Ross Co Commissioners

Ross County Board of Commissioners, a U.S. local government entity headquartered in Chillicothe, Ohio, is a federal grant recipient (57% of its recent awards as prime recipient) focused on rural infrastructure development, including aviation facility improvements, wastewater treatment, and transportation corridor design. The county government does not hold federal contracts and does not compete under set-asides; it operates as a pass-through entity for federal and state infrastructure and community development programs, with a portfolio of 37 federal awards (21 as prime recipient, 16 as sub-recipient) totaling $16.5 million across eight federal agencies.

Ross County's customer concentration is heavily weighted to transportation and aviation infrastructure. The Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (Great Lakes Region) anchors the prime portfolio with 11 awards, followed by FAA awards (7 additional) and Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration sub-awards (5). The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service contributes 4 awards, and the Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 holds 1 award. Recent prime grant work includes a $750,000 DOT cooperative agreement under the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (CFDA 20.943) awarded August 24, 2026, to support legal, technical, and financial advisors advancing the Pleasant Valley Corridor preliminary design through August 2029; a $4 million EPA Region 5 cooperative agreement (CFDA 66.202) under the Congressionally Mandated Projects program awarded December 1, 2025, to decommission an existing wastewater treatment plant and construct conveyance system and pump station upgrades, with completion by March 31, 2027; and FAA Airport Improvement Program project grants for Chillicotle Airport runway rehabilitation and taxiway reconfiguration, including a $2.8 million Phase 2 runway rehabilitation grant (September 9, 2024, completion September 8, 2028) and a $394,308 Phase 3 blast pad construction grant (September 3, 2024, completion September 2, 2028). In its sub-recipient capacity, Ross County receives pass-through funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation for bridge preservation, from the Ohio Department of Education for school lunch and breakfast programs, and from state sources for emergency management grants and community development block grants. Activity grew from one award in 2023 to eight in 2025, with only one award (a sub-award) reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, indicating minimal recompete exposure in that window.