BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – Belmont County Commissioner Jerry Echemann passed the gavel to J.P. Dutton, the new 2025 Board of Commissioners President Tuesday morning during the board’s’ annual reorganization meeting. Echemann ended his tenure as board president and will serve as vice-president in 2025.
New commissioner Vince Gianangeli joined the board after taking the oath of office last week.
The commissioners announced that they will now have a regular meeting every Wednesday starting at 10 a.m. rather than 9 a.m. This change is effective Jan. 15. However, the Jan. 8 meeting will still be at 9 a.m.
Gianangeli thanked the board for accommodating him with the meeting time change since he takes his special needs child to school, and the later time will allow him to continue to do this.
The commissioners will have work sessions every Monday at 9 a.m.
Each of the three commissioners was appointed to various local boards including the folllowing:
- Gianangeli – Local Corrections Planning Board
- Dutton – Bel-O-Mar executive committee chair
- Gianangeli – Bel-O-Mar executive committee vice-chair
- Dutton – Land Bank Revitalization Board of Directors
- Dutton – representative for voting at annual County Commissioners Assoc. of Ohio
- Dutton – Belmont County Community Improvement Corp. (CIC) board of trustees
- Dutton – Belmont County Health District Advisory Council
- Gianangeli – Belmont County Records Commission
- Echemann – Jefferson Belmont Regional Solid Waste Authority
- Dutton and Echemann – Belmont County Investment Authority
- Gianangeli – Belmont County Board of Revision
In addition, Dutton was appointed to serve on the Belmont County Family and Children First Council. Gianangeli tells River News Network that this council’s goal is to benefit children and meets every other month. Groups that represent children with disabilities, Belmont County Department of Job & Family Services (DJFS) and school districts collaborate to promote the welfare of children, he explained. Gianangeli served in leadership roles as Fiscal Administrator and Director at Belmont County DJFS. He explained that the Help Me Grow program stems from this council.
Echemann was named the board’s representative to the Council of Governments (COG) board for Workforce Area 16 effective Jan. 1, 2025. Gianangeli explained that this group coordinates job training and employment services across a four-county region comprising Belmont, Harrison, Jefferson and Carroll Counties. Belmont County DJFS serves at the fiscal agent. The council contracts with consultant Rebecca Saffco for additional fiscal services and the commissioners recently renewed her contract. The commissioners added that Belmont County DJFS was awarded a perfect audit by the state of Ohio in 2024 for fiscal responsibility.
Gianangeli added that he successfully went through audits during his tenure at Belmont County DJFS and for the State of Ohio Auditor’s Office.
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