MOUNT VERNON – The County Commissioners Association of Ohio has released its list of legislative priorities for 2021-22, and one of the key issues for Knox County is money for mandates.
County governments have a host of responsibilities, from indigent criminal defense (public defenders) to elections. While the state issues mandates in these areas, funding to counties often falls short, leaving counties to pick up the tab.
“The state must dedicate adequate resources to counties to ensure that counties, as the state’s agent, can successfully accomplish the state’s mission and directives at the local level,” the commissioner’s group stated.
It calls for the state to assume full responsibility for funding indigent defense.
“That’s obviously a top priority,” Knox County Commissioner Teresa Bemiller told the Mount Vernon News. “Indigent defense is something we cover and then the state reimburses us. We would obviously like full funding. The state sets the parameters for what happens with public defender offices.”
In the past, state reimbursement has been as low as 30% for indigent defense, Knox commissioners said.
“There’s two things the counties pay for that the state constitution says the state should provide: one is elections, the other is indigent defense,” Knox Commissioner Thom Collier told the News.
State guidelines and rules on elections often create extra costs for counties.
“It costs counties a great deal, so we would like to see that fully funded as well,” Bemiller said.
Knox County spent over $600,000 in 2020, the commissioners said.
Another legislative priority for the Commissioners Association is preserving the sales-tax base.
“The state likes to do sales tax holidays for back-to-school and other occasions, and we get the concept,” Collier said. “They make the decision but then our funds are affected significantly and we don’t have a way to plan.”
Expanded broadband internet is also a priority for the Commissioners Association and for the Knox commissioners.
State Rep. Rick Carfagna (R-Genoa Township), who represents Knox County, is co-sponsor of legislation that would provide state grants for broadband expansion.
“We are optimistic that he will get that accomplished,” Knox Commissioner Bill Pursel told the News.
The Commissioners Association also wants counties to not get hit with extra costs from the Family First Prevention Services Act, which affects the child welfare system.
“This looming federal requirement threatens to further strain county resources, which still constitute the largest share of funding for the child welfare system,” the group said.
