The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

County officials defend $9M contract with company mentioned in charges

Prepare a Black Friday game plan
11/22/09
Not in class? See you in court
11/22/09
First week's food drive donations set record
11/22/09
Doctors differ over weight loss surgery procedures
11/22/09
Ohio 10th fattest state, according to obesity report
11/22/09
> More headlines

By Josh Sweigart and jsweigart@coxohio.com
Staff Writer 6:24 PM Friday, October 30, 2009

Butler County commissioners say they’ll review a multi-million dollar contract the county has with a company mentioned in federal charges against former county commissioner Michael Fox as giving Fox money while he was on the commission.

But they suspect there’s nothing improper about the contract.

That company is Fairfield-based Winton Transportation, Inc., which has contracts with county agencies as Universal Transportation Services and Intercoastal Transportation Systems.

A federal indictment against Fox on mail and wire fraud and tax charges alleges the company gave Fox $5,000 in 2004, while he voted on contracts with the county worth $5.8 million.

“The true nature of this payment was disguised and concealed in various ways,” the indictment says, though it does not accuse the company of any wrongdoing.

The company has a contract to provide transportation for the county’s Department of Job and Family Services. The three-year contract is worth $9 million and expires next year.

Fox voted on the agreement shortly before he left the commission to become Children Services director in 2007. He was replaced by Commission President Donald Dixon.

“I don’t have any reason to believe there’s anything inappropriate with this (contract)...but I do believe we need to look at every single contract,” Dixon said.

Specifically, Dixon has long called for every contract handled by former county administrator Derek Conklin — who resigned abruptly last year after questions arose about whether he secured raises for his wife, a county employee.

Commission Gregory Jolivette echoed Dixon’s feelings that the UTS contract was likely handled properly. But he said it wouldn’t hurt to review it.

“Maybe that’s something we need to discuss with the commissioners and prosecutor’s office,” Jolivette said.

UTS owner Tom Burer has denied that the money he gave Fox had anything to do with securing the contract. He said Fox asked him for the money, saying it was “seed money” needed to set up UTS employees to be covered on the county’s insurance plan.

“I still have employees that are on the insurance plan,” he said. “Do you want to know how I got those contracts? I was the lowest bidder.”

Commissioner Charles Furmon said that giving money to Fox for a county insurance plan would be “unusual” — “I can’t imagine that to be the case,” he said — but he trusts that the UTS contract is legitimate.

In addition to contracts with Job and Family Services, Winton Transportation has contracts with several local agencies.

The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities paid UTS $399,321 last year and $56,591 this year for rides given to the agency’s clients. Clients choose their transportation provider from several companies, including UTS, Butler County Regional Transit Authority and local cab companies.

Developmental Disabilities Business Director Rick Black said the agency doesn’t bid out this service because “direct services to clients” don’t require bids under state law.

Developmental Disabilities also pays ITS to provide drivers for its buses. That contract netted the company $933,948 in 2008 and $733,899 so far this year.

And the company has a contract with the Fairfield City School District to provide maintenance for buses. Burer’s companies made more than $600,000 from the school district for work last year.

Staff Writers Dave Greber and Mike Pitman contributed to this report.

Share this article

ADD COMMENT

Comments feed

I there is no impropriety with local governments
relationship with the Burer companies then a little looking around won;thurt a thing. The prosecuter would be serving the community that elected him giving this situation a smell test.
Aren't there others in ths county wo can provide a ride to some of these organizations.... Why is it tha authorties are tiptoeing around whether there was anyting wrong with giving Michael Fox
$ 5000.00 by the company ? Sure there is something FISHY .

jmd343
6:36 PM, 11/3/2009

REPORT ABUSE

OMG.. it was going on for years.. right under the noses of all and we act surprised.. lol

Speak4tday
6:41 PM, 11/1/2009

REPORT ABUSE

All political leaders in the county need to be replaced. Has anyone heard how the owner of Jags is making out for being involved in a scandal.

Average joe
1:52 AM, 11/1/2009

REPORT ABUSE

I have a small businees . I want to set up my employees to get insurance thru the county also ,so what do I have to do grease the other county commissioners palms also . I want to know when the county started paying outside contractors insurance

taxpayer
1:34 AM, 11/1/2009

REPORT ABUSE

Let us not forget when we go to vote next year all these crimes that occurred here in Butler County and that were prosecuted by the federal government. Stop and ask this question before you vote in the Appeals Court Judgeship Race, “Where was our county prosecutor while these crimes were going on?” He certain was prosecuting his friends who committed these crimes.

Voter
5:31 PM, 10/31/2009

REPORT ABUSE

There are 15 additional comments

SHOW ALL

We welcome your comments. Please remember this is a public forum and behave appropriately. Your comments must conform to our visitor's agreement.