Commissioners hear Visitors Bureau, HCSO updates; Marriott Hotel project moving forward

This article has been corrected to fix an error in the commissioners' upcoming meeting schedule. 

Highland County commissioners Brad Roades, Terry Britton and David Daniels received updates from the Visitors Bureau, Economic Development and the Sheriff’s Office during their Wednesday, Nov. 19 meeting.

Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jamie Wheeler shared a brief PowerPoint slideshow of the Bureau’s activities since her last annual update in December 2024.

As outlined by Wheeler in the presentation, “the Visitors Bureau’s mission is to attract visitors to Highland County through education, promotion and marketing of attractions and activities in the region”— including surrounding communities, such as Bainbridge — and “to answer the question ‘What is there to do in Highland County?’

“We also help a lot with our business community, to help them attract and attain workforce, and then obviously work with our fellow visitors bureaus as well,” Wheeler said. 

Some of the ongoing work done by the Visitors Bureau includes maintaining their website (visithighlandcounty.com) and social media pages, which help promote local events by businesses and municipalities, as well as the publication of various promotional materials. Both the website and social media pages have seen an increase in traffic compared to last year.

“Our [website] sessions have increased 88 percent, our unique 81 percent and our page views 20 percent over last year,” Wheeler said. “The website is doing its job and then some, so that’s really exciting.”

Along with their website, Wheeler said the Visitors Bureau has begun sending a monthly e-newsletter to highlight “some of the content that we already have on the website or sharing some events. Currently, Wheeler said the Visitors Bureau website is highlighting a number of holiday activities throughout the county through their website and e-newsletter.

A new, and popular, project by the Visitors Bureau this year was the inaugural Highland County Summer Scavenger Hunt, a fun and interactive challenge for families using the GooseChase smartphone app. Throughout the summer, the Visitors Bureau added new “missions” around the county, encouraging residents to support local businesses, attend festivals and events, spend time in nature and more.

“That ran from May 1 to September 15, and we had 217 active teams,” Wheeler said. “We had 1,995 submissions.”

She shared screenshots of several comments from users who answered the question “What makes Highland County special to you?” Their responses included answers about their family, the land, nature and the community. Wheeler also had positive responses from users at the end of the contest when asked about their favorite parts of the scavenger hunt. Those answers included making memories with family, spending time together, visiting local businesses and learning more about Highland County history.

“The young lady that won the top prize basket, she had came in, and her mamaw was the one that took her on all 54 adventures,” Wheeler said. “We saw a lot of generations participating, and that was really cool. 

“All in all, it was really fun, so it was a good way to explore the county.”

For the e-newsletter and scavenger hunt, respectively, Visitors Bureau was selected as a finalist in the Newsletter and Innovation in Travel Marketing categories at the Ohio Travel Conference.

“We didn't come home with any trophies, because we were in some tall, tall weeds there with some visitors bureaus that have budgets many, many times ours, but it was still good to be recognized,” Wheeler said. “There were quite a few people in the room that came up to me afterwards and appreciated that we had submitted and that we were getting recognized.”

Also in 2025, with more events planned in the coming months, Wheeler has been a part of plans for Highland County’s observance of the America-250 anniversary.

“July 17 and 18th [of 2026] is our big event in Highland County,” Wheeler said. “There's an ‘Ohio Goes to the Movies’ project, where a movie will be shown in all 88 counties. This is one of Governor DeWine’s projects for America-250 and so that event will be happening in April, and we'll be sharing more details about that as we get closer.”

Looking ahead to other projects in 2026, Wheeler said she continues to work toward promoting Highland County in connection with the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks UNESCO World Heritage designation, as she is also working with the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA).

“We say it every time: we think you’re doing a great job,” Daniels said. “We appreciate all that you’re doing.”

After hearing Wheeler’s presentation, Roades also read a proclamation in honor of Small Business Saturday, which will be recognized Nov. 29. The proclamation was accepted by Wheeler, who is also the director of the Chamber of Commerce, and Amber Dunseith of the Chamber (along with their mascot Marvin the Moose).

“We ask you to please join the Small Business Administration and organizations across Highland County in supporting the local small businesses by shopping at a small business,” Roades read from the proclamation. 

For Small Business Saturday, which will be observed Nov. 29, Wheeler said the Chamber will be providing tote bags and other items from American Express to local businesses. According to American Express, “Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses and communities across the country and is part of the larger Shop Small Movement. Founded by American Express in 2010, this day is celebrated each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the U.S. Since it started in 2010, consumers have reported spending an estimated $200 billion at small businesses on the day.”

“There are Small Business Saturday activities, both in Hillsboro and Greenfield, planned for that day,” Wheeler said.

In unrelated economic development news, Highland County Economic Development Director Julie Bolender announced that the long-discussed Marriott Hotel project in Hillsboro is expected to break ground this calendar year.

“We should start to see dirt being moved probably mid-December of this year,” Bolender said. “We look forward to that. For those that don't know, the Visitors Bureau is funded by bed tax.

“[Wheeler] does a great job on a shoestring budget, so we are happy to bring a hotel to the community for our residents and our visitors, and to supplement her work.”    

Bolender also reported that the economic development department is hosting a roundtable with area manufacturing partners Dec. 1 at 9 a.m. in the commissioners’ meeting room.

In other discussion: 

• Highland County Sheriff Randy Sanders and HCSO corrections administrative assistant Paula Resor reported that Resor has identified an error in inmate medical costs and reimbursements, which the office is working to correct. The total discrepancy is less than $2,000 for the past 10 years.

