County job postings worth checking - 7 months and counting

The city and county near Cincinnati both posted administrative and maintenance openings this week. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. Hiring is slower than private jobs. Do they prefer local residents?

Keep everything in writing and save the confirmation numbers. It made the follow-up calls so much easier.

The exam was simple, mostly clerical skills. Practice material is usually on the same website.