Chardon City Manager Ben Young Proposes Law Change
to Grant Joint Fire Districts the Power to Levy Income Taxes
Geauga County Township Association Quarterly Business Meeting – July 8, 2026
Meeting Details: The Geauga County Township Association (GCTA) held its Quarterly Business Meeting on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at 6:00 pm hosted by Chardon Township. The meeting was held at St. Denis Golf Club, 10660 Chardon Rd., Chardon OH 44024 This meeting was in person with no virtual attendance option.
Meeting Attendance: Many Geauga County and Township officials attended this meeting. Some attendees of note include but are not limited to: County Commissioners Jim Dvorak and Carolyn Brakey; GCTA President Jonathan Tiber; Jacob Cimperman, Chardon Township Trustee; Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand; Chief Deputy Sheriff Tom Rowan; Auditor’s Office Compliance Officer Kate Jacob; Geauga Soil and Water Director Carmella Shale; Chardon City Manager Ben Young; State Representative Sarah Fowler Arthur (District 99); Ohio Township Association Director Kyle Brooks; Adam Niewiadomski, Trumbull County Township Association President; Joe Stenger, Geauga County Road Superintendents Group; Jen Jones, Director, Geauga/Trumble Solid Waste District; Dave Carlson, Assistant Superintendent Department of Developmental Disabilities (Metzenbaum); Amy Bevan, Geauga County Administrator; Mark Jimison, Deputy Geauga County Administrator; Linda Crombie, Director, Geauga County Planning Commission; Allyson Kobus, Planner II, Geauga Planning Commission; Sara Clemson, Executive Director of Maple Leaf Community Residences; Adam Litke, Lake/Geauga Health Commissioner; Marlene Walkush, Bainbridge Township Zoning Chair; South Russell Village Mayor Dr. Bill Koons.
Members of the Public: Members of the public present included but are not limited to: Geauga Times
Courier journalist Anastasia Nicholas, Geauga Maple Leaf journalist Allison Wilson, League of Women Voters Geauga (LWVG) Observer Jacqueline Berger, and this LWVG Observer, Gail Roussey
The meeting was called to order at approximately 7:00 pm (after an hour of social time and dinner).
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Welcome: Mr. Tiber welcomed everyone and thanked Chardon Township for hosting the dinner.
Minutes: Minutes from the GCTA meeting on April 8, 2026 were approved.
Financial Report: GCTA’s financial report was approved.
Discussion: Mr. Tiber discussed GCTA’s past experiences with having a booth at the Geauga County Fair.
He also put out a call for those who may be interested in serving as 2026-2027 GCTA Officers.
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Recognition of Adam Niewiadomski, Trumbull County Township Association President
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Geauga County Road Superintendents Group – Mr. Stenger, Convener for the Road Superintendents Group (Claridon Township), said that at a recent meeting they had talked about incorporating AI (Artificial Intelligence) into what they do as road superintendents. One area would be calculating drainage improvements. He has developed some training aids using AI that will help workers understand what they do. There is a lot of resource sharing among the 10 members within the group. He offered to share the training aids.
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Geauga County Zoning Group – Chair Chris Alusheff was not present (on vacation).
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Geauga Trumbull Solid Waste District – Ms. Jones talked about recycling and the challenges they face. She said that their two largest programs are special waste collections (in Chardon) and recycling. She said that in many cases they lose money on their special collection events, such as for tires, household hazardous waste and electronics. Over the last 5-10 years recycling costs have increased. Just to provide regular recycling drop-off sites, the cost is over $1 Million per year and their entire budget is only $2 Million. She urged townships to look into offering curbside recycling with a single hauler contract, as is done in Chardon City and Middlefield Village. She said they have copies of bid specifications, contracts and other materials she can share.
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HDAC (Health District Advisory Council)– Mrs. Brakey said that there will be a meeting of HDAC on Thursday, August 13th at 6:30 pm. Reviewer Note: This will be a joint HDAC and Geauga Public Health meeting. Mrs. Brakey is the HDAC President in addition to being a Geauga County Commissioner. She said that all townships should have received an email about the meeting but to contact her if they haven’t received the information. Mrs. Brakey said that the topic will be a program about hoarding in the County and different ways to approach this issue.
