# Commissioners Zoom's Meeting


**Body:** Richland County Ohio
**Date:** October 29, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Information Technology, Construction & Infrastructure, Digital Infrastructure, Physical Infrastructure


Richland County Board of Commissioners meeting, October 29, 2026 (the transcript’s opening identifies Thursday, October 29). Commissioners reviewed the Sheriff’s Office 2027 budget request, including patrol, jail, and 911 costs, staffing, insurance, vehicle replacement, and jail food and medical expenses. The sheriff estimated combined requests of roughly $24 million; commissioners raised concerns about the department’s share of the general fund and asked for cost-reduction measures. No budget reductions or new vehicle purchases were approved during the discussion. Commissioners approved a quote for a county laptop and the Maximus agreement for an indirect-cost study. They also approved Change Order No. 4 for jail-kitchen renovations, for approximately $9,480 in labor and materials; another smaller change order was expected. The transcript mentions a Verizon GSA agreement with EMA, but does not clearly establish its disposition.

The board received a completion update on the county broadband expansion supported by the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program and Charter/Spectrum. The project, completed October 6, expanded service availability from the originally planned 748 locations to 1,167 at no additional cost to the county or state for the added locations. The final project cost was reported as just over $15 million, compared with an initial estimate of $8.1 million; the county contributed $2 million in gap funding, the state contributed about $2 million, and Charter provided the remaining private investment. Staff were asked to provide commissioners with updated location, customer-type, and mapping information. The Sheriff’s Office also discussed replacing an outdated jail body scanner, but no purchase decision was made.

**Source:** Richland County Ohio