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Warren County says no to stimulus funds

Connie Powers steps off a Warren County Transit bus at her home in Warren County. Powers has been using the busses since 1992 after she went blind.

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By Marie Rossiter, Staff Writer Updated 11:45 AM Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Warren County is saying “no thank you” to federal stimulus funds, according to its commissioners.

The county is the only one in the state that has rejected stimulus money for transportation improvements, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Commissioners rejected $373,000 in stimulus money to buy three new transit buses and upgrade their fleet, citing their opposition of deficit spending for buses and vans.

Commissioner Mike Kilburn said he refuses to take any stimulus funds.

“I’ll let Warren County go broke before taking any of Obama’s filthy money,” Kilburn said.

When asked about stimulus money being used to help improve rural transportation and job creation, Kilburn said he was tired of government handouts.

“I’m tired of paying for people who don’t have,” he said. “As Reagan said, ‘government is not the answer, it’s the problem.’”

County Administrator Dave Gully said ODOT sent the county a letter saying it was eligible for the money, but the commissioners decided not to apply for the funds.

“It was an act of omission, rather than rejection,” Gully said.

ODOT spokesman Scott Varner said the money was specifically for transit improvements in rural areas. Varner said these funds would be used to improve transportation for disabled people, seniors and others needing access to health care and educational opportunities.

“About $180 million was allocated for this,” Varner said. “We had hoped to share those dollars with all counties, but Warren County has decided against it.”

Commissioner David Young said the commissioners also are looking for a way to give back $1.8 million in stimulus money allocated for energy efficient windows and roofs on government buildings.

“We are working with the prosecutor’s office to find a way for us to give back the money and make sure that no one else spends it,” said Young. “We want to make clear that we are saying ‘no, thank you’ to spending this money and we are reducing the $787 billion being spent by $1.8 million.”

Gully said there is still a possibility the money could be used for efficiency improvements as part of the county courthouse expansion project, but a final decision has not been made.

Young said while the conservative board of commissioners is against the $787 billion stimulus package, even they might support using funds for larger infrastructure projects.

“I understand the federal government should be doing some spending in a down economy,” said Young. “But, it should be on big projects like highway improvements. We might not like deficit spending, but at least we could live with it if the funds were being used for those things. To use it for vans? That’s crazy.”

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