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County Government/Local Government – Mr. Tiber said that he and County Administrator Amy Bevan and Deputy County Administrator Mark Jimison had met to discuss ways that the County and Township Association could work together. Ms. Bevan initiated this and Mr. Tiber said it was to “bridge the gap” between townships and the county. He said they would “talk about” how to do this. The initial meeting will be held Wednesday, July 29 at 6:30 pm.
Speaker and Presenters
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Metzenbaum Center – Mr. Carlson said he was from the County Board of Developmental Disabilities, often referred to as Metzenbaum. He started by defining a developmental disability as a severe, chronic mental or physical disability that will continue indefinitely and results in a substantial impairment in three or more major life activities. Observer Note: See Ohio Revised Code 5126.01 for more information. He further said that although eligibility is based on limitations, the focus of their work is to help each individual achieve their full potential. They work with the person and families to do this. They help people from before birth until old age. They fund and coordinate services with providers. He said that there has been a consistent growth in individuals with developmental disabilities being employed within the community, and last year over 200 adult clients of the Board of Developmental Disabilities were employed in every single community in Geauga County. See more information here.
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Maple Leaf Community Residences – Ms. Clemson explained that the organization serves people with developmental disabilities. She said they have been providing safe, quality and affordable housing for these individuals for 35 years. They maintain 30 houses in the county, which provide affordability, safety and community. There is rental income, but that doesn’t cover major repairs, so she asked for help from those present to spread the word to volunteer or attend the fundraiser planned for Sunday, September 13, 2026. See more information here.
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Ohio House District 99 – Representative Sarah Fowler Arthur shared a few quick updates from the Statehouse. She said that she meets with constituents during this time of recess. She said that the next session will be late November until the end of year, which is the “lame duck session.” She urged those present to put forward any ideas during this time. She highlighted two bills of hers that were passed and signed into law – one concerning amusement rides and one impacting agriculture. She said the amusement ride bill (HB 433) will help small businesses by charging less for smaller venues. Her website says it will do this, “by providing a new fee structure that more accurately reflects the time and cost required to inspect each ride type, ensuring a fair and sustainable system for both regulators and operators.” Observer Note: See report on HB 433 here. She did not discuss the agriculture bill, but she has co-sponsored HB Bill 733 to help protect maple syrup producers. HB 733 has passed the House. More information on HB 733 is available here. She also mentioned the recent $1.5 Million in capital funding awarded to Geauga County. She said that there is a renewed focus at the Statehouse on rural areas. She advised that fiscally responsible proposals would be considered. She said they want to know the effort can be sustained, that there is local buy-in, and that the money won’t be spent on infrastructure that won’t be used. See more information about Representative Fowler Arthur here.
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ORC 519 Legislative Alert – Ms. Walkush discussed ORC (Ohio Revised Code) 519, which governs zoning and said that many sections have antiquated texts and errors. In order to work on this, she invited Steve Demetriou (Ohio State Representative for District 35) to join in this project to review the issues. She said that some sections didn’t require any updates but others needed revisions and expanded definitions. Ms. Walkush indicated that Mr. Demetriou suggested that they create a list of recommended changes. On November 25, the Russell Township Zoning Board finished the list and sent it to their Trustees and to Representative Demetriou. Other townships were also informed of the project. She said she believed that if these changes are made, the results will benefit all townships. She discussed three of the sections and the need for definitions and clarification. Observer Note: This presentation was actually moved to after the Fire/EMS Funding presentation.
