Hamilton County Commission President Todd Portune outlined the county's successes and challenges during the annual State of the County address.
Under highlights from the last year he lists breaking ground on a new crime lab and signing a Metropolitan Sewer District operating agreement with Cincinnati. He also touts the county's budget and ending what he refers to as several years of "budget anarchy."
With the proliferation of mobile phones, the county's 911 system falls under challenges.
"The current system of dispatch and having everyone operate under one umbrella largely was set up over a decade ago and it is out of tune with the current demand in terms of calls for 911 service," Portune says.
Other challenges for 2018 include creating a multi-modal transportation plan and continuing to lower the infant mortality rate.
He's leery of a sales tax request in the works at Metro which he says would fund "doing more of the same."
"All of those services stop at county borders, they stop at state borders," he says. "We don't have integrated, seamless service that gets people to where they want to go."
County commissioners are set to appoint six new members to Metro's board next week which Portune says are expected to follow the commission's transportation priorities.
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