TIFFIN, Ohio — Seneca County commissioners on Tuesday, June 9, took a step toward placing a 0.7-mill renewal levy for the region’s mental health board on the November 3 ballot, adopting a resolution declaring the levy a necessity.

The resolution covers a renewal levy for the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wyandot Counties, the agency that plans, funds and oversees behavioral health and addiction services across the four counties. Because the rate sits outside the state’s 10-mill limitation, commissioners were first required to formally declare the levy’s necessity, citing Ohio Revised Code sections 5705.221 and 5705.25, before it can advance to voters.

The board does not directly provide treatment. It contracts with local agencies for services that include in-school counseling, crisis intervention training for first responders, and housing assistance for residents living with mental illness. As a renewal, the measure would continue the existing rate rather than add a new tax.

Commissioners Bill Frankart, Anthony Paradiso and Brent Busdeker approved the resolution unanimously.

Task force plans free Elizabeth Smart event in Tiffin

Commissioners also heard an update on the Seneca County Violence Prevention Task Force, which formed earlier this year in response to a fatal Tiffin shooting. Kenneth Clason, a Seneca County Common Pleas Court magistrate who initiated the group, told the board it now includes about 25 organizations and meets monthly.

Clason said the task force plans to bring Elizabeth Smart, a nationally recognized survivor advocate, to Tiffin for a free, roughly one-hour presentation, a moderated question-and-answer session and a book signing at the fieldhouse on the Heidelberg University campus. He said the event is tentatively scheduled for November 17 but that the date could change as the group finishes fundraising. He described it as the task force’s first major awareness event.

The task force launched May 1 at the Seneca County Public Safety Building, following the Nov. 19, 2025, murder-suicide on Huss Street that left four people dead, including two children. Clason, who works under Common Pleas Judge Steve Shuff, said he approached Sheriff Fredrick Stevens before convening the group. He told commissioners the task force has since formed subcommittees and fielded eight additional requests to join after its initial announcement. Busdeker, who said he was recently added to the task force, asked Clason to brief the board.

Commissioners proclaim Elder Abuse Awareness Day

The meeting opened with a proclamation marking June 15 as Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Seneca County. June is National Elder Abuse Awareness Month, and residents are encouraged to wear purple on June 15 to recognize the observance.

The proclamation was presented to Jennifer Schumacher, protective services administrator for Seneca County Job and Family Services, and Jessica Bartson, who supervises the agency’s intake and adult protection units. According to the proclamation, the county’s adult protective services received 132 referrals between May 1, 2025, and May 1, 2026, of which 29 involved alleged abuse, neglect or exploitation of residents age 60 and older. The proclamation also cited an estimate that Ohioans 60 and older will make up more than a quarter of the state’s population by 2030.

Roughly $253,000 in supplemental spending, including two new roofs

Commissioners approved eight supplemental appropriations totaling about $252,781. The two largest were roofing projects drawn from the county’s capital projects fund: $74,500 for a new jail roof and $54,725 for a new roof on the Public Safety Building. Commissioners said the Public Safety Building — the former EMS building at the county fairgrounds — had its roof damaged during high winds in March and was temporarily patched.

The remaining appropriations included $57,980 for a preventive maintenance contract with Earl Mechanical, $42,970 for preventive maintenance at the Justice Center and Annex, $9,406 for the auditor’s office “VIP” cloud migration, $9,980 plus an additional $20 for Board of Elections travel and expenses, and $3,200 for a jail contract-services stipend tied to federal immigration enforcement grants.

Other business

In additional action, commissioners:

  • Established a Community Corrections Grant (CCA) fund on behalf of Common Pleas Court II to cover salaries, Medicare and retirement contributions for the court’s Pivot Court personnel.

  • Set a June 23 deadline to receive sealed bids for a pavement repair and resurfacing project on County Road 7 and County Road 592 (Project C-2026-2).

  • Authorized the board to sign an Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction grant agreement for community-based correction services.

In their reports, commissioners noted a D-Day anniversary commemoration held over the weekend at the Frankart farm. They also pointed to an EMS station dedication and an Ottawa-Sandusky-Seneca Joint Solid Waste District tire-collection event, both scheduled for Saturday, June 13.