ECONOMIC CONDITION AND OUTLOOK

It was another year of strong economic growth in Greene County during 1996. New construction totaled almost $17

0 million during the year. In the private sector, this construction ranged in nature from commercial to residential, from agricultural to industrial. New commercial developments included new distribution centers for both Elder Beerman’s and Roberds in Fairborn and, as well as the continued development of the Fairfield Commons area of Beavercreek and the Wilmington Pike area of Sugarcreek Township. Residential development was in high gear throughout Greene County, with new subdivisions being built in Fairborn Beavercreek, Bellbrook and Xenia. Several new educational facilities were in some stage of construction, including new high schools in Bellbrook and Beavercreek, as well as development at Wilberforce University, Central State University, Cedarville College and Wright State University.

The employment market in Greene County continued to be strong in 1996. The County’s unemployment rate of 3.8%, 1.5% below the national rate, is a reflection of the well educated population of the County. The well trained work force, coupled with strong economic growth, will keep the employment market in Greene County strong through 1997.

1996 Projects

AUDITOR: It was another active year for the County Auditor. Besides being the chief fiscal officer of the County and the payroll agent for more than 1,200 employees, the Auditor’s office:

• Distributed more than $412 million in tax revenue to various subdivisions

• Administered more than 65,000 real estate parcels

• Processed payment for more than 33,000 vouchers

• Sold more than 600 vendor’s licences

• Sold more than 170 cigarette licences

• Sold more than 21,000 dog tags and kennel licenses

The Auditor’s office also handles personal property tax returns, CAUV applications, real estate transfers, special assessments and mobile home tax and registration. The Auditor’s office is responsible for preparing the County’s CAFR each year.

BOARD OF ELECTIONS: Being a Presidential Election year, 1996 was a very busy year for the department. The major task of reorganizing the registration files was completed. Ten training sessions were held for the more than 900 poll workers the department employs.

COMMISSIONERS: There were several highlights during 1996 for the County Commissioners’ office. One of our long time Commissioner’s retired and a new Commissioner was elected. The Commissioner’s offices relocated to a new facility. The building that formerly housed the Xenia Cinemas was renovated to serve the Commissioner’s office space needs. The Commissioners also started in 1996 the Family and Children First program to serve Greene County’s citizens social and human services needs.

DATA PROCESSING: During 1996, several major projects were completed. A major automation project for the Common Pleas Court was completed allowing laptop computers to network to the Court’s computer. Programming improvements for several departments were completed. Departments receiving upgrades included the Auditor’s office, Recreation and Parks, Building Inspection, Sheriff and several of the County’s courts.

ENGINEER: A new County Engineer was elected in 1996. During 1996, the Engineer’s office continued many programs. Various road projects were completed including the Upper Bellbrook Road/Feedwire Road/Alpha Bellbrook Road realignment, and improvements to Little Sugarcreek Road, South Alpha Bellbrook Road and Hook Road. Annual inspections of bridges and culverts were made. The office continued to service the traffic safety need of Greene County residents with services ranging from lining roads to snow and ice removal.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS): Under the supervision of the County Auditor, work continued, in 1996, on the land parcel database. The County GIS and the County Engineers office developed a new computerized road map. New aerial photos were taken of the fast growing western section of the County. More than 650 new digital orthophotos and 100 digital topographic maps were produced to serve as the information base for all other GIS projects.

JUVENILE COURT: In cooperation with the Domestic Relations Court, the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program was established in 1996. In cases involving child abuse, neglect, dependency or parental custody, the Court appoints a Guardian Ad Litem to act as an advocate for the child’s best interest in the case. The guardians are volunteers that receive special training and certification before they can accept a court appointment.

PERSONNEL: Serving as the County’s Human Resources department, the Office of Personnel accomplished a great deal in 1996. From serving as the County’s representative in the collective bargaining process to training employees in areas as diverse as sexual harassment to stress management, the department continued to serve and meet the County’s many departments’ needs in areas involving employee relations.

PROSECUTOR: It was a year of great activity in the Prosecutor’s office. During 1996, the Prosecutor’s office filed 681 felony cases, 492 juvenile cases, issued 120 opinions, opened 314 civil files, assisted 772 Victim/Witness clients, assisted in collecting more than $20 million of child support and served the community through programs such as the KIDS fingerprinting and photograph programs, the Courtrooms to Classrooms project and the college intern program.

RECORDS AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT: This is a new department authorized by the Commissioners in August of 1996. This department will serve as the County’s Archivist. This department will handle the County’s record retention and record storage needs.

REGIONAL PLANNING: The Regional Planning Commission continued to play a key role in the economic and commercial development of Greene County. The Commission supported the development of more than 90 major and minor subdivisions, processed approximately 150 bonds or letters of credit and reviewed 25 zoning change requests.

RISK MANAGEMENT: Risk management offered a variety of services to the County’s employees during 1996. Vaccinations, mammograms, blood drives and audiograms were offered to employees. The department also administers the County’s properties, automobiles, public official bonds, alcohol and drug testing policy and other various programs.

SHERIFF: During 1996, the Sheriff’s office earned accreditation from the American Correctional Association. This is the third such accreditation earned by the department, qualifying it for the National Sheriff’s Association’s Triple Crown Award. Greene County is only the tenth County in the entire nation to obtain this award. The Greene County Drug Task Force had a record 189 arrests in 1996 and recovered more than $1 million in cash and property. Community programs the office was involved in range from the DARE program and school safety talks to the Shop With a Cop Christmas project.

Future Projects

AUDITOR: The Auditor’s plans for 1997 are focused on two areas. The first area is the computer software used by the office. The real estate section and the bookkeeping and accounting section are both receiving new programs in 1997. The other area is each employee is writing a job description manual. This manual will detail their job duties and responsibilities and will be a useful tool in cross training the office’s employees.

Also, we will finish 64,000 computerized parcel images of all real estate in Greene County.

DATA PROCESSING: Major projects planned for 1997 include installing the LANS system for Probate Court and the Recorder, implementing a new accounting system for the Auditor and implementing an imaging system in the Recorder’s office.

RECORDS AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT: The primary 1997 initiative will be to continue to expand the County archives. A major program will be to install computer software that will help the tracking and locating records stores at the County archive.