The Wayne County Board of Supervisors will meet Tuesday at 9 a.m. for their first meeting of 2025, tackling a packed agenda that includes budget adjustments, retirements, and several infrastructure and safety initiatives. It’ll be the first meeting after County Administrator Rick House told supervisors he’d be retiring in late-March.
The board is expected to approve measures amending the 2025 budget to address key expenditures, including costs associated with the Health Services Building acquisition and penalties owed to the IRS. Additionally, they will consider extending the county’s additional 1% sales tax through November 2027, a move intended to prevent increases in property taxes.
Retirements will be honored for several county employees, including Coroner Keith Benjamin, Probation Director Mark Ameele, and Corrections Officer Shane Donahue. The meeting also features plans to permanently appoint a new director for the Probation Department, with Deputy Director Coriza Rivera slated to step into the role following Ameele’s departure on February 1.
Public safety remains a focal point, as supervisors weigh contracts for autopsy services, the acquisition of replacement rifles for the sheriff’s office, and multiple grant-related budget amendments. These include funding for the Stonegarden Grant Program and state law enforcement initiatives.
In public works, the board will address upgrades to highway infrastructure and renovations to the county’s highway department facilities. Meanwhile, resolutions in health and human services will focus on enhancing services at the county nursing home and expanding public health efforts in opioid prevention and emergency preparedness.
Supervisors will also examine economic development plans, including a $700,000 grant from the state’s Community Development Block Grant program to fund single-family housing rehabilitation projects in the area.
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