Recording of webinar on revised economic development confidentiality statute available
Earlier in August, the Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) hosted a webinar on the revised economic development confidentiality law. A recording of the webinar is available here.
The session covered what changed, what it leaves unresolved, as well as what economic development professionals, local elected officials and their counsel need to do before the new provisions take effect September 23.
It also discussed how to handle records, executive sessions, and disclosure decisions in the interim, along with the questions that remain even under the revised statute.
CCAO recommends that elected officials and county staff involved in economic development review the recording to learn more about the current provisions. Top Top Federal transportation funding cliff at September's end, advocacy encouraged
NACo and CCAO are encouraging counties to reach out to your federal delegation and advocate for vital transportation funding.
The country is approaching a federal transportation funding cliff at the end of September. Existing federal funding for transportation was funded through the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), which expires at the end of September (the end of the federal fiscal year).
The IIJA funded transportation projects through two mechanisms:
- Highway Trust Fund - $383 billion
- Guaranteed Set-Asides - $155 billion
Of particular note to counties is a portion of the set-asides. The Bridge Formula Program, which will disappear entirely on October 1, provided $5.5 billion to assist local governments build and maintain bridges.
The Continuing Resolution that the Senate recently passed (including, among other things, the delay in the OMB rule change) extended portions of the IIJA, but not the guaranteed set-asides.
NACo has prepared template letters for House of Representatives members and Senate members, as well as talking points to use with your delegation or their staff. These documents are available for download below.
If you have any questions, please contact Ben Gilsdorf, NACo's Legislative Director for Transportation.
Farm Science Review Grand Opening registration open through August 31
Registration for the 2026 Farm Science Review's Grand Opening is open! The grand opening will take place on September 22, and the full annual event will be held from September 22-24 in London at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center.
The Grand Opening will include a breakfast, opening remarks from Vice President and CFAES Dean Cathann Kress and other special guests, followed by a self-guided tour of the event.
Registration for the Grand Opening can be completed here. The deadline is August 31 to ensure that registrants will receive their ticket and parking pass in a timely manner.
The Farm Science Review is one of the nation's leading events focused on agricultural education, demonstrations, and innovation. Advance tickets are available for $10 through county OSU Extension offices and will be available for $15 at the gate. Top Two weeks remain to submit applications for SFY 2027 Brownfield Remediation Grants
Applications for the 2027 round of Brownfield Remediation Grants will close on September 11 (next Friday).
The Brownfield Remediation Program provides grants for the cleanup of brownfield sites and assists with the remediation of hazardous substances or petroleum at industrial, commercial, or institutional properties.
Remediation may include the acquisition of a brownfield, demolition performed at a brownfield, and the installation or upgrade of the minimum amount of infrastructure necessary to make a brownfield site operational for economic development activity.
The SFY 2027 program year will provide roughly $120 million in grants, with funds being awarded on a merit-based evaluation process that takes the following criteria into consideration:
- Economic merit of the project to the county, surrounding counties, and state;
- Ensuring that projects are awarded in different regions of the state;
- Readiness of the project to begin upon notification of award; and,
- Local support of the proposed project.
OSU Extension hosting grant workshop in Belmont County on October 2
The Noble County and Belmont County OSU Extension offices, in partnership with the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association, are hosting a grant writing workshop in St. Clairsville on October 2.
The workshop, running from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., will cover what to do before you write a grant; organizational mission and structure; components of a grant proposal; finding and connecting with funders; and a provide complimentary proposal review.
The fee for the course is $125, but communities and organizations located in an Appalachian county will receive a discounted rate.
The workshop is space limited and registration closes on September 15 (unless it fills earlier).
Registration can be completed by emailing Cathryn Stanley, Program Coordinator for the Noble County Ohio State University Extension Office.
Rolling applications open for Conservation Ditch Grant Program
The Ohio Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for the 2026 H2Ohio Conservation Ditch Grant Program.
The program is a reimbursement model, providing up to 100% reimbursement for conservation ditch construction. Only two-stage ditches and self-forming ditches are eligible for consideration. Additionally, the watershed where the ditch is located must predominantly encompass cropland.
Only soil and water conservation districts and county engineers are eligible applicants.
Ditches reimbursed through the program do not need to be added to the county ditch maintenance program, but those that will be will receive prioritization.
The deadline for applications is June 1, 2027. However, grants will be approved on a rolling basis, so interested applicants are advised to submit applications at any time before the deadline.
The program's webpage has more information, including a recording of a webinar discussing program details.
State funding opportunities
The table below contains current state grant or loan programs. A more comprehensive list can be found on the Ohio Grants Partnership webpage.
