming ditches. |
Soil and water conservation districts and county engineers |
Unspecified, funding model is reimbursement |
June 1, 2026 |
| Ohio Sexual Assault Investigations Grant Program |
To reimburse for the cost of testing sexual assault kits, including capacity building for agencies that complete sexual assault investigations |
Law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and crime labs |
Unspecified, funding model is reimbursement |
June 10, 2026 |
| Extradition Reimbursement Program |
To reimburse LEAs for the cost of in-state and out-of-state extraditions. |
Law enforcement agencies and prosecutor's offices |
Unspecified total, no maximum per request; No match |
June 10, 2026 |
Federal funding opportunities
The table below contains a sampling of current federal grant or loan programs. A full list can be found on Grants.gov.
Grant Program
|
Brief Summary
|
Eligibility Criteria
|
Amount Available
|
Application Due Date
|
| Youth Gang Prevention and Intervention Program |
To support the implementation of intervention and suppression strategies to reduce youth gang crime and to promote public safety. |
General Availability |
Maximum award: $500,000
No match required
|
May 21, 2026 |
| Rural Law Enforcement Violent Crime Reduction Initiative |
To support rural law enforcement and prosecutors through implementation of a crime reduction strategy that utilizes at least one of three specified approaches. |
Counties serving rural areas
|
Maximum award: $400,000
No match required
|
May 27, 2026 |
| De-escalation and Crisis Response Training Program |
To support the development, implementation, and/or expansion of de-escalation and crisis response training programs that improve law enforcement responses to and outcomes for individuals in crisis who have behavioral health conditions or physical or intellectual disabilities. |
General Availability |
Maximum award: $700,000
No match required
|
June 6, 2026 |
| Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Program |
To assist in the assessment and management of landslide risks through hazard mapping, public education, and community preparedness. |
General Availability |
Maximum award: $250,000
No match required
|
June 10, 2026 |
| Defense Community Infrastructure Program |
To address deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive of a military installation. |
Counties in proximity to a military installation |
Maximum award: $20 million
Local match of at least 30% (limited exceptions apply)
|
June 25, 2026 |
| Title X Family Planning Services Grants |
To promote the general family planning programs and goals under Title X of the Public Health Service Act. |
General Availability |
Maximum award: $22 million
Local match of between 1% and 10%
|
January 9, 2027 |
Top Each week Counties Current highlights the happenings in our counties in the words of their local media.
One story from each of the CCAO's five districts is highlighted, and on occasion other stories may be highlighted as well.
A paid subscription may be required to view the full article in some cases.
Northwest District
Commissioners address TMD closure, data centers
Advertiser-Tribune, April 14, 2026
The Seneca County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday authorized a renewed sewer services agreement with the city of Fostoria and heard updates on a potential local manufacturing closure that could affect all 407 workers at Toledo Molding and Die.
The board unanimously approved a five-year agreement with Fostoria for sewer services connected to the New Riegel area, renewing an arrangement that had lapsed years ago and left the county operating without a formal contract.
“We had a five-year arrangement through the sewer district of New Riegel that expired a couple years ago,” Commissioner Anthony Paradiso said. “We’ve just been operating day to day with no agreement.”
Paradiso credited Fostoria Mayor Don Mennel with surfacing the issue and praised the city for holding rates steady under the new agreement.
“With no increases, by the way, they kept everything the same,” Paradiso said. “That’s really important.”
First Brands Group, which owns Toledo Molding and Die, announced the planned closure in late February after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2025. A WARN notice filed with the state confirmed the shutdown of the Tiffin facility at 1441 N. Maule Road is slated to begin April 30, affecting all 407 positions.
Paradiso said economic development officials and the mayor of Tiffin are working to secure a buyer for the facility while simultaneously preparing workers for potential job loss.
“These things are fragile,” Paradiso said. “So we met with them, and they met last night. They’re meeting today.”
Northeast District
Lake County launches economic development office to expand financing options
Cleveland.com, April 15, 2026
Lake County commissioners have agreed to establish a new Office of Economic Development, a move officials said will broaden the county’s ability to finance future projects without adding staff or cost.
During a recent meeting, county Administrator Jason Boyd described the office as a way to expand the county’s financing mechanisms rather than launching new initiatives.
“The passage of this resolution will open up some additional tools in our toolbox as far as financing future economic development projects,” Boyd said. “There won’t be any additional staff or any additional cost to the county, but under the law, it allows us to do some additional financing for some projects.”
Boyd told cleveland.com those tools include the ability to work with the county land bank and planning commission, provide loans or grants for economic development and partner with nonprofit organizations on development efforts.
The new office is authorized under a section of Ohio law that allows counties to establish economic development programs and take a more active role in financing projects and partnering with other entities.
Boyd said there are no specific projects currently tied to the new office.
