T-L Photos/GAGE VOTA Belmont County Commissioner Jerry Echemann moves to approve an agreement between the Belmont County Tourism Council and the county.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — For the third consecutive week, the Belmont County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday announced a change to its regularly scheduled weekly meeting.

On Dec. 11, its meeting will be moved to 11 a.m. instead of the usual 9 a.m. due to a scheduling conflict. This week, commissioners met on Tuesday instead of the usual Wednesday.

After scheduling issues were resolved, Commissioner Jerry Echemann moved to advertise for bids to repaint the McKeever water storage tank for the Belmont County Water and Sewer District. The motion was based on the recommendation of Belmont County Water and Sewer District Director Kelly Porter.

“The engineer’s estimate for this project is $600,000,” Echemann said. “That’s obviously a pretty expensive paint job, but these water tanks need to be tended to or they won’t function and they need to be painted so we need to pay for it and take care of it so we don’t have problems down the road.”

Echemann and Commissioners J.P. Ditton and Josh Meyer unanimously approved advertising for bids for the work.

The board then approved an agreement between the Belmont County Tourism Council and the county, effective Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2025.

“This agreement shall automatically renew for one five-year period unless terminated by either party,” Echemann noted.

The agreement calls for the county to contribute revenue from its lodging tax paid for hotel and motel stays to Belmont County Tourism.

“The Ohio Revised Code permits local governments to levy a tax on lodging furnished to transient guests by hotels and motels within that local jurisdiction,” according to Ohio’s Department of Taxation.

“We are the mechanism by which the tourism bureau receives the hotel/motel taxes, and this is simply a motion to allow that relationship to continue,” Echemann said.

The tourism council is governed by its own board of directors and has a staff based at the Ohio Valley Mall. The agency works to promote events, activities and attractions in the county to draw visitors who will spend money on dining, lodging and entertainment in the area.

Echemann then moved for the board to approve and sign a performance of services contract between the Belmont County Department of Job and Family Services and Rebecca Safko. Safko is a consultant for fiscal services related to the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act Area 16.

The contract between Safko and the Belmont County Department of Job and Family Services is for $39,203 and is effective from Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2025.

“In regards to her employment as a consultant, Jack Regis Jr. handles the finances out at Job and Family Services and he basically says that she does a great job,” Echemann said. “We get a perfect audit award, and the whole thing is very complex. He indicates that without her help we would have to have a full-time employee just to do this fiscal work. We’re thankful for Rebecca and happy that we are going to continue that relationship.”

The board approved the agreement.

Lastly, Echemann made a motion to approve a quote from Global Industrial for $4,215 for nine cordless floor dryers with safety cones for the Belmont County Animal Shelter. The cost will be paid partially through an Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation grant with the rest coming from local funds.

“I’ll note that’s a BWC grant of 75% and a local share of 25%,” Echemann said.