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Fire/EMS Funding – Chardon City Manager Ben Young discussed a new proposal as a way to fund Joint Economic District Fire Districts. He mentioned that recently there has been concern that property taxes could be eliminated or reduced, and in discussions with the Chardon staff and the Fire Chief, they wondered, “what do we do if there are no property taxes?” He said that 80% of the City of Chardon’s collected property taxes go towards the fire department. They have a shared fire department, The Chardon Fire Department, which is a contracted party and services Chardon City, Chardon Township and Claridon Township. They met with their Fire Chief and suggested the possibility of levying a ¼% income tax towards the cost of the fire department. They would form a Joint Economic District with the City of Chardon and their two township partners. He said that currently a fire district can only levy property tax to generate income, but a city can raise funds through income tax. His plan is to create a change in the ORC to permit a Joint Fire District to have the power to levy an income tax. In order to be able to levy an income tax, the Joint Fire District would need to include a municipality since there is no provision for fire districts to have an income tax. He said that using the income tax shifts the burden from property tax to income tax. He said, “Lose your job or retire, you don’t pay income tax. If you have the ability to pay, you pay. If you don’t have the ability to pay, you don’t pay.” He said it would also be more fair. He cited the case of Claridon where the largest number of calls come from a non-profit which doesn’t pay property tax, but those nonprofit employees would pay their share if there were an income tax.
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Ohio Township Association (OTA) Director – Mr. Brooks introduced himself. He said he was asked to talk about the history of OTA and what they are doing. He said they were formed in 1928 in response to a big push in the 86th General Assembly for consolidation. At the time there were 1,308 townships in the state of Ohio. He said that every county has townships and even Cuyahoga has two townships. A Trustee from Ashland County formed the Ohio Township Association to protect the township form of government. It is made up of 87 township associations and Mr. Brooks travels to many of them. He said they have a Board of 20 trustees and fiscal officers and have five staff members. They host a conference every year, and last year there were 5,000 attendees. He said that, “Just like all of you, we do a lot with a little.” He mentioned that key aspects of their work are lobbying and education. In his view, “OTA exists for your benefit.” He urged attendees to call him with any issue and any legislative change they would like to see. He said that they had “just fought back the constitutional amendment” on property taxes and said “if property taxes go away, your communities will cease to exist.” He also mentioned that, beginning with Governor Kasich in 2011, the local government fund payments to townships have been cut in half. See more information about the Ohio Township Association here.
Announcements
Observer Note: For a $1 donation to GCTA, anyone present can have one minute to make announcements and “shameless plugs.” Some of these events have already passed.
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Chardon Area Chamber of Commerce (includes 4 townships and city) announced their annual Car and Bike Show for Sunday, July 12 at the corner of 7th and 5th (across from Bob Evans). The event is free.
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Mayor Koons (South Russell) – 1776 band concert, Tuesday July 14, 2026 in South Russell.
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Linda Crombie – Director, Planning Commission - Farmland Preservation educational event on July 15, 2026 at Geauga Fairgrounds. See more information here.
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Joyce Peters, Parkman Township - She thanked all the people who stepped up to help with the new Community House. They applied for a grant which a resident offered to help write. State Senator O’Brien worked to promote it, and they were notified that they got $150,000. She said they were very appreciative for all the help, including the Commissioners and Jonathan Tiber, President of the Geauga County Township Association.
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Mayor Koons - Veterans Administration is having a free Veterans Fair on Wednesday, July 29 at 3:00 pm at Guido’s in Chesterland.
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Blake Rogers, Lake–Geauga Critical Incident Stress Management Team - He reported that a lot of work is being done to provide assistance to first responders. See information more here.He described three events coming up: 1.) Saturday August 8, One Geauga Hike/Ride, open to everyone. There will be stops along the way. More information should be on the Sheriff's website; 2.) First responders kickball tournament against local agencies September 17 at Munson; and 3.) Geauga County Responders Conference for First Responders and families, Sunday, August 16, 2026 from 2:00-6:00 pm at Berkshire Schools.
Upcoming Meetings Schedule:
County Government/Local Government – July 29, 6:30 pm at Claridon Administrative Building
HDAC (Health District Advisory Committee) – August 13, County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Dr., Chardon at 6:30 pm
Zoning Group Meeting – August 26, 6:30 pm, hosted by Montville
County Road Superintendents Group – October 14 (no further details listed)
Next Meeting: The next GCTA meeting is October 14, 2026 in Middlefield. Further meeting details
will be available closer to the event.
Observer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Submitted: July 20, 2026
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