WARREN – Trumbull County commissioners have extended the contract of a former state lawmaker whom the county is using as a special consultant.

The county board voted Wednesday to renew its professional services agreement with Michael G. Verich for six months, ending Dec. 31. According to the contract terms, Verich will be paid $2,000 a month with either party having the option to cancel upon 10-day notice.

Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa said he thinks Verich’s services have been worth the money.

“He can be pretty persuasive in assisting the area’s state lawmakers in getting things done,” Cantalamessa said. “We can’t take anything away from our legislators but Mike has been instrumental in helping the state dollars come here, like for the waterline to West Farmington.”

Verich has been working as a county consultant for about four years.

He was first elected in 1982 to represent the Warren area in the Ohio House of Representatives, where he served until December 1998, when Verich was appointed by then-Gov. George Voinovich to serve a six-year term on the State Employee Relations Board. He served another six-year term under Govs. Robert Taft and Ted Strickland.

In other action, commissioners:

l Signed off on a 10-year, 60 percent tax abatement for Flex-Strut Inc., 2900 Commonwealth Ave. NE in the ”Golden Triangle” area of Howland. The company plans to add eight full-time jobs at the site within three years. Officials said the company’s past expansions, which triggered four other abatements, have included going from 12,000 to 102,000 square feet and increasing employees from 12 to 71;

l Appointed Cindy Kline as a member of the county’s Mental Health and Recovery Board for a four-year term, ending June 30, 2020. Klein will replace Nancy Werner, who served the board a maximum eight years allowed by law;

l Reappointed Rhonda Bonekovic as a member of the Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority for an additional five-year term ending July 24, 2021. She has served on the housing authority since 2002;

l Reappointed Matthew Foerster to serve on the Workforce Development Board through May 23, 2019.

gvogrin@tribtoday.com