By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — Veterans are being taken advantage of, and Darke County is working hard to educate and protect.

Commissioners Matt Aulman, Marshall Combs, and Larry Holmes all met with Darke County Recorder Hillary Holzapfel to raise awareness on veteran services that are being used to exploit that demographic.

“We are making veterans aware that there are companies that are charging veterans to file their DD214s and their NGB22s,” Holzapfel said.

The Darke County Recorder’s Office, Darke County Veteran’s Services, and the Ohio Recorder’s Association are doing their due diligence to help spread awareness to stay away from those businesses because the filing services are free of charge for all veterans.

“Veterans service offices can obtain those themselves at no charge, and then those documents are very important to be recorded in the Recorder’s Office where there is no charge for that,” Holzapfel said.

She said the company named “DD214” is charging anywhere from $79 to $99 and then expedited rates.

“It is taking advantage of our veterans, so we are working as an organization to have some legislation with the Attorney General’s Office to make sure that this stops or at least make sure that the veterans are aware that the services are offered for free,” Holzapfel said.

Helping to spread the word would help at least Darke County to ensure its veterans are secured and taken care of. Anyone can give Tom with Darke County Veteran’s Services a call at 937-548-5305, or they could call Holzapfel herself in the Recorder’s Office at 937-547-7390 with any questions of concerns.

The commissioners also discussed the termination of services between Franklin Township and the Zoning Inspection & Clerk Services. Per item 11 in the contract, the contract will be terminated 90 days following receipt of the letter. The letter was drafted after the township trustees met and voted on April 1 to end the contract titled “Agreement Respecting Delegation of Powers and to Provide Zoning Inspector and Clerk Services.”

“In the past the county has offered and extended zoning services to the different townships,” Aultman said. “As townships no longer see the value of the county, they have the option to leave and do their own thing.”

Aultman said they have had Greenville Township go out on their own in the past before Franklin Township began working on the process for themselves.

“We do have services for eight other townships of which three of them fall underneath a conjoined zoning,” Aultman said.

A notice to bidders will be issued regarding the Asbestos Hazard Evaluations dated April 1, 2024 and completed by Turn-Key Environment. Bids for the project need to be received by 1 p.m. on April 30 to be read of the 1:30 p.m. meeting that day. Bids will need to be turned in a 520 South Broadway Street in Greenville and must contain an original and one copy of the bid submission.

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].