By Cheryl Splain, KnoxPages.com Reporter
MOUNT VERNON — Knox County Commissioners, along with other Ohio county commissioners, will head to Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28 at the invitation of the White House.
Details are still sketchy, but Commissioner Roger Reed said the trip includes a five-hour conference with Administration officials on the 29th. and a tour conducted by the Secret Service. He does not know whether the conference will be with President Trump’s advisors or whether the President will also attend.
“The Administration is very clear about meeting with commissioners directly and not their associations,” said Commissioner Teresa Bemiller.
“We don’t know whether they have questions for us. It sounds like they do,” said Reed.
If White House officials do not have questions for the commissioners, the commissioners have questions and concerns for the White House.
“The drug issue. We could certainly use more funding for that problem,” said Bemiller. “And CDBG. That’s been a program that has been really helpful for our communities. We hate to see that program cut off.”
“If they can tell us anything that’s coming down the pike that will affect our projects, that will be a top priority for the commissioners there,” said Reed.
“How federal funding affects the counties,” said Commissioner Thom Collier regarding roads, bridges and other infrastructure. “I think sometimes they forget how much we take care of as a county.”
President Trump’s Intergovernmental Affairs office issued the invitation in an effort to reach out to leaders involved at the grass-roots level. Commissioners from Pennsylvania and Florida have already visited Washington. The deadline to RSVP was Tuesday. Ohio’s delegation is limited to 200.