YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County commissioners held public hearings Thursday regarding two county employees who plan to retire, and be rehired soon.

The hearings were for Nicholas Jordan, who is planning to be rehired effective Sept. 1 as Mahoning County Sanitary Engineering office field supervisor, and Michael Bellish, county facilities department maintenance repair supervisor, who also plans to be rehired Sept. 1.

Retire-rehire allows the employee to collect some pension benefits while still drawing a salary, and allows the employer to rehire the employee at a lesser compensation package.

Jordan earns $45.72 per hour or $95,098 per year, according to the county auditor’s office.

Commissioner David Ditzler said Jordan has a “Level 4” license for his job as operator of the Boardman Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Level 4 is the highest license.

The Boardman treatment plant is the largest one in the county, Ditzler said. He noted that there is a need for people with the licensing to do that work.

Other government entities are trying to hire away people with those licenses, Ditzler said. “He is obviously someone who is highly sought after for his level of abilities.”

No one commented on or asked any questions of the commissioners regarding the retire-rehire. Under Ohio law, the hearing was required, and a legal notice was required to be published in the newspaper.

Bellish earns $35.87 per hour or $74,422 per year, according to the county auditor’s office. Alan Landfried, head of the county facilities department, said Bellish “is an outstanding employee. His duties at the Mahoning County jail are pretty challenging, so he has the fortitude and knowledge to continue that into a place that would be very difficult during these hiring times right now.”

Ditzler said Bellish’s “skill set is being courted elsewhere. He has opportunities, and it would be very difficult to fill.”

In other business, the commissioners approved giving some of their $42 million in American Rescue Plan funds to three community organizations. They allocated:

• $89,000 to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. to provide match money for sidewalk projects in the 1st Ward of Youngstown. Julius Oliver is the councilman for that area;

• $100,000 for food through the Community Food Center Inc. and its Gleaner’s Food Bank on Pyatt Street in Youngstown;

• $100,000 toward the New Bethel Baptist Church multipurpose community center project on Hillman Avenue on the South Side. The project was unveiled to the public late last month. The community center will be created in the former sanctuary. The church built a new sanctuary.

The commissioners also approved distributions for road projects from the county’s 0.25 percent sales tax approved by voters in November 2021. The tax generates about $9 million per year for additional road and paving projects and bridge improvements.

Each distribution is tied to a memorandum of understanding between the county engineer’s office and the township involved for the projects that will be carried out with the funds.

Approved for this funding round are: Austintown Township, $671,016; Canfield Township, $289,111; Poland Township, $132,177; and Poland Township, $24,520.

The commissioners will have no regular meeting at the courthouse next week.