ELYRIA, Ohio— Lorain County Sheriff Jack Hall approached Lorain County Commissioners last week with an unusual request: reject a funding request for his own office.
Commissioners were scheduled to vote on Alvarado Landscaping’s authorization to provide $13,810.44 in landscape services at the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office. However, Hall stated that the project was tied to Department of Homeland Security recommendations and could be funded without using taxpayer funds.
“This is a situation in which normally landscaping would be paid for out of the general fund and paid for by the commissioners,” says Hall. “In this particular case, in June of this year, we were made aware by the Department of Homeland Security that potential attacks that could take place on law enforcement public safety buildings.”
Hall stated that the county engineer’s office recently installed “several cement barriers” and rerouted parking and traffic patterns at the Sheriff’s Office to reduce the risk of car-borne explosives. Landscaping was added to the barriers. Much of the initial landscaping was done with the assistance of volunteers from a drug court program, reducing the amount of labor required by half. The remaining work was completed by the contracted company.
Because the project was considered part of the DHS-advised security upgrade, Hall stated that it could be paid for with restricted funds rather than the county’s general fund.
“We’ve elected a request that we pay for the landscaping out of restricted funds so there is no cost to the county taxpayers in this endeavor,” says Hall. “So, we are asking you to actually reject this expenditure.”
Restricted funds may only be used for specific purposes. They frequently stem from asset seizure and forfeiture, special grants, and court-imposed fines and fees.
The board unanimously decided to reject the expenditure. Just before voting, Commissioner Jeff Riddell spoke up.
“You owe us a dollar.” “It’s concrete, not cement,” Riddell joked. “Cement is the gray powder that makes concrete.”
Hall laughed, took out his wallet, and gave Riddell cash.
“Fair is fair,” Hall explained.