Grant Program
|
Brief Summary
|
Eligibility Criteria
|
Amount Available
|
Application Due Date
|
| Rural Health Transformation Program |
To improve health behaviors associated with cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity in rural areas, and to strengthen rural communities by improving healthcare access, quality and outcomes by transforming the current system. |
Public health departments serving a non-urban county
(Map available on page 18 of the linked PDF)
|
$7 million available
No match required
|
September 8, 2026 |
| Brownfield Remediation Program |
To assist in the remediation of hazardous substances or petroleum at industrial, commercial, or institutional properties. |
General availability |
$120 million available
No match required
|
September 11, 2026 |
| Precinct Election Official Recruitment and Training Grant |
To provide assistance in the recruitment and training of precinct election officials for the 2026 November general election. |
County boards of elections |
Set allocation per county, contact the Secretary of State for further information
|
Unspecified, but terms must be completed by November 2, 2026 |
| H2Ohio Conservation Ditch Grant Program |
To provide reimbursement for the construction of two-stage and self-forming conservation ditches. |
Soil and water conservation districts and county engineers |
Unspecified
Reimbursement model
|
June 1, 2027
(Rolling until) |
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
|
| Wetland Mitigation Banking Program |
To support the development and establishment of mitigation banks and banking opportunities solely for agricultural producers with wetlands subject to the wetland conservation compliance provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985 (as amended). |
General availability |
$3 million available
Local match of 20% of project cost
|
September 8, 2026 |
| Consolidated Youth Grant Program |
To support community-based efforts to develop or expand prevention, intervention, treatment, and response strategies addressing the needs of children and youth (ages 0-24) affected by domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking. It also supports work with men and youth to prevent those crimes. |
General availability |
$14 million available
No local match required
|
September 8, 2026 |
| Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Program |
To support a comprehensive approach to addressing abuse in later life, including domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, neglect, abandonment, economic abuse, or willful harm committed against victims who are 50 years of age or older. |
General availability |
$8 million available
No local match required
|
September 14, 2026 |
| Low or No Emission Bus Grant Program |
To support the purchase or lease of low-emission and zero-emission transit buses, including acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities. |
Local governments that operate fixed-route bus service. |
$589 million available
Local match of 20% required (some exceptions apply)
|
September 21, 2026 |
| Buses and Bus Facilities Program |
To support the purchase, rehabilitate, or lease of buses and related equipment, and to support the construction, purchase, rehabilitation, or lease of bus-related facilities. |
Local governments that operate fixed-route bus service. |
$21 million available
Local match of 20% required (some exceptions apply)
|
September 21, 2026 |
| North American Wetlands Conservation Act Standard |
To support projects that involve long-term protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds. |
General availability |
$46 million available
1-to-1 local match required
|
September 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
Putnam commissioners discuss new fairgrounds restroom, wage increases
Crescent News, August 28, 2026
Putnam County commissioners discussed a proposed new restroom facility at the county fairgrounds and possible wage increases for some employees during recent meetings.
According to commissioners’ meeting minutes, plans were discussed for a new fairgrounds restroom. Putnam County Helping Hands is involved in the proposal.
The restroom would include showers and handicap stalls, the minutes noted, as the other one on the fairgrounds does not have handicap accessibility. Handicap bleachers also are proposed for the fairgrounds show area.
No action was immediately taken on the proposal, but Commissioner John Schlumbohm proposed using community development block grant allocation funds, which are awarded at regular intervals to counties through the state.
In another matter, commissioners discussed possible wage increases for staff in the county’s common pleas and probate/juvenile courts.
Clerk of Courts Susan Maag is requesting that commissioners provide her office with an additional $100,000 so she can increase wages and bring new hires in at $19 per hour.
Juvenile/Probate Judge Michael Borer also is seeking an increase in pay for his staff.
According to commissioners’ meeting minutes, Borer “would like to be able to have the freedom to hire the quality of people they need to fill the jobs. The clerk of courts salaries are lower than others in the courthouse. Commissioners asked about doing a salary study of surrounding counties with similar jobs. Judge Borer would like to have a base hire rate to present during his interviews that he has scheduled.”
Northeast District
Geauga County seeks $1.6 million property tax break for residents
Cleveland.com, August 27, 2026
Geauga County commissioners are seeking to give property owners more than $1.6 million in tax relief next year by temporarily suspending a tax that helps fund Job and Family Services.
Commissioners voted Tuesday to ask the Geauga County Budget Commission to suspend collection of the half-mill Job and Family Services levy for the 2026 tax year.
The move would leave more than $1.6 million with taxpayers rather than collecting it through property taxes, Commissioner Carolyn Brakey said.
Job and Family Services would not lose the money.
The county plans to use about $1.7 million from its general fund to replace the levy revenue, allowing the department to continue receiving the money it needs to operate its programs and services.
“We shouldn’t collect money simply because we can,” Brakey said. “And when revenues allow us to adequately fund county government, still do the same services that people rely on and reduce what we’re collecting from taxpayers, I think we should absolutely do it.”
The tax relief follows a substantial increase in property values during the county’s 2023 revaluation. Those higher values automatically increased some of the property tax revenue collected by the county, Brakey said.
Brakey said county commissioners and the budget commission have responded in recent years by temporarily reducing other tax collections when the county has enough money to operate without the additional revenue.
Central District
As Licking County recovers from historic flood, agencies look for ways to reduce the risk of future disaster
The Reporting Project, August 27, 2026
A week after a historic flash flood swept through Pataskala and washed over Hebron, Buckeye Lake Village and I-70, most folks in Licking County had moved on with their lives.
