With an election behind them and a new year ahead of them, the Lawrence County Commissioners had their organizational meeting Monday morning.

Jason Stephens was elected commission president; he and fellow commissioners Doug Malone and Les Boggs agreed to schedule weekly meetings at 9:30 a.m. each Thursday, with informal work sessions at 9:30 a.m. each Tuesday.

While the budget is at the top of the list, the commission has other things to consider, too.

Stephens has said he would like to urge the board of elections to consider redrawing the county’s 88 precincts to even out the number of voters in each precinct.

He pointed out some precincts have fewer voters than others, meaning residents in some precincts had to wait in line to vote while other precincts handled fewer ballots.

“We can’t make them do it,” he said. “But I would like to encourage realignment. It would save several thousands dollars and make it more efficient and would be more fair to the voters across the county.”

Another challenge facing county leaders is the aging Dennis J. Boll Group and Shelter Home. The 100-plus year-old facility needs either a massive overhaul or replaced altogether. County leaders have discussed both options but don’t have the money for either.

The Ohio Department of Youth Services awarded the group home a $500,000 grant last fall but at that time both Lawrence County Juvenile Court Judge David Payne and group home director Brett Looney said that is only a small part of what is needed to solve the facility’s problems.

Yet another issue is finding funding for the Union-Rome Sewer District that is under construction now.

The county has gotten some low-interest loans to pay for the project and $5 million in federal funds has been earmarked for it. But county leaders are concerned that this money may be eliminated because of shifting priorities in Washington D.C.