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THE EARLY BIRD NEWSPAPER
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County making cuts to meet 2019 budget shortfall SUSAN HARTLEY
STAFF WRITER shartley@earlybirdpaper.com
DARKE COUNTY – Commissioners are winding down their meetings with all county department heads to work to trim the county’s 2019 budget. In July, commissioners were presented the proposed 2019 general fund budget from county auditor Carol Ginn, reflecting appropriations totaling
$21,946,230.57 – a more than $1,000,000 shortfall. According to Ginn, the county is currently losing approximately $800,000 in Medicare and Medicaid taxes. In her proposal, Ginn stated “The budget submitted for 2019 must address the lost revenue from the elimination of the sales tax on Medicare and Medicaid services. In the absence of a revenue replacement mechanism, the commissioners must reduce the
appropriations for 2019 by $1,084,311.57, which is the amount the current (2019) budget is in the red.” For the past several weeks, commissioners have met with department employees to emphasize the need to trim budgets. “We told them in July,” said Commissioner Mike Rhoades of the initial announcement. “They are preparing.” It’s still unclear whether people or programs will most be affected by the
county’s budget cuts. Also in July, commissioners emphasized the fact the 2019 budget shortfall was not the fault of local county employees, rather cuts in revenue being made due to the elimination in sales tax related to managed healthcare organizations necessitated the changes. Rhoades said Wednesday that once the county’s individual budgets are submitted and reviewed, a final budget will be pre-
LINDA MOODY
could ‘pass the hat’ and make a donation of meat or put money toward the purchase of a freezer.” Cutarelli said a few hours later Buzzard called and told her to sit down. “The Knapp family had decided to donate an upright freezer and meat and the employees had taken up a collection and were purchasing enough meat to fill it,” Cutarelli said. “What a blessing! I think we were both crying by the time she hung up. A day or so later she called again. Apparently one of their employees is a vendor at the Saturday Farmer’s Market here in Greenville. Some of the other vendors heard this employee talking about the donation they were making to Fish. These vendors walked over and handed him cash to add to their meat purchase. But wait, there’s more... when the employees went to Winner’s Meats to make their purchase, Rob Winner generously sold them the meat at wholesale price and then matched their donation with one of his own. This donation, from a combination of businesses and individuals, has turned a time of uncertainty and frustration into a time of hope and celebration.” She explained that Fish is a volunteer organization.
Greenville celebrates 13 perfect scorers SUSAN HARTLEY
STAFF WRITER shartley@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – Thirteen Greenville elementary and middle school students were honored Thursday for their efforts on the AIR math test. Each of the 13 received a perfect score on the test. Taken last spring, the AIR – American Institute of Research – is an endof-year test given to Ohio’s third through eigth grade students. “It’s the test Ohio has chosen for the yearly standardized testing to measure the progress and growth of students,” explained Rhonda Schaar, middle school principal. Having 13 students earn 100 percent on a standardized test, Schaar said, is unusual. “We normally have one or two. To me, that indicates we are doing something right.” Schaar called the students “top-notch. They deserve this recognition, as well as their teachers.” Superintendant Doug Fries and Assistant Superintendent Laura Bemus, along with Schaar and Jody Harter, elementary assistant principal, were on hand to present each of the students with certificates for their accomplishments. “Congratulations to all these students,” Fries said, “not only for their perfect scores but also for the hard work and their academic progress they show every day at their school. As well
as their teachers.” Seventh-grader Erin Leensvaart, who took the sixth-grade test, said this was her first time receiving a perfect score on a standardized test. “I was really surprised,” she said upon hearing about her accomplishment, noting she is leaning toward studying language arts after high school graduation. Fellow seventh-grader Cali Harter also said she was surprised at her score. “I didn’t think the test was that easy,” Harter said, explaining the hardest part of the sixth-grade math test for her “was getting all the calculations right.” Harter said math was her favorite subject so far and she is contemplating a career in zoology. Students who received a perfect score include: * Fourth Grade: Braylon Byers, Seth Hughes and Tessa Leensvaart (Third Grade Test). * Fifth Grade: Kiera Lecklider, Grace Sommer and Henry Stiefel (Fourth Grade Test). * Sixth Grade: Katelynn Becraft and Shyanne Gibboney (Fifth Grade Test). * Seventh Grade: William Gettinger, Cali Harter, Carson Henry and Erin Leensvaart (Sixth Grade Test). * Eighth Grade: Brandon Howard (Seventh Grade Test). Former student Katelynn Becraft, sixth grade, also earned a perfect score on the math test.
home had recently passed inspection in order for it to house the county’s Michael’s Home facility – a group home for teenage boys. If all goes as planned, the move from the existing home to the county home facility will take place before the end of the year, Stegall said. Down the road, commissioners hope to turn the current Michael’s Home facility into a similar home for teen girls.
