Solar, COVID discussed at annual policy forum

Speakers discussed topics ranging from COVID concerns to farming and from solar power to taxes during the Auglaize County Farm Bureau’s annual policy forum.

Ohio House Rep. Susan Manchester (R-Waynesfield) acknowledged the large effect COVID has had on Ohioans.

“I think we’ve learned a lot over the past year about our state government,” Manchester said, regarding Gov. Mike DeWine’s health orders. “For a lot of people, in the beginning it was somewhat forgivable because nobody knew what was going on. Nobody knew how intense this was going to get, but as the weeks went on, and we started to learn how to live with this, it felt more and more like the state was taking too big of a role in mandating what can and cannot be done.”

It was then that lawmakers opted to get vocal about having a say in those kinds of decisions.

“We really felt it was important for us to assert our role as a co-equal branch of government, and say if the governor is going to try and shut this down again we need to have a voice in it, because we are the closest representation of your voice,” Manchester said, noting Senate Bill 22 outlined what that role should look like.

Manchester has worked on child welfare issues for non-profits and her first bill that was signed into law updated foster care training standards in Ohio.

She is also sponsoring a bill that would improve accountability and communication between Children’s Protective Services and law enforcement. The other bill she is sponsoring ensures that child support follows the child.

“As many of you know, unfortunately some of the effects of the opiate epidemic have been that children end up in homes other than with their parents. Sometimes it’s an informal type of agreement where a child might be staying with a grand parent or an aunt or an uncle,” she said. “This bill would ensure that if a child is in that kind of situation that the parent taking care of the child actually receives child support payments.”

Regarding ongoing redistricting efforts, former Auglaize County Commissioner Don Regula asked if Manchester believes all of Auglaize County would be served by only one representative, instead of being split.

Manchester said she would enjoy representing the whole county if the opportunity arose.

“I do plan on running again in 2022 no matter what the district is,” Manchester said. “Time will tell.”

She talked about the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit, born from being on the campaign trail and talking with farmers who want to pass their land on to the next generation, but have significant tax burdens.

Her bill allows for a retiring farmer to receive a tax credit for selling or renting their land or assets to a beginning farmer.

It is currently a five-year program with a $10 million cap. The bill passed through the house of Representatives in June. Work continues on the bill as it heads to the senate.

“There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the new tax system and some of the new tax policy that the Trump administration put into place. I think it’s really important at the state level to do as much as we possibly can to preserve our heritage of agriculture in this state,” Manchester said.

Ohio Farm Bureau Vice President Jack Irvin said they are also paying attention to budget bills, rules for taxing especially estate, inheritance, gains taxes and stepped up bases.

“I don’t care what they are called, we don’t like it,” Irvin said. He said there is a difference between stocks and farm ground and the price of farm ground is rising.

“It’s an expensive business but it doesn’t mean you are a wealthy business.”

2020 was the second-best trade year they’ve ever had and that China’s purchases of hogs and corn contributed to trade.Irvin said about 20 to 25 percent of the U.S. Ag production gets exported. When asked about African Swine Fever coming to Haiti, he said it is already there but hasn’t made it into the herds yet. Irvin said he remains concerned about bio security as disease affected pork production in China.

He recalled how ransomware disrupted the meat industry as there are four companies that produce 80 percent of the meat in the US.

He said they are paying attention to changes in Clean Water rules and how it affects agriculture.

Ag Extension Educator Jamie Hampton said she learned to drive on an 806 International tractor.

“Agriculture is my passion,”

Hampton said. Her specialty is crops and soils, and noted Auglaize was one of the top grain producing counties in the state.

“That is not the only thing that I do,” Hampton said. “I answer a lot of tree questions.”

That includes bug identification. “It’s a challenge, I love to educate,” Hampton said. That includes leading round table discussions about cover crops each month.

County Commissioner Doug Spencer shared his view of the county’s economic standing, explaining that sales tax is their economic barometer.

He said they were expecting sales tax numbers to be down and had prepared to make budget cuts last year.

“2020 was the best collection of sales tax that we ever had,” Spencer said. “Thank you to a United States Supreme Court Case called Wayfair and thank you to the General Assembly for allowing that sales tax on internet sales. That had to be a big reason we did so well,” Spencer said. “Where are we today, we are double digits ahead of where we were in 2020. Things are going very well in Auglaize County.”

He said they have been working with soil and water, and with H2Ohio funds they have had an increased workload.

“We are working with them to try to get a technician to be able to handle this. “It’s a good time to be a help-wanted sign maker,” Spencer said. “There is compensation to attract somebody that has knowledge

to really land boots running and help alleviate some of the workload.”

Spencer said they are being patient with their $8.9 million American Rescue Plan funds. Although there are many wish list items the commissioners want to use those funds for, they need to wait for funding restrictions to loosen.

Spencer said with previous rounds of COVID funding they have been able to help a lot of businesses that were shut down.

“They had never planned for a situation like that before,” he said.

He said they hired Taft Law Firm to evaluate PILOT vs Non-Pilot scenarios for the Birch Solar Farm if the Power Siting Board approves the project. He explained that under a non-pilot agreement depreciation was a large variable but that the depreciation schedule might get reset. They were also waiting on the updated school funding formula. He said they would work with townships with their newfound renewable energy zoning power under Senate Bill 52.

Dan Harpster asked about if the definition of farmer should be more narrow.

Spencer said a lot of definitions have been stretched.

“The only thing I would throw back to you is, if you would have stated to your great-great grandpa, I am going to become a fish farmer,” Spencer said.

He noted that the Sheriff’s Office gets the largest share of their general revenue fund and that there is a Law Enforcement Center that isn’t that old but was constructed when there were different demographics at play.

While they are hoping for a part of the $50 million state grant for a jail renovation, their share might be small.

“If you know one thing about Auglaize County is we like to have money in hand before we do a capital project,” Spencer said.

He said they have been setting aside $150,000 a month in their permanent improvement fund for this project.

“We have dedicated almost $1 million towards that project,” Spencer

said.

The Auglaize County sheriff said he’s the first to admit that they take up the largest portion of the county budget.

“There is a lot going on out there,” Mike Vorhees said. “You get hit from every direction every day. It never stops.”

Vorhees worked in the Drug Task Force for seven years, and 80 to 90% of the people they encounter at the jail have a problem related to drugs. That will be factored into a study to plan for the next 25 years.

“Do we have to add on? Do we have to remodel? I think something has to happen to make it better for the corrections officers and what we have to deal with,” Vorhees said.

That means factoring in mental health.

“We don’t have a special suicide area,” Vorhees said.

He said the jail was built to house 11 women inmates; they currently house 17.

“I’ve seen it as high as 25,” He said. “Again, 90% of that is drug related. “Drugs are not going away.”

For him, it’s about keeping up with the use, and change the path people are on. He said heroin used to be the drug of choice in 2007. Gradually that changed to crystal meth and heroin.

Vorhees said marijuana would likely become legal in the future but that he still considers it a gateway drug.

“What we see is a different side of it. We see the vaping, the high THC levels coming in these vapes,” Vorhees said. He said they are also seeing some high THC levels in edibles as well.

“The other thing we see that goes on is the trespassing on your farmland. They are going in and planting marijuana plants,” Vorhees said. “They are taking your crops down to do it. Mercer and Auglaize County use helicopters to check fields. We’re not going to stop enforcing that.”