By Ryan Berry

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — Darke County will lose funding from the state’s Local Government Funds next year. The Darke County Commission learned on Tuesday, Aug. 22, the state is providing 4.79 percent less than it did a year ago.

The county gets 30 percent of the funds that come into the county from the Local Government funds with the remainder going to the city, villages and townships. In 2024, the county can expect to receive $511,865.38.

Commissioner Matt Aultman pointed out that Commissioner Larry Holmes did some research and found most counties take a 35 percent share of the Local Government Funds and distribute the rest to their villages and township. “We take five percent less than that,” he said. “We put more back into the communities than a lot of other counties do.”

The county has witnessed a drop in Local Government Funds previously, but according to Aultman it is different every time they do a new budget. He said, “It seems like it (Local Government Funds) is always on the cutting block.” He pointed to a couple of years ago when the state cut the funding but agreed to fully fund the indigent defense fund as a trade-off. “That’s always been the give and take. That’s always been the buffer. This last time, I don’t think it was really on the cutting plate because there was a push to put more funds back into the communities. They kind of held the line and it was a small reduction,” said Aultman.

The commissioners also accepted the amounts and rates as determined by the Budget Commission for 2024 and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying to the county auditor. The county has a 3 mill levy that generates just over $4 million in revenue. The other levies under the county’s control are mental health levies with a 2 mill levy that expires in 2031 and generates almost $2 million. A continuing mental health levy collects 1.3 mills and generates $1.2 million and a Tri-County Mental Health Levy that expires in 2026 is a .6 mills and collects $75,500.

In other business, commissioners announced they are accepting bids for the resurfacing of Horation-Harris Creek , Beamsville-Union City and Gettysburg-Webster roads. Sealed proposals will be received at the Darke County Administration Building until 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].