“Over time, laws changed, and administration changed,” Sanders said. “The software got set up incorrectly, basically, so it's taken more money out than it should have taken out, under certain circumstances.

“We have to check not only the medical costs, we have to compare it to court costs, because people have to be found guilty for us to charge. We’ve got people that's been found incompetent to stand trial or was found not guilty, that medical costs were still taken out, and that shouldn't be.”

In addition to reporting the issue to commissioners, Sanders said they have already reported the issue to Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins and the state auditor’s office. At Collins’ recommendation, Sanders said they are reviewing data from the past decade to identify any discrepancies.

As a result of Resor’s review of the past 10 years, Sanders said they have identified 50 former inmates with a total maximum amount owed, combined, of $1,862.66. Of those 50 people, Sanders said only a few are owed over $100.

“There’s none of that money missing,” Sanders said. “It was paid in through the auditor and the treasurer's office, so all that money has been paid in.”

Sanders added that their next steps are to meet with Collins and Highland County Auditor Alex Butler to determine how they can issue reimbursements, while also working to “start making contact” with the former inmates to be able to send payments to them.

“It’s just a glitch where no money is missing,” Sanders said. “We can't blame anybody for doing it. It's just something that happened, at some point.”

In another update, Sanders said that the county will likely have limited radios when the new MARCS (Multi-Agency Radio Communication System) system update takes effect Jan. 1, until they receive the correct equipment.

• Britton announced changes to the commissioners’ meeting schedule through the end of 2025, due to holidays and the close of county business. Commissioners will not meet Nov. 26, while their Dec. 3 meeting will be moved up a day to Tuesday, Dec. 2 due to the CCAO winter conference. 

The Dec. 10 and Dec. 17 meetings will be held as regularly scheduled unless otherwise announced, but Dec. 17 will mark the close of business and the final meeting of the year barring any emergencies. Commissioners will reconvene for their organizational meeting in early 2026, with the date to be announced.

Commissioners also made the following approvals, each by a 3-0 vote:

• A fire protection services agreement with Cintas and a kitchen suppression system agreement with Cintas, both for the Justice Center.

• A transfer from PA Grant to Public Assistance Fund (2050) in the amount of $58,376 for the Mandated County Share for SFY 2026.

• A resolution to authorize the Highland County Recorder to create line items within Recorder, General Fund (Equipment and Contracts & Repairs). Also requested is an appropriation from unappropriated funds to Equipment in the amount of $4,000.

• A resolution to authorize a transfer for Highland County Job and Family Services from Public Assistance (2050) to Children Services Special Fund (2115) in the amount of $209,818.81. This transfer is for foster care costs utilizing Title XX funding.

• A budget modification within the Engineer’s budget, Repair-MVL fund (2065) in the amount of $40,000 from Laborers-Salary to Other Expense.

• A budget modification within the Sheriff’s Office budget in the amount of $600, from Contracts and Services to Training.

• An appropriation within the Sheriff’s Office budget from unanticipated revenue in the amount of $1,621.48 to Salaries-Employees.

• A resolution to authorize the Record’s Office to declare listed items as no longer needed by the County and obsolete, per ORC 307.12(I).

• A budget modification within the County General Fund (1000) in the amount of $47,122.27.

• A transfer from Transfers Out to 2000 (Dog and Kennel) in the amount of $11,046.72. Also requested is an additional appropriation from unappropriated funds to Salaries-Employees $9,484.54, PERS $1,496.29 and Medicare $65.89.

• A budget modification within the 2187 (Corona Local Fiscal Recovery) fund in the amount of $495.77 to Salary-Employee, $459 and OPERS, $36.77.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the 2505 (County Land Bank) in the amount of $31,803.77, to Salary – Employee $289.05, OPERS $14.72 and Insurance $31,500.

• A budget modification within the Real Estate Assessment Fund (2055) in the amount of $146.02 from Health Insurance to PERS.

• A transfer from Transfers Out to Victim Witness (2540) in the amount of $3,395.37. Also requested is an additional appropriation from unappropriated funds to Salaries-Employees, $3,119.98 and PERS, $275.39.

• A budget modification within DETAC-Prosecutor (7210) in the amount of $1,375.25, from Supplies to Salaries-Employees, $1,281.35 and PERS, $93.90.

• A budget modification within the Common Pleas Fund (2295) in the amount of $390.60, from Postage to Mediation Salaries, $386.50 and Medicare, $4.10.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds in the TCAP FY24-25 Fund (2625) in the amount of $466.75 to Operating Expense.

• A budget modification within the Rocky Fork Lake Fund (5030) in the amount of $12,000, from Supplies to Contracts & Services.

• A resolution to grant authorization for listed “Then and Now” purchase orders from Nov. 19, 2025, and authorizing the County Auditor to issue warrants for their payment.

• A renewal of a contract with Maximus US Services, Inc.

• A contract with Parry Landscapes and Lawn Care, LLC for snow removal.

 • A $38,900 change order to a contract with Unger Construction, Ltd. to remove and replace the chain link fence at the Rolling Acres Wastewater Treatment Plant.

• A change order reflecting a decrease of $31,478.09 for the Gibler Road bridge replacement project.

• A $6,000 fee from McCarty Associates, LLC  for mezzanine work at the Highland County Justice Center.

• A pay application from Mechanical Construction and a related Ohio Water Development Authority fund payment request for Rocky Fork Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant improvements. 

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 26 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.