Wayne County commissioners accept grants to assist crime victims

Nate Powalie
·3 min read
The Wayne County commissioner approved applying for grants for various count projects.

At the Wednesday meeting, the Wayne County commissioners approved a resolution that accepts a grant from the Ohio Attorney General for Wayne County through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and the State Victims Assistance Act (SVAA) for the 2024 Victim Witness Awareness Program on behalf of the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney.

The VOCA federal funds are $52,336, the state funding from the SVAA amounts to $4,856, and the local matching funds provided by the County Commissioners are equal to $44,825.43, bringing the grand total of the grant to $102,017.43. Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney Angela Wypasek notes that the funds will help to fund salary (the dollars are earmarked toward the Director's salary) and offset some of the costs of the Victim Witness Assistance Program.

Program Director Jill Cheek also notes that "the program provides services such as advocacy and support to crime victims. The services we provide mainly regard the criminal justice process, which include informing victims of the rights, social service agency referrals, and counseling services."

Other actions from Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 meetings

  • At the Sept. 27 meeting, the Commissioners opened by reading a letter to designate a section of W. Lebanon Road in the southeastern edge of Wayne County (running south of US Route 30 between Sugar Creek and Navarre) in honor of Lance Corporal Larry Porter and Private Roy Porter of Dalton, who were brothers that served in the Marine Corps and died in active combat during the Vietnam War.

  • Approved a resolution that would allow for acceptance of Highway Safety Grants from the Traffic Safety Office of the Ohio Department of Public Safety on behalf of the Wayne County Sheriff for the Fiscal Year 2024, with $14,310.80 going to the Impaired Driving Enforcement Program (IDEP), and $16,810.80 going to the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP).

  • Approved a resolution accepting a grant application from the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency to accept a fully-funded grant from the US Department of Transportation, Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) through the Pipeline Emergency Response Grant (PERG) for activities regarding safe transport of gas or hazardous liquids.

  • Approved a resolution that would authorize a grant application by the Commissioners to request reward funding of $500,000 from the Ohio Public Works Commission for the Sterling Area Wastewater Improvements Project in Milton Township, with the funding being awarded effective July 1, 2024.

  • At the Oct. 4 meeting, commissioners gave a presentation of a financial reporting award to Wayne County by representative Katie Semo of the Ohio State Auditor's Office.

  • Also at the Oct. 4 meeting, the commissioners presented a proclamation to OneEighty, Inc. of Wooster in recognition of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

  • The Commissioners approved multiple housekeeping items over the past two weeks, including county bill collections, county home bills, transfers of funds between organizations' accounts, updates in organizational staffing, travel and training expenses, and organizational membership.

  • Approved a resolution authorizing an application to appoint Ashland County Prosecutor Chris R. Tunnell as special prosecutor to assist in the investigation of Attorney Lee Potts with the Rittman Police Department.

  • Approved a resolution giving the authority to approve and accept an application and a grant award from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services for the RecoveryOhio Law Enforcement Fund for the Medway Drug Enforcement Agency in the amount of $139,534.79, retroactive to May 1,, and running through April.

The commissioners will meet in the Wayne County Administration Building Upper-Level Meeting Room on Wednesday at 9 am. Anyone interested in attending the meeting virtually can register through a Zoom link on the commissioners' website.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wayne County commissioners accept grants for crime victims, highway safety