Warren County commissioners accepted County Administrator Martin Russell's resignation Tuesday, Aug. 4, during a session that also brought a legal update on the county's race to spend its remaining federal relief dollars before a year-end deadline.
The two-item meeting at 406 Justice Drive in Lebanon opened with Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Adam Nice providing a formal update on the county's American Rescue Plan Act funds. The county received $45 million in ARPA money, all of which must be spent by Dec. 31 or be returned to the U.S. Treasury. As of the July 28 commissioners meeting, roughly $660,000 remained unallocated.
The bigger question looming over the ARPA discussion: a $3.2 million broadband contract with Altafiber that the company cannot guarantee it will finish on time.
Broadband project falling short
The countywide broadband project, announced in March 2023, was supposed to bring fiber internet to 50,000 homes across Warren County, including in Mason and Deerfield Township. Altafiber Senior Director David Kramer told commissioners May 19 that utility-pole access problems with AES Ohio and Duke Energy had slashed that number to roughly 22,000 homes by year-end. That shortfall means thousands of local households may not receive fiber service by the deadline.
At that same May meeting, Nice told the board that ARPA rules require "substantial completion" by Dec. 31 and that the county could amend the contract's scope to reduce the home count to whatever Altafiber can realistically finish. Commissioners directed staff to move forward with an amendment to the 2023 Master Network Agreement.
Deputy County Administrator Susan Walther reiterated the deadline pressure at the July 28 session, telling commissioners that Altafiber "is unable to guarantee that the project will be completed in time for the funds to be expended prior to the federal deadline."
Russell headed to Middletown
Following the ARPA update, commissioners entered executive session at 9:45 a.m. under ORC 121.22(G)(1), Ohio's open-meetings provision covering employment and personnel matters.
The Journal-News reported that commissioners accepted Russell's resignation during the Aug. 4 meeting. Russell, who joined Warren County in 2007 and has served as county administrator since January 2024, is leaving to become assistant city manager for the City of Middletown at an annual salary of $181,708.80. His last day is Aug. 28.
As county administrator, Russell oversaw more than 350 employees and a $96 million budget. A procedural shift at the July 28 meeting hinted at the transition: Resolution 26-0966 authorized Deputy County Administrator Walther, not Russell, to sign requisition documents.
"I'm excited about what I've seen the city do, especially in the downtown core, and I want to play a part in its future growth," Russell told the Journal-News.
What's next
Commissioners Tom Grossmann, Shannon Jones and David G. Young have not publicly addressed how they will fill the administrator vacancy or what timeline they expect for a replacement. Meeting minutes from the Aug. 4 session are expected at commissioners.warrencountyohio.gov. Residents can reach the commissioners' office at (513) 695-1250 or [email protected].
