Amstutz presents State of County Government
A rendering of the new jail that is proposed to be built. The project will be fully funded with state money without a tax levy going before the voters of Wayne County.
In an overview of Wayne County and Wooster, Wayne County Commissioner Ron Amstutz said, “we have been riding a very high wave of economic success compared to the rest of our nation. Our county’s method — the collaborative approach — of promoting its thriving economy was chosen decades ago.”
Amstutz gives a significant slice of the credit to the Wayne Economic Development Council (WEDC) for its contribution to its success. But, one area where Amstutz sees an opportunity is in the agricultural sector.
“We have been leaking prime farmland,” he said. “In the past five years, we have lost 20,000 acres to development.”
Amstutz acknowledged that there is tension between farmland preservation and the need to accommodate residential and commercial growth by providing areas where they each can flourish.
“This is a work in progress,” he said. “We have to see how the market adapts.”
One of the tools the county is employing to preserve farmland is the use of Agricultural Security Areas (ASA) that provides tax incentives to farmland owners that voluntarily agree not to develop prime farmland.
Amstutz, who delivered the 2023 State of County Government address during a meeting of the Wooster Rotary, focused much of his presentation on the commissioner’s priority projects and roles.
He outlined the work that the commissioners conduct with the 13 other elected officials in county government.
“We have roles that interact,” Amstutz said. “One of our responsibilities is to work with these officials to authorize their funds. We also have the duty to provide buildings and grounds for all of these officials for the services they provide.”
Amstutz also outlined the offices, departments, and agencies that report to the commissioners. They include:
—County Administrator
—Airport
—Facilities/Maintenance
—Building Code
—Care Center
—Dispatch
—Dog Shelter
—Economic Development
—Emergency Management
—Job and Family Services
—Juvenile Detention
—Planning
—Solid Waste and Recycling
—Wastewater Treatment
In addition, the commissioners are involved in varying capacities with more than 24 different partnerships.
Amstutz discussed the formation of a Transportation Improvement District (TID), including an example of successfully attracting grant funding to connect Daisy Way to Old Airport Road in Wooster.
Another way county government helps to strengthen the county is through the recently formed Wayne County Land Reutilization Corporation (WCLRC), with Commissioner Sue Smail serving as President and Commissioner Jon Hofstetter as a board member.
“Seven properties have been acquired, and we see a variety of positive improvements,” Amstutz said.
Economically, Amstutz said Wayne County is on a remarkable roll.
“Out of 543 micropolitan areas nationwide, we are number seven,” he said. “That is something to celebrate.”
While rankings are named by the largest city in the county, Amstutz clarified that the statistics used by Policom to measure and rank micropolitan areas are taken from the entire county.
Financially, county government revenues have been performing well.
“The county sales tax rate, at three-quarters of one percent, is one of the lowest in the state. Only four or five other counties have a tax rate that low,” he said.
Concern about corrections
Although only one year into a three-year action plan, Amstutz commended the work of the 25-member Wayne County Community Corrections Board that is guiding the implementation of a plan aimed at making the local criminal justice system more effective.
He listed the plan’s six goals and provided an update on goals one and two:
1. Jail alternatives
2. Renovate and expand the county justice center
3. Strengthen intra-system coordination and communication
4. Improve data management
5. Inform citizens of justice system challenges and changes
6. Prevention
The presentation can be viewed on the Wooster Rotary YouTube channel at https://rb.gy/y8tbrz.
Dan Starcher is the Public Communications Coordinator for the Wayne County government.