But for victims across the county whose homes filled with water on Aug. 20, the initial shock of seeing a raging torrent in the South Fork of the Licking River rip through Pataskala and points southeast of there was followed by this question to public officials: What are you doing to make sure this doesn’t happen again?
“We hear about it when it happens, and then it gets quiet when the water recedes,” said Licking County Commissioner Rick Black, a fifth-generation farmer who is among those who do not forget the flooding, because his family once farmed the low-lying land near where I-70 was closed by flooding last week.
During the quiet times, work continues by a host of government agencies – local, state and national – on a long list of studies and potential projects to address the problem. And as with many complicated issues, there are many angles to pursue, there is never enough money, and there is no silver bullet to stop flooding.
Among the local government offices involved in that process is the Licking County Emergency Management Agency. After the recent departure of director Sean Grady, long-time deputy director John Wieber was named the agency’s interim director on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Two days later, the flood began, and he hit the ground running, coordinating with fire departments and police agencies for water rescues and evacuations.
Then came coordination with local governments and service agencies, such as the Red Cross and Licking County Transit, to help victims access shelter, food and clothing. And soon, attention will return to working with others on long-term efforts to mitigate flooding.
Wieber met with the county commissioners on Thursday, Aug. 27, to give them an update on the flooding and, in a touch of irony, to receive a proclamation in recognition of National Emergency Management Awareness Month.
“It was unbelievable how everyone pulled together to support the recovery effort,” Wieber said.
Southwest District
Warren County Considers First Solid Waste Fee Increase in More Than 20 Years
Warren County Post, August 27, 2026
Warren County residents could eventually see a small increase in their trash bills as county officials begin the process of raising a solid waste generation fee that has remained unchanged for more than 20 years.
Warren County Facilities Management Director Trevor Hearn told county commissioners during their Aug. 25 work session that the county currently receives 50 cents for every ton of waste generated in Warren County and hauled to a landfill.
The fee, which has not increased in more than 21 years, is the second lowest in Ohio, Hearn said. He told commissioners the state average is approximately $5.15 per ton.
The money supports Warren County's state-mandated solid waste district and pays for programs including roadside trash cleanup, paint, Styrofoam and electronics recycling, tire collection events and the removal of illegally dumped appliances and other debris.
Hearn said more than 4,000 tires were collected during a county recycling event this spring. County crews also respond when appliances are dumped along roadways and clean up debris left at abandoned homeless encampments.
The current 50-cent fee generates a little more than $100,000 annually, while operating expenses are just under $400,000 per year. The district has three full-time employees, along with several employees whose time is divided between solid waste operations and facilities management. Expenses also include vehicles, equipment and disposal fees.
For years, the difference between revenue and expenses has been covered with settlement money Warren County received following the closure of the Bigfoot landfill in the late 1990s. Hearn said that fund is now expected to be depleted by summer 2027.
That looming deadline prompted the discussion about making the solid waste program financially self-sustaining.
Hearn initially discussed a fee of about $3.50 per ton, which he estimated could generate between $600,000 and $700,000 annually. Part of that additional revenue would allow the county to establish an emergency reserve of approximately $250,000 to $300,000, an amount Hearn said is recommended by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Commissioners, however, expressed interest in phasing in any increase rather than collecting enough to fully establish the reserve in the first year.
Southeast District
Guernsey County Opens New Public Service Building
WHIZ, August 25, 2026
A new Public Service Building is officially open in Guernsey County after leaders cut the ribbon Monday afternoon.
With one snip, Guernsey County officially opened the doors to its new Public Service Building. The ribbon came down Monday (08/24) afternoon at 612 Steubenville Avenue.
Inside, the 15-thousand-square-foot building is divided into three spaces, housing Veterans Services, county maintenance, the Board of Elections. Getting those services there took funding from several different sources.
“We paid $400,000 for the building. That was done with ARPA money. We didn’t use taxpayers’ money until we got inside. I couldn’t get any funding for that. So, that was $1.6 million inside. That was done with taxpayers’ dollars.” Guernsey County Commissioner, Jack Marlin, said.
Grant money from the Ohio Department of Development paid for the parking lot, one of the biggest improvements for veterans using this building. Along with easier parking, Veterans Services now has more room and a more visible location.
“We have room to grow. We can do different things. I feel down here now, and we’re trying to think of new ideas to support our veterans and get in there and just take care of them and provide.” Daren Roe, Director of the Guernsey County Veterans Service Office, said.
The new location also gives the Board of Elections more space as thousands of Guernsey County voters continue to take advantage of early voting.
The ribbon may already be cut but now comes the important part. Putting this building to work for the people of Guernsey County.
“We’re thinking of the folks, because that’s what it’s all about. Yeah, we used some of your tax dollars to do this, but it’s going to be beneficial to the veterans that we all should be proud to serve because they served us. As far as the Board of Elections, a lot of people had early voting in 2024.” Marlin said. “The thing is though, that this shows the county folks this is what we’re about. We’re about you.” Top SEPTEMBER 7
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CORSA Annual Membership Meeting
OCTOBER 2
CCAO/CEAO Southeast District Meeting (RSVP by September 15) Top
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