Commissioners honor local Eagle Scout Bryce Barber

Highland County commissioners Terry Britton, David Daniels and Brad Roades recognized an area Eagle Scout, heard updates on the county’s permissive sales tax receipts and conducted bid openings at their Wednesday, Feb. 25 meeting.

Commissioners issued a proclamation in honor of Bryce Barber of Greenfield, the son of Brad and Angie Barber, who recently attained his Eagle Scout rank. According to the proclamation, “the rank of Eagle Scout is the highest honor bestowed by the Boy Scouts of America, representing years of dedication, leadership, service and commitment to the community.”

Bryce attended the meeting with his father and grandfather (Archie Barber) and was invited to speak about the accomplishment.

“I have been working on getting my Eagle Scout since I was in first grade,” he said. “To get your Eagle Scout, you have to do a big Eagle Scout project, which at Highlands Nature Sanctuary, I was able to build a 24-foot bridge and do wetland restoration. 

“Along with your Eagle Scout project, you have many, many merit badges you have to get, many requirements you have to fulfill, many service hours you have to do. I put in a lot of work over many years to get to this point, and I'm very honored I was able to be awarded my Eagle Scout. I'm very grateful for all the people who have helped me get to this point.”

The proclamation noted that Barber “has successfully completed numerous merit badges, held positions of responsibility within his troop and planned and carried out a significant community service project benefiting others.”

Commissioners and all those in attendance gave Barber a round of applause.

“Congratulations, because that's a great, great honor and a great thing that you have done to get to this point,” Britton said. “It’ll definitely help you in your leadership skills and work skills for the rest of your life.”

Britton read the proclamation to “hereby congratulate Bryce Barber on earning the rank of Eagle Scout and commend him for his outstanding achievements, leadership and service to others.

“The board expresses its sincere best wishes for continued success in all his future endeavors and thank him for his positive example he sets for the youth in Highland County,” the proclamation said.

Also at Wednesday’s meeting, Highland County Auditor Alex Butler announced that the county has already surpassed $1.7 million in permissive sales tax receipts on the year, as the county is currently sitting 6.03-percent higher than in the same time frame of the current-record 2025 year.

Butler reported the county collected $890,093.79 for February, a 7.54-percent jump from February 2025 ($827,680.39). For regular monthly totals only (not counting December when extra money is released), it is the highest single-month amount since March 2025 ($960,161.96).

In other discussion:

• Commissioners voted 3-0 to appoint Britton, Highland County Treasurer Vickie Warnock and Highland County Economic Development Director Julie Bolender to the City of Hillsboro’s newly formed Tax Incentive Review Council.

As explained by Hillsboro Mayor Justin Harsha, “the purpose of the council is to review and evaluate tax incentive agreements entered into under the law and to ensure compliance with the annual reporting and review requirements.” According to the mayor, the council will also include two representatives appointed by the mayor (safety and service director Shawn Adkins and city auditor Dawson Barreras), two members appointed by Liberty Township trustees and one representative each from Hillsboro City Schools and the Great Oaks Joint Vocational Schools districts, with the “county auditor or the auditor’s designee” serving as chairperson.

• Commissioners held two separate bid openings for unrelated project. The first, for prestressed concrete box beams for an Engineer’s Office bridge replacement project on Panhandle Road, had one bid submission from Prestress Services Industries of Ohio, LLC in the amount of $124,800. Later in the meeting, commissioners voted 3-0 via resolution to accept the bid and award the project.

At 10 a.m., commissioners also held a bid opening for Rocky Fork Lake grinder pumps. They received bids from Crane Pumps & Systems, in the amount of $323,500; Covalen, in the amount of $372,088; and StreamKey, in the amount of $586,050.

Commissioners said they will likely award the bid at their next meeting.

• Although not discussed during the meeting, it was noted under communications that Julie Graham-Price of the Ohio Power Siting Board recently sent an update on Highland County solar projects.

For the Highland Solar project, Graham-Price wrote that the OPSB is “aware” of developers’ plans for a battery storage facility and for an additional solar project, both of which have been discussed at previous commission meetings. However, she said that nothing has been filed at this point. Also in February, in response to a noise complaint, developers “agreed to build sound walls at six inverter skids to reduce noise” and have begun construction on the sound walls, Graham-Price wrote.

The Palomino Solar project in Union and Dodson townships is “on schedule” with  construction, as it is currently in the site grading/access road construction/electrical work phase.

For the New Market Solar project, Graham-Price wrote that an operations and maintenance building has been constructed on the property with “electrical and interior work on the building” still under construction.

The Dodson Creek Solar project in Hamer and Dodson townships had no complaints in its most recent quarterly report, according to Graham-Price, but developers have “contacted OPSB compliance staff to advise on new areas of impounded water within the project fence line.” OPSB will “monitor” developers’ efforts toward “remediation,” which will involve “a combination of improvements to grading and drain tiling,” Graham-Price wrote.

Graham-Price had no updates of note for Willowbrook Solar.

• Commissioners issued a proclamation in honor of National FFA Week, which was accepted by local students. For more, see: https://highlandcountypress.com/news/highland-county-commissioners-area….

• Account executive Hans Beutner and sales manager Carl Hoffmann of GloFiber presented a sales pitch to commissioners regarding internet options for county buildings.

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

• A subscription and a subscription service agreement with the Sheriff’s Office (two separate motions) for the LEADSOnline Powerplus Investigations System.

“That's a database that gives us access to information on things people have sold across the state and even adjoining states, and different businesses that record the information tracks stuff that's stolen, if it shows up in a pawn shop somewhere,” Highland County Sheriff Randy Sanders.

• A request for release of funds and certification for federally funded state projects for the Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), as well as two 2025 grant agreements for CHIP, one for Community Development Block Grant and one for home improvement, according to commission clerk Ashleigh Willey.

• A contractor’s estimate pay application in the amount of $38,900 and a change order for an increase of $43,368, both from Unger Construction for work on the Rolling Acres Wastewater Treatment Plant.

“That project's almost completed,” Daniels said. 
 
• A resolution to grant authorization for listed “then and now” purchase orders and authorizing the county auditor to issue warrants for their payment.

• A resolution from the County Engineer to declare listed items as no longer needed by the county and obsolete, ORC 307-12(A)(1); therefore, the said board declares the listed items to be surplus property and no longer needed by the county.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General fund from Veterans VA Transport to Commissioners Motor Vehicles in the amount of $42,602.

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