Commission authorizes sale of old seats, other items from Paycor Stadium

Notes

The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners met for its regular session at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Todd P. Portune Center for County Government, 138 E. Court St. in downtown Cincinnati.

Present were: 

• Stephanie Summerow Dumas, commission president
• Denise Driehaus, commissioner
• Alicia Reece, commission vice president
• Jeff Aluotto, county administrator.

Public comment

Dr. Mary Griner, a pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, spoke about the children’s services levy proposed by Hamilton County Job and Family Services (JFS). She said the hospital’s partnership with JFS has made possible several initiatives, including a federal grant to prevent youth substance abuse, as well as a real-time digital platform to exchange information between the health care system and child welfare system. This allows case workers to quickly identify children with critical medical conditions, like asthma or a life-threatening allergy, and make their foster parents aware of it.

She shared a couple success stories of foster children whose lives were saved through the JFS-Children’s hospital partnership.

She shared a story about a 2-year-old whose prior HIV diagnosis and need for nighttime oxygen were unknown to his new foster family. Children’s Hospital was able to provide immediate caregiver training to ensure necessary equipment was delivered the same day.

Griner shared another example of a 15-year-old with Type 1 diabetes who arrived at the hospital with uncontrolled blood sugar levels. The doctors were able to avert a potential medical crisis that day.

“For Hamilton County to maintain the standard of excellence and to continue programs to improve outcomes for children in foster care – and to prevent foster care whenever possible – it is essential that the tax levy be supported,” Griner said.

Commissioner comments and motions

Reece: 

• Attended the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast and march to Over-the-Rhine. She congratulated honorees and thanked Linda Childs-Jeter, formerly vice mayor of Lincoln Heights, for inviting her.
• Honored the lives of Dr. Chester Pryor and Betty Jean Daniels Rosemond

Driehaus:

• MLK Day events: She attended the breakfast and march at the Freedom Center as well as the event at Church of the Resurrection.
• Last week she attended a conference in Washington, D.C., for the National Association of Counties (NACo). There, she learned about a $2 billion federal funding cut from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This will impact the Hamilton County Drug Court in a “very negative way” and will restrict the work the county can do there.
• Driehaus mentioned this to a member of the administration and he looked into it, returned the next day, and said the funding was restored.

Summerow Dumas:

• Also attended Freedom Center breakfast and march honoring Dr. King, as well as an event at Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church.
• She attended the Visit Cincy annual meeting. She praised the efforts of the city regarding the new Convention Center where the meeting was held.

By-leave items

BL-PO24-26: Authorizes disposal and sale of county property at Paycor Stadium

This relates to the renovations of clubs and suites at the Bengals stadium. Old material will be disposed of. Some material, like furnishings, TVs and other equipment, can be sold at auction, per Ohio Revised Code. 

By-leave passes.

Consent agenda

Commissioners approved items 1 to 8 on the consent agenda after they were read aloud by the county administrator.

They pertained to awarding bids for asphalt on behalf of the county engineer, revising a contract with Blue Ash, Paycor Stadium parking, and other matters.

More details can be found here.

The meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcincinnati.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.

Find more Documenters’ notes here.