By 1812Blockhouse
Tuesday’s meeting of the Richland County Commissioners opened with routine approvals before diving into several updates from Dayspring Executive Director Michelle Swank.
Swank presented a new contract for phone service at Dayspring, the county’s residential care facility. The aging system—now over a decade old—has become unreliable and unserviceable, she noted. The replacement system, to be installed by Armstrong, will expand the number of lines while preserving a few analog ones for critical uses such as the elevator and fire alarms.
Swank also introduced a forward-looking plan to install vehicle tracking and safety cameras on five Dayspring vehicles. The proposed system from Verizon Connect will feature dual-facing cameras to protect both employees and residents. Swank explained that this proactive step came from an employee concerned about liability while driving county vehicles. The cameras will offer visibility into incidents, help counter false claims, and document driving behavior. The plan includes cloud storage and a promotional price of $4 per camera per month for the first year.
Closing her segment on a lighter note, Swank shared a heartwarming recap of the facility’s recent Easter egg hunt. Despite an early downpour, over 100 children attended, and both kids and residents enjoyed games, ball drops, and sunshine that broke through just in time. “It was such a wonderful day,” one resident told her, “just enjoying the sun and all those happy kids.”
Commissioner Conversations: Energy Contracts and Rising Rates
At 10:00 a.m., the commissioners reconvened for a detailed presentation from Amy Hoffman of Palmer Energy, who walked them through updates to the county’s energy supply contracts.
The commissioners learned that Richland County is part of a new aggregated purchasing group organized by Palmer Energy through the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO). The group, which includes 67 governmental participants, secured new contracts for electric services after a highly competitive bidding process.
Under the new agreement, 86 of Richland County’s 89 electric meters will be served by supplier Dinergy at a fixed all-inclusive rate of $0.08046 per kilowatt-hour for two years—an increase driven largely by spiking capacity costs. Hoffman clarified that the remaining three large meters will fall under a separate supplier, CPV Energy, with a different rate structure that includes capacity pass-through costs.
The commissioners expressed interest in receiving more timely documentation ahead of such presentations and discussed the impact of rising capacity charges on both government facilities and residents. Hoffman explained that recent capacity auction results have driven rates higher, and she advised against locking in long-term energy contracts at this time due to market volatility.
On the gas side, Hoffman detailed the current contract with IGS and the challenges posed by increased transmission costs from the TICO pipeline. However, she reassured the board that provisions in the county’s energy contract would allow for refunds if federal regulators ultimately lower the approved transmission fee.
Behind Closed Doors: Executive Session
The commissioners concluded their public business and entered executive session at 10:30 a.m. to discuss matters related to public employment. They returned at 11:14 a.m. with no formal action to report.
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