Bucyrus, rest of county to be counting CHIP funds in December

By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com

Grant money will soon be flowing into Bucyrus’ coffers.

Dale Hartle, president of the Ohio Regional Development Corporation, made the announcement to Bucyrus City Council Tuesday night. Hartle’s company applies to the state of Ohio for CHIP grant money on behalf of the city. Due to recent changes from the state, Crawford County commissioners act as the grantee for the county, Bucyrus, and Galion.

Hartle said that $750,000 has been awarded to the county and its grantees. Crawford County, which had been awarded a $400,000 grant last year, did not qualify for its full amount this year. The county’s share of the CHIP grant will be $220,000. Bucyrus will receive $352,500 and Galion’s share will be $177,500.

Hartle noted, however, that the grant agreements have not come out yet and the money will not kick in until December.

Money from the CHIP program can be used in a number of ways.
• Rehabilitation assistance: It helps residents who live in their own homes and need assistance in making the home safe and sanitary. The city can spend up to $35,000 per home.
• Home repair/repair assistance: The city has allocated $55,000 for this program. It typically assists five homes during the program year, though it has helped up to nine homes.
• Rental assistance for rental home repair: This program helps landlords provide safer housing for renters. The program is contingent upon those who live in the household, not upon the landlord’s income. The landlord does have to put in 50 percent of the cost of the repair.

Council members have often questioned whether CHIP grant money can be used to purchase back flow valves for homes in certain parts of town. Hartle announced he had received an answer from the state in regards to back flow valves. The city would be allowed to purchase back flow valves with the CHIP grant money as a home repair. Hartle cautioned, however, that the state would not approve a second back flow valve for a home in that it would be fixing a symptom, not the problem. He reported that the state said back flow problems should be addressed by the city.

Anyone with questions regarding the CHIP programs can call Malinda Freeman at 419-562-6583. Her office hours are from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Friday in the county courthouse.

Chief Dave Koepke once again expressed his thanks for the help the Bucyrus Police Department has received while investigating the four homicides that occurred on Labor Day weekend.

“I want to give a special thanks to Captain Joe Greathouse, Detective Tracy Keegan, and Detective John Seif, who have done amazing work and are still working diligently, extra hours more than normal to continue the investigation as it goes through the court process,” Koepke said.

Koepke said statistics show that one incident was “a shocking quarter century average that we hit over the weekend.”

“Our community, we’re used to quiet and peace, neighborhood life. We’re all wondering how and why (this happened). I’m sure we’ll have more answers as it goes through the court process,” Koepke said. “I want everyone to be assured that our police department is fully capable of responding.”

Koepke believed it was the support of the community that allowed the police department to respond and investigate the homicides to the full extent.

“The community support from the levy campaign last year made a huge difference,” Koepke said. “We were able to have Detective John Seif in the Detective Bureau. We did not have a detective this time in 2013. I don’t where we would have been if something this tragic had happened at that time. The good news is we have a great police department, great people, and a great community that supports law enforcement.”

Koepke also referred to the crime statistics for the city through the end of August. He noted that there had been consistent activity but he thought the most troubling numbers came from calls of crisis in the area of mental health and suicide prevention.

Two of the departments new police cruisers have been delivered and are sitting in the city’s garage. Koepke said decals will be put on Friday and the cruisers should be on the streets soon.

The Bucyrus City Council passed five pieces of legislation during Tuesday night’s meeting. The legislation pieces considered were:
• Ordinance 37-2014: Appropriated in fiscal year 2012 CHIP-CDBG grant funds to reimburse the city for its work on the grant.
• Ordinance 38-2014: Created a new fund subparagraph category and line items in 2014-2015 Ohio Crime Victims Assistance Grant.
• Ordinance 39-2014: Appropriated in 2014-2015 Ohio Crime Victims Assistance Grant for salary and benefits.
• Ordinance 40-2014: Various transfers for contracts, supplies, Utility Office billing, and other equipment maintenance.
• Ordinance 41-2014: Amended Ordinance 24-2014 by adding Section 8 Grandfather Clause.

Council adjourned into executive session toward the end of the meeting to discuss personnel employment.

Two committee meetings have been scheduled for Monday, Sept. 22. The Platting Committee will meet at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers followed by the Finance Committee meeting at 4:15.