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STEUBENVILLE -- Jefferson County commissioners said Thursday they will ask legal counsel to review the wording of the senior services levy regarding the distribution of funds, particularly after UPMC's acquisition of Trinity Health System is finalized.
UPMC signed a letter of agreement in October to explore the merits of acquiring Trinity Health System and is widely expected to finalize its decision in October.
During Thursday's meeting, representatives from Our Place, an activity and resource center, told commissioners they have heard "significant concerns" from some seniors regarding the "administration and effectiveness" of the levy, as well as what services they can expect after UPMC assumes control of the THS network and Prime Time senior services program.
"We have received calls from seniors ... researching their options as they have expressed dissatisfaction with current service along with not knowing if and/or how services will change with the purchase of Trinity Health System," Our Place's Cynthia Morris said. "The apparent reduction in services has raised serious questions about efficiency, resource allocation and accountability."
Morris said there are also concerns about whether levy-funded services are being distributed fairly throughout Jefferson County.
"Additionally, there are concerns that services funded through the levy are not being distributed in the best interest of the senior population throughout the county," Morris said. "There is an appearance of resources being concentrated to primarily benefit the organization and affiliated entities administering the levy, rather than being directed toward meeting the needs of seniors countywide."
She added that because levy funds are collected from all county taxpayers, services should be accessible to seniors throughout the county regardless of location or affiliation.
Morris said a resident reported requesting transportation to Our Place and being told no, though no one from Prime Time was present at the meeting to confirm whether the incident occurred or explain the circumstances.
Morris told commissioners it is important that services are available countywide, adding that Our Place and Prime Time provide different types of assistance.
"(Our Place is) more education support and activities, while (Prime Time is) more service oriented, transportation and delivery," Morris said. "It could be a really good thing if we combined forces."
Morris said Our Place "just wants to be part of the conversation" before UPMC takes over.
"Things change and we want to be involved," she said. "We don't know what the outcome of the purchase is going to be, so we want to be involved to bring all the services together to give the older population in Jefferson County the best of all services."
THS spokeswoman Laurie Labishak, however, said she expects a seamless transition if UPMC finalizes the acquisition.
"The bottom line is nothing changes under UPMC," Labishak said. "Services at Prime Time will continue. Services at Prime Time have grown exponentially in the past six years, and the voters in Jefferson County overwhelmingly voted for the services to continue at Prime Time."
Regarding the transportation concern, Labishak said she could not comment on the specific situation but noted medical appointments take priority.
"Medical appointments take priority," she said.
Prime Time delivered just under 375,000 meals and provided more than 14,000 transportation services during the 2026 fiscal year, Labishak said.
Deputy Auditor Mike Warren told commissioners Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Blake had already researched how the levy's wording could be affected by the acquisition.
"I believe Shawn has done enough research that he'll be able to explain options available to commissioners through the existing levy," Warren said.
In other business, Commissioner Eric Timmons said he spoke with a county resident to address what he described as misinformation and misunderstandings surrounding this year's water and sewer rate increases.
Timmons said the resident was unaware rates needed to increase to bring revenue in line with the actual cost of providing water and sewer services, or that the county does not operate its own water plant and must purchase water from municipalities.
Commissioners said letters were sent to customers and the reasons behind the rate increases had been discussed extensively.
"Most times people don't understand," Commissioner Tony Morelli said. "They don't have the facts, they just don't know -- for instance, we have more pipe in the ground than any other distribution system in the state of Ohio."
Morelli said the aging infrastructure requires repairs and maintenance.
"It's frustrating, very frustrating," Morelli said.
"We're slow-moving targets, we're easy to shoot at," Commissioner Jake Kleineke said. "(But) we do have the best interests of all the water customers and all the citizens of the county at heart, we really do."
Timmons said he could have opposed the rate increase for political reasons but believed it was necessary.
"I could have voted (against the rate hike) for political reasons, but it was the right thing to do," Timmons said. "I don't know what else we could have done -- (maybe) let the system collapse and hope for a bailout? Or we could privatize, how much would that cost?"
Timmons pointed to higher costs in more densely populated areas.
"Look at the concentration of population they have," Timmons said. "We may have 27 customers in a mile ... it costs (more than) $1 million for a mile of (service line)."
Commissioners also warned they are facing at least a $6 million expense to address failing package plants in three subdivisions.
The subdivisions -- Maplewood, Melwood and Century Hills -- were built in the 1970s by private developers who eventually sold their stake. Commissioners said all three plants were nearing the end of their useful life when the county was pressed to take them over.
County engineering consultant Arcadis' Andrew Dawson said all three plants must be replaced, with Maplewood targeted for replacement by 2028, Melwood by 2029 and Century Hills by 2030.
"It's going to end up being around $2 million a plant for construction -- that's three plants, $6 million," Dawson said.
Dawson said the county must begin the design and permitting process soon to meet the deadlines.
Dawson said the Jefferson County Water and Sewer District staff is reviewing expenses and projecting accounts through the end of the year. That budget discussion could take place as early as the commission's Aug. 13 meeting.
"We needed a few months to pass after the March/April increases to get a good average of what is coming in," Dawson said.
Commissioners also approved the final invoice submitted by Johnson Controls, the general contractor for the county's meter replacement project. The invoice totaled $750,952.
Also approved was a $40,000 invoice from Cattrell Companies Inc. for its work on the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and water telemetry upgrade.
Engineer Eric Hilty told commissioners tree removal work on County Road 14 and County Road 16, commissioned in 2025, is still incomplete. He was given permission to terminate the contract with the 2025 tree removal service and obtain a quote from the low bidder on the 2026 contractor.