The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

Profit creates new County Places Initiative

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

OHIO CITY — Vicki Profit, Republican candidate for Van Wert County commissioner, attended Tuesday night’s meeting of the Ohio City Village Council, and talked about her proposed Van Wert County Places Initiative, a way to funnel wind energy PILOT payments into community projects throughout the county.

Republican county commissioner candidate Vicki Profit provides information on her County Places Initiative that would put wind farm revenues to good use in rural areas and villages. Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent

Currently, the county receives approximately $300,000 in PILOT funding from the Blue Creek Wind Farm. If the Long Prairie Wind Farm is ever completed, that would add another approximately $500,000 in county funding.

Profit said she felt the plan would be a positive for the county, noting that she doesn’t feel the current commissioners are giving enough attention to the problems of county villages and rural areas.

Profit said the money, instead of sitting unused as it does now, could be placed in a special line-item fund, where it could be used to provide money to battle opioid addiction in the county, as well as a variety of projects in the county’s communities, park districts, neighborhoods, and townships.

“There’s a lot of neat things that could be done with this money,” she noted.

The commissioner’s candidate said, if elected, she would work to establish a Places Initiative Fund where wind energy payments would be deposited and would then be available for “quality of life” projects throughout the county.

“If these quality of life projects aren’t realized in the next ten years, population in the county, especially in the smaller villages, will continue to decline, leaving Van Wert County off the list of potential business investments and talent attraction strategies, (which would be) detrimental to our existing business community and sustainability,” Profit noted. “The idea is to improve the livability in our most vulnerable communities by investing in positive community development.”

If the Places Initiative Fund was established, entities in the county, whether they be villages, townships, park districts, community organizations, or other group, could apply for a quality of life improvement project each calendar year.

Some possible projects would include:

Park districts — Land acquisition, playground improvements, gazebos and pavilions, or other construction projects

Villages — Sidewalk development (matching grant), fire-police protection, community gardens and trails, housing repair grants, signage repair, and pavement improvement.

Downtowns — Storefront façade programs, business attraction and retention, education and outreach, signage programs, economic development initiatives.

Environment — Health and outreach education programs (such as opioid treatment), greenspace projects, and wellness activity programs.

Villages and other organizations could apply for up to $50,000 a year on a competitive basis, with the total available based on the current PILOT amount, as well as any new revenue from additional wind energy projects. Applications would provide details about the project and would be evaluated for best use of the money available.

In addition, Profit said $100,000 annually would be reserved for programs addressing the opioid epidemic in the county, while another $50,000 would be set aside for grant administration, planning and research funds, and metric measurement.

Ohio City Village Council members, as well as a handful of people who attended the meeting, had positive comments about the program, and also about wind energy development in the county.

One Village Council member noted that the reason she felt the initiative was a big deal because the wind energy funds are not being used, noting that the funds, because they are currently in the county’s General Fund, could be used for nearly any purpose.

She added that she has attended regional planning committee meetings and has heard township trustees complain about road conditions and other needs that wind energy money could positive affect.

Profit said the county needs economic development and wind energy is available, noting that Paulding County has been actively seeking wind energy projects, which have provided many financial positives for that county.

Another Council member said the village already buys electricity from the Blue Creek Wind Farm through AMP-Ohio, noting that Apex would likely provide clean electricity to the village at a reasonable rate. It was obvious from the comments at the meeting, that village officials were frustrated by the lack of attention from county officials, with a one man saying he feels the commissioners are “passing the buck” on the wind energy question.

Several of those present noted the benefits for the Van Wert City School District if the Long Prairie project is built, which would benefit the village’s children, who go to Van Wert schools. One man referred to the benefits from wind energy payments currently seen in Crestview and Lincolnview school districts, noting that facility projects in both districts are being paid for without seeking more money from taxpayers.

POSTED: 05/02/18 at 9:13 am. FILED UNDER: News