The county commissioners provided updates on the Columbiana County Engineer’s Office’s ongoing improvement projects.

Commissioner Mike Halleck said the update was focused on the large projects which would noticeably affect residents.

“These are the things you notice, the things that are important to you and your communities,” said Halleck.

Halleck said that the legal description had been completed for the $2.3 million Elkton water and sewer project which was enabled by the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funding, and once signed the plans would be ready for review. Halleck also said that the project would likely be ready to go to bid before Christmas.

“Without the ARPA money it’s a very good possibility that Elkton would never have sewer or frankly, water. There’s just not a big enough tax base there for them to support that on their own,” said Halleck.

The approximately $3 million county garage complex expansion project is currently waiting on funding from the United States Department of Agriculture to move forward with the project, having already contributed its approximately $1 million share of the overall project funding.

Halleck said that the $600,000 Calcutta sanitary sewer pump replacement project which will replace “major intake pumps,” and benefit Lisbon and the federal prison in Elkton would be going to bid.

Halleck also said the pump station is being completed for the Hanoverton sanitary sewer project and is expected to be completed in November, and the water and sanitary sewer pump station at the county garage is “95% complete,” engineering has been completed for the Calcutta Smith Ferry Road storm sewer project, and the Liverpool, Perry, and West Township drainage issue projects, and the $1.1 million additional Kensington south sanitary sewer project was being designed.

Halleck also reminded residents that despite confusion caused by the state mandated ballot language, the county sales tax issue that voters will see on their general election ballots was a renewal of the current longstanding 1% sales tax. Halleck said that the levy generated approximately 70% of the county’s annual revenue and had been implemented in favor of property taxes because it’s the fairest way to collect tax revenue as everyone pays when they choose to make a purchase, even those who don’t reside in Columbiana County, and that were it not to be renewed there would be major effects to all of the county’s departments including the sheriff’s office.

Other matters included the unanimous approval of a resolution accepting all six contractors that responded to the county’s request for qualifications for the Columbiana County Archives build/design project, with technical packages tentatively scheduled to be sent to those contractors by Oct. 31.

The board of commissioners will meet next at 9 a.m. Oct. 30.