County records state that the office is intended to better coordinate economic development efforts across local and state agencies while ensuring county resources are used efficiently.
Central District
Drainage Petition Dismissed in Daventry Park
Delaware Source, April 14, 2026
The Delaware County commissioners dismissed a drainage petition for the Daventry Park neighborhood in Powell after hearing from dozens of residents opposed to the project on Monday.
Commissioners received 30 written letters opposing the petition and heard testimony from four Daventry Park homeowners. No one spoke in support.
The Daventry Park Association, the homeowner’s association of the neighborhood, submitted a drainage petition in September 2022, seeking county assistance to inspect and maintain the neighborhood’s nearly 30-year-old stormwater system.
Drainage petitions allow landowners to request that county officials take over maintenance and make improvements to drainage infrastructure on private property. However, project costs are still paid by the property owners.
At the time, HOA leaders said they believed the program would benefit the community.
“Our three-member board of directors at that time, including myself, were pleased that the petition process would move to the next step, and that our property owners could look forward to the benefits then offered by the program” said Fred Leeder, a Daventry Park resident and HOA member.
“We then realized that the cost and benefits were no longer the same as for the program we had petitioned for four years earlier.”
Leeder said he and other homeowners were unaware the work would require removing a significant number of trees to access infrastructure and relocating a portion of storm pipe before maintenance could begin.
Southwest District
Possible property tax rollback coming to Warren County
Journal-News, April 15, 2026
Warren County has taken the first step toward giving property owners a rollback on their taxes next year.
The Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, April 14, unanimously approved a draft resolution to temporarily suspend collection of the county’s portion of inside millage and replace it with a 0.5% sales tax.
The result would be an estimated $4 million reduction in county funding for 2027, something the commissioners have previously said they could absorb.
Warren County has a $93.6 million operating budget for 2026, a decrease of 0.26% from 2025.
There would also be a potential four-month period at the start of 2027 during which the county would be collecting no money from either property or sales tax while the transition goes into effect.
Assistant County Prosecutor Bruce McGary, who advises the Board of Commissioners during their meetings, said there is a tight window for them to hold the required public hearings and send required state notifications in order to enact the rollback.
The process would have to begin no later than May 12 and be finished by Aug. 11, McGary said.
The commissioners and Auditor Matt Nolan have said they expect the sales tax increase to be temporary.
Warren County has used temporary sales tax increases in the past, including in 2018 when a 0.25% sales tax increase was put in place for 5 years to pay for the construction of a $56.5 million jail. The project was complete in time and the tax was expired.
Commissioner Dave Young said Warren County benefits from its heavy tourist industry, meaning the increased sales tax burden would be shouldered in part by people who live outside the county but who visit Kings Island, the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament and other destinations.
Tourism is Warren County’s largest economic driver, generating more than $217 million in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments, according to a study by Tourism Economics and TourismOhio.
More than 13 million people visit the county each year.
Warren County, like almost all political subdivisions in Ohio, is looking for alternatives to property taxes due to state funding changes, increased costs, and grassroot efforts to abolish them entirely.
Southeast District
Commissioners give OK for courthouse re-decoration plans
Monroe County Beacon, April 15, 2026
A county 4-H group is hoping to re-spruce up the Monroe County Courthouse in the near future.
The Cross County Classics 4-H group, along with their Cloverbuds, requested permission from the Monroe County Commissioners to create a flowerbed where the former OSU stone was located outside the former Monroe County OSU Extension Office on the first floor of the courthouse. The stone was moved when the Monroe County OSU Extension Office moved to the Monroe County Fairgrounds in March of 2022.
This left a bit of a landscaping void on a small patch of grass between the doors on the West Court Street side of the courthouse, which are no longer used except in the case of emergency, and the alley separating the courthouse from the former Monroe County Sheriff’s Office where Monroe County EMA is located.
The Cross County Classics hope to turn this forgotten spot into something worth getting excited about as part of the club’s service project for the year, a plan that was met with approval from the commissioners during their regular meeting Monday, April 13.
Also during the April 13 meeting, the commissioners met with Alyssa Stephens, Community Development Program Coordinator with the Monroe County OSU Extension, who provided updates on progress for the Neighborhood Revitalization project in Beallsville.
Funds were available to allow for more sidewalk work in Beallsville. Stephens said the additional sidewalk work would cover a stretch of Ohio Avenue to the Family Dollar on the east side of Beallsville.
The works is part of the Neighborhood Revitalization project, which was part of the 2024 Community Block Development Grant cycle.
Other remaining phases of the project include work on the Bicentennial Park.
All work for the project must be completed by the end of August. Top MAY 15
CCAO Board of Directors Meeting
MAY 22
CEBCO Board of Directors Meeting
MAY 25
Memorial Day - Holiday
MAY 29
CCAO / CEAO Central District Meeting Top
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