LISBON — Columbiana County Commissioner Mike Halleck talked briefly about his recent trip to Washington, D.C. on Monday and Tuesday for the White House State Leadership Conference, saying it’s all about networking.

“We made a lot of contacts that may, or may not, be good for the county,” he said after the meeting Wednesday.

Part of the Ohio contingent which included state legislators and county commissioners from around the state, Halleck said he was invited to attend by the White House. According to the travel approved by commissioners, the expense totaled $1,102 for the conference.

He said there was a lot of talk about infrastructure, including about U.S. Route 30, and there were presentations by a few members of the cabinet, including Secretary Howard Lutnick of the Department of Commerce, Secretary Scott Turner of Housing and Urban Development and Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer of the Department of Labor.

There were also representatives from the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Treasury, Department of Education, the assistant to the president for Economic Policy and the Director of the Domestic Policy Council of the United States.

Some of the topics included background on county human service programs funded by federal dollars and proposals in the presidential budget and executive orders, impacts of proposed budget increases by President Trump and areas of concern in the Trump’s proposed budget dealing with Community Development Block Grants.

Halleck said it was a great networking opportunity and they met with a lot of different people.

During a tour of Vice President JD Vance’s office, what he found interesting was that Vance had large photos on the wall and one was from a visit to East Palestine. He also noted the desk in the office has been used by all the vice presidents going back to Harry Truman and all of them signed it.

Last week, Halleck attended the County Commissioners Association of Ohio Conference in Westerville at a cost of $264, which was another networking opportunity at the state level.

In other business, the commissioners:

— approved permits for the Chillicothe Telephone Co. to install fiber optic lines on the Parkway, Old Fredericktown Road and Calcutta-Smith Ferry Road, all in the East Liverpool area.

— approved the alternative method for apportioning the 2026 Local Government Funds.

— approved a Road Use and Maintenance Agreement (RUMA) for Cardinal Gas Services, LLC in Knox and West townships for 2 miles of Knox School Road for the New Franklin Pipeline.

— approved a resolution for the disposal of a 2018 Chevy Suburban and a 2015 Chevy Malibu which are no longer needed and are unfit for public use for the county Drug Task Force, with both vehicles to be sold to Stadium GM for $20,900 for the purchase of a 2023 Chevy Trailblazer.

The next meeting of county commissioners will be held at 9 a.m. May 28 at the downtown courthouse in Lisbon.

mgreier@mojonews.com