Seneca County commissioners said they needed more time to think about distributing casino revenue to the village of Green Springs after discussing a request received from the municipality during a Tuesday board meeting.
Seneca County was given $49,292 in casino revenue by the state of Ohio at the beginning of August.
County Administrator Stacy Wilson read a letter in session from a Green Springs representative requesting a portion of this revenue.
Commissioner Dave Sauber said he is waiting first to hear from other township and city officials.
"I'd like to wait for some of the letters I hear are coming from the city of Tiffin and Fostoria and look at all the questions and concerns from them before I make a decision on that," Sauber said.
Commissioner Jeff Wagner said this money is intended to be used for the counties, host cities, the largest cities and the school districts.
"With our losses in the local government fund and our losses in jail revenue, even if we wanted to distribute it I don't think it's a prudent thing to do," he said.
Wagner said the money should stay in the General Fund.
In other news, commissioners signed paperwork with North Central Ohio Regional Council of Governments Director John Davoli to apply for a $100,000 Local Governments Innovation Funds grant from the state for a shared courthouse co-location study.
Davoli said the grant is to be awarded from the state by December.
The grant would be used to determine whether a combined location for city and county government officials will save money.
"The study is about seeing what other entities can go into the building that have interaction with the city court or the county court," Davoli said.
He said sharing personnel, such as a receptionist and having shared bathroom facilities, are examples of how the government entities can drive down cost.
The study would be done by Columbus firm Burgess and Niple.
If the grant is awarded, the study is completed and local officials decide to proceed, Davoli said, a $500,000, no-interest loan from the state could be pursued to help finance the project.
Commissioners also threw their support behind a $100,000 LGIF study concerning feasibility of converting vans, trucks, buses and other vehicles to run on natural gas, and the location of fueling stations. North Central Ohio Educational Service Center, Tiffin City Schools, North Central Academy, the city of Tiffin, Seneca County Agency Transportation and Seneca East would be partners in the study, Davoli said.
