Johnna Ben

The meeting featured a presentation from the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau regarding marketing successes, return on investment from lodging tax dollars, and digital marketing performance across various platforms. Key discussion topics included the utilization of lodging tax for marketing, visitor spending trends compared to competitive counties, strategies to mitigate visitor leakage, and future efforts to implement AI-powered search optimization for tourism. Additionally, the Commissioners discussed the possibility of implementing a lodging tax on short-term rentals and reviewed new walking tour materials highlighting historic districts.

The Commissioners discussed several key projects and administrative actions. Topics included the vendor swap for the Trumbull County Fairgrounds building sound system project using ARPA funds, the annual registration of petroleum underground storage tanks, and the status of the law library steps repair project, specifically regarding geotechnical soil analysis. Additionally, the commissioners approved an extension for a bridge closure on Barkley Masterly Road, a road repair agreement with Select Water, and a service agreement with the Village of Lordstown. Further actions included personnel appointments in the transit, maintenance, and sanitary engineering departments, along with an environmental review memorandum of understanding with the Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority and an Appalachian Regional Commission grant application for the Rio Vista Sanitary project.

The workshop covered numerous agenda items including the approval of bills and budgetary transfers, the discussion of attorney fees for public records requests, and contract approvals for various county projects such as the EMA rehabilitation, North River Road resurfacing, and the law library steps replacement. Further discussions included human resources personnel actions for the Sanitary Engineers Department, the approval of various professional services agreements for bridge load ratings and traffic studies, and the management of opioid settlement funds. Additionally, the commissioners reviewed reappointments for the mental health and recovery board and issued a letter of support for a municipal sewer line project.

The board approved a wide range of administrative and operational items, including authorization for payroll services for the Workforce Development Board and the award of contracts for the Emergency Management Agency relocation project, bridge load ratings, speed zone and intersection studies, and road improvement projects. The meeting also included proclamations and resolutions regarding Foster Care Month, appointments and reappointments to the local corrections board and mental health and recovery board, the acceptance of annual reports, approval of change orders for infrastructure projects, and the granting of various permits including special hauling and right-of-way access. Additionally, a letter of support was authorized for a critical sanitary sewer line replacement project.

The meeting focused on an investment portfolio review for the first quarter of the year. Key topics included a performance comparison between the current year and the previous year, with a highlighted increase in investment income. The Treasurer discussed proactive management strategies, including the movement of funds from low-interest checking accounts to higher-yield vehicles like Star Ohio and Farmers to optimize returns. Additionally, there was a presentation on the long-term core investment portfolio, market outlooks regarding Federal Reserve rate policies, and the impact of inflation on interest rate strategies.