photo by: Joselyn King

Ohio County Commissioner Randy Wharton, left, Commission President Don Nickerson, and Commissioner Zach Abraham consider financial requests during Tuesday’s meeting.

Ohio County Commission Seeks to Tighten Policies for Community Grants and Hotel-Motel Tax Funds

WHEELING — Ohio County commissioners award much money each year to local groups and festivals through community grants and hotel-motel tax funds, but now they believe they should tighten the process and change their policies regarding these dollars.

Commissioner Zach Abraham said this week the commission is sending out letters to groups who have received the grants in the past, informing them there will be changes in policy starting next year and going forward.

More Information Required

More information will be required with the application — which now will be submitted during the last three months of the year for consideration beginning in January. Funding would be awarded for the next fiscal year, he explained.

“We started a process now to identify anybody we have contributed money to in the past, and let them know we will be changing our process,” Abraham said.

“They need to know they should submit their requests now for what we’re going to be looking at in the next fiscal year, so we can start to budget these things into our budget.

“We will get some control over (spending), and we will look at everything at one time rather than piece-mealing it every meeting. Obviously, we would also leave a contingency available if we would want to approve something (later).”

The new policy establishes a standard for what information is needed for submissions, Abraham continued. To start, those wanting to request funds will need to apply online through the commission website so “it’s not all paper driven.”

“That streamlines it a little bit,” he said. “It may take a little work with (website developer) TSG, and notifying everyone.”

Applicants will be asked to provide their budget, a list of who else is donating and how the money is being used, commissioners indicated.

Positive Reception from Commissioners

Commissioner Randy Wharton noted he otherwise didn’t see much change in the request process.

“It makes a lot of sense, putting this stuff on the front end,” he said. “We want to see where the rest of the money (an organization needs to operate) is coming from.”

Abraham said there will be a three-month window at the end of the year during which the public can submit applications, with the deadline being in January.

“That gives us time to get out the notifications, and get the requests back,” he continued. “The first year we do this it will be a bit of a change, but after that it should go smoother.”

Wharton added requests in more recent years have been for larger amounts than they have been in the past.

Coordinating with the Convention and Visitors Bureau

Additionally, the county “also is in the business of events and raising money” largely through happenings at The Highlands Sports Complex and The Highlands Event Center, according to Wharton.

“I think it’s just intelligent of us to put together a program that reaches out and touches as many people as we can,” he said.

The commissioners also agreed they should sit down and discuss the new policy with Frank O’Brien, executive director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“It’s a possibility some things (requests) could be shifted that direction rather than coming here,” Abraham said.

Commissioners said they send the CVB about $500,000 each year.

“We should talk to him (O’Brien) about coordinating our efforts,” Wharton added.