Findlay City Council’s Appropriations Committee approved a recommendation Tuesday to provide start-up funding for the Findlay and Hancock County Health Department merger.  The city would pay $550,000 while Hancock County will pay around $375,000 to start the new department.  The City will then pay $360,000 and the County just under $250,000 annually for operating expenses.  Findlay City Council will need to approve the plan.  The merger is set to be completed on January 1.
 

Bridge Home Health & Hospice has been named a Top Agency of the 2015 Home Care Elite™, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States.   Bridge has been identified as ranking in the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies in the U.S.  This is the eighth consecutive year Bridge has been featured in this ranking.

Ohio State Senator Cliff Hite will introduce legislation to address and prevent sudden cardiac arrest among Ohio’s student-athletes.  The legislation calls for education prior to participation in a sport; online training for coaches; and guidelines for recognizing and dealing with the symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest.  The legislation is modeled after concussion legislation that has passed in all 50 states, according to Hite’s office.

Love’s Travel Stop will be coming to a site near Upper Sandusky in 2016.  The company is near closing on the purchase of a site at the southeast corner of U.S. 23/U.S. 30 and Warpole Street.  Construction would start this spring and the 7,000- to 10,000-square-foot travel stop would open by December 2016.  It would include a convenience store and fast-food restaurant and employ 40 people, including full and part-time workers.

The Hancock County commissioners signed off on the updated plan for the county’s public transit plan that includes a fixed route through the county.  Organizations that plan to apply for federal transportation funding must be part of a “public transit-human services transportation plan.”  The Community Action Commission operates Hancock Area Transportation Services, or HATS, which provides public transportation in Findlay and Hancock County for a low fare.  The program faced harsh criticism in April 2014, when public hearings were held on the updated transit plan.  Other transit needs identified during the update included: Increased community awareness that HATS is public transportation, not limited to senior citizens or individuals with a disability, 24-hour service for late shift workers, more reliability and dependability, out-of-county transportation and college student transit.

North Baltimore Council recently has filled two openings on its administrative staff.  Kathi Bucher is expected to become Village Council’s next clerk in January at an annual salary of $6000.  Courtney Bretz was named finance clerk at a salary of $11.68 an hour for a 40 hour work week.