Three pieces of legislation were passed during a meeting of the Highland County Board of Commissioners Wednesday.

The commissioners authorized an additional appropriation from unappropriated funds in the amount of $2,000 to the spay-neuter fund.

The commissioners approved a budget modification within the county land bank fund in the amount of $600.

The commissioners established a new fund for the charitable donation of Donald K. and Myra Pendleton titled “Pendleton-Animal Care” and authorized an appropriation line in the Pendleton-Animal fund in the amount of $5,000.

The commissioners approved a management representation letter defining the scope of accounting work to be performed for the county by Millhuff-Stank CPA Inc. to assist with the compilation of the county’s financial statement.

The commissioners approved the hiring of Clarabelle Lovensheimer as a kennel attendant and Jason Johansen as a land bank administrator. Johansen will begin in his position July 17, and Lovensheimer will begin in her position July 24.

The new executive director of the Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services (ADAMH) Board, Melanie Swisher attended the meeting to introduce herself to the commissioners. “I want to thank you because you signed a resolution to support our crisis planning,” said Swisher. “We submitted a proposal to the state for some capital funding – we requested almost $8 million to help build the brick and mortar part of that.”

Swisher said she had the support of local officials and hospitals in all of the counties she works in. “The other thing we did is put out [a request] for the providers for these services because we really want to make sure that we have the absolute best provider,” she said. “We have three applicants that we are digging through, seeing who we think will be the best and trying to figure out how we’re going to afford it.”

Swisher pointed out that four of the five counties her organization serves, including Highland, are higher than the state average for suicide deaths. “I appreciate all of your support for the Highland County Suicide Prevention Coalition – they are working hard to address that,” she said.

She said that the overdose rate and use of meth is also above the state average in the counties she serves.

She said the annual Harvesting Healthy Minds program at the Highland County Fair to provide suicide prevention information for Highland County farmers has received statewide attention and an invitation to provide the program to the Ohio State Fair.

The commissioners held a public viewing and public hearing to vacate three alleys in Boston west of Beechwood Road and south of U.S. Route 50 in Paint Township. Two adjoining property owners were present, and there was no opposition to vacating the alleys.

Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.