The Portage County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 2, 2025 approved a package of routine and project-specific actions including grant acceptance, contract authorizations, budget amendments and procurement steps while holding multiple executive sessions on security that resulted in no action.

The actions, approved by roll call, included formal acceptance of an award from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Office of Criminal Justice (a grant for the Portage Support Youth program on behalf of Portage County Jobs and Family Services); authorization to apply to the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services 2026 Recovery Ohio Law Enforcement Fund on behalf of the county sheriff’s office; direction to the county auditor to process the Oct. 2, 2025 bills, ACH payments, wires, journal vouchers and then‑nows contingent on verification; and approval of budget amendments as recommended by the Department of Budget and Financial Management.

Why it matters: the approvals enable county departments to move forward with spending and grant programs and begin procurement and contracting steps for several infrastructure projects.

Votes at a glance:
- Approval of the Oct. 2, 2025 regular meeting minutes — Motion approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).
- Direction to the auditor to process 10/02/2025 bills, ACH payments and related items — Approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).
- Processing 10/02/2025 budget amendments as reviewed and recommended by the Department of Budget and Financial Management — Approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).
- Acceptance of award from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Office of Criminal Justice for the Portage Support Youth Grant (on behalf of Portage County Jobs and Family Services) — Approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).
- Authorization of application to the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services 2026 Recovery Ohio Law Enforcement Fund (on behalf of the county sheriff’s office) — Approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).
- Approval of specifications and setting the purchase date for various chemicals for the Portage County Water Resources Department — Approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).
- Authorization to publicly announce a billable contract opportunity for professional construction administration services for the Newton Falls Bridge replacement (Perris Township) — Approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).
- Authorization for the Portage County engineer to execute a local public agency agreement with the director of the Ohio Department of Transportation for two intersection corridor safety studies in Portage County — Approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).
- Authorization to prepare plans, specifications and estimates and submit an application to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission State Capital Improvement Program for Streetsboro Grama Sewer Rehabilitation (Streetsboro Sanitary Sewer District No. 4) — Approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).
- Acceptance of an existing master services agreement with the Thrasher Group for professional engineering and design related services concerning the Portage County Regional Airport — Approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).
- Agreement to enter into a workforce innovation fund subgrant (text in record: agreement with “Government, and the 4 H Development Board”) — Approved by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).

The board also voted to move into executive session on multiple occasions under Ohio Revised Code 121.22(g)(6) to discuss security arrangements and emergency response protocols for a public body or public office; in each instance the board reported “no action” following the session. The statute cited at the meeting was Ohio Revised Code 121.22(g)(6), and board decisions to enter executive session were recorded and carried by roll call.

Several infrastructure procurement and planning steps were authorized so that departments may proceed with solicitations and applications. For example, the board set a public announcement for construction administration services for the Newton Falls Bridge replacement and directed the engineer to execute an ODOT local public agency agreement for two safety studies — steps that permit planning and potential contract execution pending future procurement and contract award processes.

Background and next steps: most items authorized at the meeting are precursors to later contracting or grant acceptance steps that will require staff follow‑up (procurement, grant application submission, contract execution and project bidding). The board also acknowledged certificates of estimated resources and county auditor certifications required for budget and appropriation compliance.

No ordinances or long-form legislative debates occurred on the record during the meeting; the votes listed above were routine approvals, grant acceptances, funding applications and project authorization motions that the board approved by unanimous roll call.