GALLIPOLIS — The Gallia County Commission received an update from two area agencies during their regular meeting on Thursday.

Gallia County Job and Family Services Director Dana Glassburn recommended to the commission, and the commission later approved, that a job skills training supportive services project be established. This project will be made available under the Prevention, Retention and Contingency (PRC) program and will allow eligible families under PRC with a child or children who are a junior or senior in high school or vocational school to purchase job skills training supportive services that would enable them to participate in and complete a job skills training program.

Glassburn also presented the commission with a certificate from the U.S. Census Bureau thanking Gallia County Department of Job and Family Services for their support of the 2010 Census.

Gallia County 911 Director Sherry Daines reported that her agency is currently training three part-time employees all of whom will be great assets to her organization. Gallia County 911 currently employs 11 full-time staff members and 12 part-time employees plus a maintenance staff.

Daines also reported that a 911 radio tower was struck by lightning on the evening of Aug. 14. This lightning strike damaged radio equipment that has since been repaired and the agency is taking steps to further prevent another lightning strike.

The commission also approved a motion that will allow the county to bill Hannan Trace Elementary School for sewer services. The elementary school is currently the only building connected to the Mercerville Sewer and the school has been connected to the sewer for a few months at no charge. The school will have to pay $200 a month, the equivalent of five houses, and this charge is less than what the school had been paying in order to maintain its own sewer system.

County Administrator Karen Sprague also presented the August financial reports to the commission. Sprague reported that the general fund has increased by $155,787 since Jan. 1 and is up $107,226 from the July report.

Sprague attributes this growth to an increase in the amount of sales tax that has recently been collected in the county and the recent collection of real estate settlements.