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Commissioners Tout State of Ottawa County |
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Written by John Schaffner
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Wednesday, 26 March 2008 |
The Ottawa County Commissioners chose the venue of a Port Clinton Kiwanis Club meeting on Wednesday to present the “State of Ottawa County” from a variety of standpoints, most importantly the local economy.
The Commissioners have piled up a significant budget surplus the past few years thanks to careful budgeting and spending practices. According to Commissioner Carl Koebel, the County operates on a revenue budget of just under $15.9 million annually, and combined with a cash balance of nearly $2.77 million gives the County General Fund totals of over $18.5 million. They have budgeted cash expenditures totaling $15.66 million. Koebel stresses that investment income for the County has risen from $372,200 in 2003 to over $2.63 million in fiscal 2007.
Commissioner Jim Sass looked at several ongoing projects the County is currently working on. Primary among those is the $1.9 million Sand Rd. Waterline Project scheduled for completion in August. When done, Sand Rd. residents should have better water pressure and fire hydrants along the roadway which should reduce insurance premiums for property owners. Sass also touted the Sewer and Waterline extension from Camp Perry to the Lake Erie Business Park, helping to facilitate the Fenner Dunlap expansion.
In Economic Development matters, Republican Commissioner Steve Arndt noted that much positive is happening on the jobs and development front. He primarily cited the 42 Jobs that will soon come online at Brush Wellman when they break ground for their new “Pebble Plant” adjacent to their current facility between Oak Harbor and Elmore. He also cited the 70 new jobs soon to be created at the Fenner Dunlop expansion. “Government does not create jobs, but its policies effect the business environment,” Arndt stated. He added that the Fenner Dunlap expansion also saved 136 jobs currently at the Erie Township facility.
While Ohio and the rest of the Country have experienced job losses since 2001, Ottawa County’s job picture remains positive. For instance, in 2002, Ottawa County had 69 new business starts. In 2006, that number jumped to 94. In 2002, Ottawa County had 1,037 active businesses. Than number now stands at 1,062. In 2002, Ottawa County had 21,300 in the civilian labor force. In 2006, the number had swelled to 21,900. The number of employed individuals increased from 19,700 to 20,400 over that same time frame, while the number of unemployed remained the same at 1,500. Those numbers compare favorably to employment activity in neighboring Erie and Sandusky Counties. Erie County showed a net loss of 500 jobs from 2002 to 2006.
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