Fish Choice Pantry receives hefty donation CORRESPONDENT
Pictured above, back row, left to right, Assistant Superintendent Laura Bemus, Brandon Howard, William Gettinger, Carson Henry, Cali Harter, Erin Leensvaart, Braylon Byers, Tessa Leensvaart, and Superintendent Doug Fries. Front row, left to right, Shyanne Gibboney, Kiera Lecklider, Seth Hughes, Grace Sommer, and Henry Stiefel.
pared for approval, hopefully by mid-December. Commissioners said Wednesday they do not want to resort to what other Ohio counties are doing to make up the shortfall – raise sales taxes, for example, which is what Montgomery County did, effective Oct. 1. “We’re cutting to keep from raising taxes,” Rhoades said. Also Wednesday, Commissioner Mike Stegall reported the former county
GREENVILLE – Fish Choice Pantry, which is in dire need of food donations, recently received a much-needed donation from various parties. Director Kristy Cutarelli said the pantry received a 17-cubic-foot upright freezer and 76-pounds of hamburger from Dave, Bryan and Brad Knapp of Dave Knapp Ford; 135 pounds of meat from their employees and some of the Greenville Farmer’s Market vendors; and another 135-pounds of meat with a matching donation from Winner’s Meats. “That’s a total of 346pounds of meat,” she said. “As always, it will be given out to our pantry clients – Darke County families in need.” She went on, “Dave Knapp Ford has generously donated meat to the Fish Choice Pantry for many years. I have known Jeanine Buzzard (an employee) for a long time. She and Dave have always been champions for Fish and, when she called to ask what Fish needed this year, I explained to her about the recent loss of two freezers and the meat they held. She told me she would ask if the employees
On-hand for the donation made to Fish Choice Pantry were, from left to right, Bryan Knapp, John Magoteaux, Dave Knapp and Jeanine Buzzard, all of Dave Knapp Ford; Kristy Cutarelli, Fish director; and Brad Knapp, also of Dave Knapp Ford. (Courtesy photo)
“We survive on the support of our friends to be able to carry out our mission of feeding the hungry in Darke County,” said Cutarelli. “It is exciting and humbling to be the recipients of such a generous donation at just the right time, when the need was so great. But we are still in need. Oh yes, our shelves are bare...literally. We are currently in need of everything (except green beans and corn). We have been purchasing ‘staples’ so our clients have food to take home, but there isn’t much of a ‘choice’ at our Choice Pantry right now.” Everything, according to Cutarelli, is needed from
canned fruits and vegetables, breakfast foods, pasta, sauces, noodles, broth, macaroni and cheese, dry mixes (muffins, rice and pasta packets, hamburger/ tuna helper, stuffing, etc.), boxed potatoes, snack items, personal hygiene, cleaning supplies, toilet paper. “I always suggest: The foods your family likes – bring them to the pantry,” she said. “Chances are others like the same foods or need them for their dietary restrictions. We also give out diapers, and we usually have some baby food and formula on hand, but only if donated.”
Community attends GFD open house CLINTON RANDALL
CORRESPONDENT crandall@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – The humid temperature didn’t keep the community from visiting the Greenville Fire Department during its annual open house on Oct. 7. Kids were greeted by Sparky the fire dog, Scoop from The Early Bird, along with Rage and Rocko. The open house is to educate the public about fire safety and learn all about the department. Door prizes, food and drinks, activities and more were all a part of the event. City council member, Doug Wright do-
nated his time to help out serving popcorn and greeting the public. “It is nice to allow the community to come in and see some of the fire apparatus and what the firefighters do,” said Captain Shawn Brandenburg. “Everyone can see our display of equipment and gear, and what it all costs.” The department educated the public the proper way to discharge a fire extinguisher, with a display that allowed kids to actually put out a small fire. On the back side of the station children could help operate a spraying fire hose and see the aerial ladder that rises over 100-feet above
See more photos from the GFD open house at bluebagmedia.com (Clinton Randall photo)
ground. The Red Cross was onhand to educate the community about importance
of smoke detectors. Free pizza was once again donated by The Early Bird Newspaper.