The Lawrence County commissioners approved to pay $25,000 of a $58,000 utility bill recently issued by the Ohio Department of Corrections for the ORV facility in Franklin Furnace at their meeting on Thursday. The $25,000 will come from the general fund.

The county received the bill, counting from February through October, seeking repayment to the state after the STAR Community Justice Center, which is next door to the ORV and is run by the state, paid the bill in full from its budget.

Commissioner Bill Pratt said at least a portion of the bill needed to be paid in order not to lose the lease on the facility.

Commission president Les Boggs said it was time to make some kind of a move to go back to the facility for the jail, stating that if the state does in fact cut down the number of inmates allowed at the current jail from 52 to 27, something needed to happen.

With next year’s budget currently being worked on, Pratt said that if a move to the ORV facility were to take place, the money currently being used on transporting prisoners to other counties can be used for the move.

Also at commission, the commissioners:

• Approved and signed the weekly invoices and certificates as presented by the Auditor’s office.

• Approved one floodplain permit.

• Received and filed the Dog Warden Report dated Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, 2016.

• Approved 17 transfer funds.

• Approved six appropriate funds.

• Approved and signed the MOU agreement for assistant administrator due to extra duties effective Nov. 21, 2016.

• Posted the administrator position in AFSCME Local 890.

•  Upgraded the status of Matthew Conley from part-time paramedic to full-time paramedic effective Nov. 20, 2016.

• Terminated the employment of Justin Birchfield and Brittany Pauley Miskar from EMS effective Nov. 14, 2016.

• Received and referred the correspondence to establish Private Road 3467 in Perry Township.

• Advertised for public viewing and hearing to vacate Andrew Alley in Fayette Township and notify adjacent property owners.

• Received and studied the correspondence from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction regarding lease and renewed demand for payment.

• Met in executive session with Terry Porter, director of the Lawrence County DJFS, regarding personnel-hire/fire/reprimand, with no action taken.

• Met in executive sessions with Lori Morris, fiscal officer of Lawrence County EMS, and Buddy Fry, executive director of the Lawrence County EMS, both regarding personnel-hire/fire/reprimand, with no action taken.