Ohio budget to help Portage County universities, community-driven projects

Remembering those we've lost in Portage County

Get ready to celebrate with our county’s greatest show! The 168th Portage County Fair (Aug. 25-30) will be bigger than ever partly due to an increase of 4-H youth who are participating. 

About 130 employees at Aurora’s GE HealthCare facility joined IAM Union Local 1363 in January 2025, and they’ve been negotiating their first collective bargaining agreement ever since.

2026 has been a challenging and difficult year for a lot of families in Portage County, with many living paycheck to paycheck, barely keeping up with the rising cost of, well, everything. But even in these trying times, it is important – and perhaps necessary – to celebrate some of the good that is happening, too.

Mullaly then offered a report from the fire department and said they were currently looking at cost-cutting measures. Those include limiting purchases; stopping TV, newspapers and coffee at the station; limiting training; and limiting participation in the county teams.

Also in the consent agenda, Heflinger proposed the removal of school fees, excluding extra and co-curricular activities. He additionally asked for approval for contracts to purchase ELA books, for pest control services with A-Best Pest Control and with the ESC for special services.

With a projected growth in revenue in 2027, the end balance that year is estimated to be $750,000. That number will continue to grow in 2028 to $1.035 million. At that point, revenue numbers will flatten out. He predicted that in 2030, the district “will need to pay close attention to their cash on hand.”

I hope you all are getting ready for the 2026-2027 school year. Summer is once again slowly moving to the rearview mirror of 2026.

Remembering those we've lost in Portage County