The Miami County commissioners heard the county’s lodging tax is on the road to setting a record this year.
The commission also approved contracts for the Phoneton water line extension and the renovations to the Communication Center dispatch room and approved a proclamation supporting the Tri-County Mental Health and Recovery levy renewal.
The 3 percent lodging tax proceeds go to the county Visitors and Convention Bureau, which expects to exceed 2015’s lodging total, Diana Thompson, the bureau’s executive director, said during the bureau budget presentation to the commission Oct. 25.
The lodging tax in 2015 brought in $419,728. The 2017 budget projects $425,000 in income from the tax. The tax makes up the bulk of the bureau’s income, which is projected at $443,400 for 2017.
The commission praised Thompson for the work being done by the bureau staff. The commission Oct. 27 approved the bureau budget for next year.
The commissioners Oct. 27 also approved a contract with Milcon Construction of Troy for the Phoneton area water line extension. The company bid $1,832,646.
Work on the project should begin yet this year, said Paul Huelskamp, county sanitary engineer. "It will be full speed ahead," he said.
The commissioners voted this summer to move forward after reviewing results of well testing done by the county health district. The tests showed that of 43 wells tested, 28 were found to be OK.
The commissioners made no comments before voting to award the contract.
The commissioners also approved contracts for renovations at the Communication Center dispatch room.
The contracts were awarded to RDT Concepts of Avon for $191,680 for workstation furniture and Oak General Contractors of West Milton for $39,278 in general construction work.
The project work, in part, was designed to reduce background noise in the dispatch room and for better ergonomics at workstations, said Jeff Busch, center director.
The renovations are the first major change to the dispatch work area since the center opened in 1990. The center handles dispatch/communications for police, fire and EMS countywide.
The Tri-County Mental Health and Recovery levy request is a 0.6-mill, five-year request. It will be before voters in Miami, Shelby and Darke counties Nov. 8.
