Local officials talk initiatives at annual Council of Governments meeting

The North Central Ohio Educational Service Center hosted the North Central Ohio Regional Council of Governments' 9th annual meeting Friday morning. Five local leaders spoke at the meeting: State Senator Bill Reineke, State Representative Gary Click, Seneca County Commissioner Tyler Shuff, Seneca County Sheriff Fred Stevens and Executive Director of Mental Health and Recovery Services Mircea Handru. Each local leader came to the floor and discussed their recent work. State Senator Reineke took the floor first and discussed several of the committees that he currently serves on. The unemployment fraud committee was started to fight the current wave of reports of unemployment fraud. The committee is working on a bill that will require identification when applying for unemployment benefits. Reineke also discussed another bill that will handle property rights when it comes to solar and wind turbines. "Wind and solar are the only forms of energy that are not regulated and we would like to see that happen," Reineke said. State Representative Click spoke next and gave updates. Click is working to reintroduce the Ohio Family Stability Commission, which is meant to work to "strengthen families and fix issues that break them down," Click said. "I came from a broken home like so many others. We need to know how to stop that," Click said. Click is working on a bill that would help people in the welfare system adjust to the job force. Another important bill he is involved with is the rural broadband internet bill that will help companies bring the internet to rural areas by the government providing some of the money to do so. Commissioner Shuff spoke about the work the county commissioners are doing. One of the biggest undertakings is moving the EMS system to a county-wide system. This is a collaborative effort among many people and fire and ambulance districts in the county. "I would hate to see anyone wait for emergency services," Shuff said. "Our goal is to provide the best coverage to all areas of our county." The commissioners are also working with Sheriff Stevens in safety services. Another focus of the commissioners are the small businesses of Seneca county. The CARES act has helped immensely in helping businesses, Shuff said. Sheriff Stevens spoke of the changes and improvements to the Sheriff's Department. One of the first things Stevens started doing when he became sheriff was reorganizing the department into divisions to allow for more accountability and supervision. The department is in need of major updates in technology and the building itself, Stevens said. The Sheriff's Department is increasing its concealed carry weapon courses, now at 40 hours a week. In April, there will be an increase to 48 hours a week. "We were losing a lot of money to other counties who were doing CCW for residents of Seneca County. We're working to get that money back here," Stevens said. The Sheriff's Department will also have law enforcement specific fingerprinting available to the public soon. Stevens said many people in the area need that type of fingerprinting available for their job and have in the past had to go to other areas. Executive Director of Mental Health and Recovery Service Board Handru spoke last. He spoke on the efforts of the opiate task force, which he said have been effective for the community. The overdose numbers from 2018-2019 decreased, though unofficial numbers from 2020 show there was an increase in overdose deaths last year. The board is continuing the Quick Response Team in April. The team checks in on people who have overdosed twice a week to provide any help to them. There will be a community-wide Narcan distribution to help people who are affected by opioid addiction. The board provides free Narcan training to local businesses as well as free suicide prevention training. The board also offers critical incident stress management for private and public organizations who experience a tragedy. "We have many resources available for residents and businesses. Help is more readily available now, you just have to ask for it," Handru said.