Budget Commission Regular Meeting – June 20, 2023
Meeting Details: The Geauga County Budget Commission met in Special Session on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 10:00 am in the Auditor’s Conference Room at 215 Main Street, Chardon, Ohio. This meeting was in person with a virtual option via MS Teams.
Meeting Attendance: Auditor Chuck Walder, Prosecutor Jim Flaiz, and Chief Deputy Treasurer Caroline Mansfield (substituting for Treasurer Chris Hitchcock).
Staff Attendance: Chief Deputy Auditor Ron Leyde, Deputy Auditor Tammy Most, and Fiscal Office Manager Pam McMahan.
County/School/Township/Village Representatives: ADP Chief Deputy Administrator Frank Antenucci.
Minutes: Minutes from the Regular Meeting on 6/5/23 were approved.
Revenue Certification Requests:
The following Revenue Certifications were approved:
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Russell Township - Amendment #4 - $2,385,982.08 in the general fund, $10,762,626.47 in special revenue funds, $5,083.80 in debt service funds, and $2,620,255.09 in capital project funds for a total of $15,773,947.44. Appropriations do not exceed revenue.
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Chardon Township - Amendment #4 - $582,138.59 in the general fund, $2,470,011.95 in special revenue funds, $87,344.81 in debt service funds, and $704.22 in fiduciary funds for a total of $3,140,199.57. Appropriations do not exceed revenue.
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Bainbridge Township - Amendment #6 - $3,582,291.06 in the general fund, $20,181,051.15 in special revenue funds, $2,517,027.18 in debt service funds, $809,796.35 in capital project funds, $10,798.02 in special assessment funds, and $537.99 in fiduciary funds for a total of $27,101,501.75. Appropriations do not exceed revenue.
Regular Business:
Discussion:
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Levy Guide: Mr. Walder shared with the other Budget Commissioners that he is working on a step-by-step guide for county entities on creating levies using language in compliance with HB140. Most significantly, county entities would be required to get levy submissions approved by a County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney (APA) before submitting to the Board of Elections. Mr. Walder stated that he will be seeking input from one or more of the APAs on the guide before it is finalized. Mr. Walder went on to state that he will be giving presentations to some county entities on levies and received permission from Mr. Flaiz to have an APA assist him. Mr. Flaiz noted that his office is working on training for county entities on drafting levies with the required language and hopes to have it ready by the filing deadline in August. OBSERVER NOTE: HB140 is also known as the Ballot Uniformity and Transparency Act and was passed last year. It requires certain specific ballot language regarding total revenue and cost to taxpayers for some types of levies and bond issues.
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Budget Hearing Preparations: The Budget Commissioners discussed whether or not to send out advisory letters to county taxing districts prior to the August Budget Hearings spelling out the rules and standards budgets will be tested against. This has been done in past years, but the Budget Commissioners decided not to continue it, as this is not required by statute. Mr. Walder stated his opinion that entities view the rules and standards provided in advance as “...limiting factors, but those are just guidelines. They’re not limiters to our authority.” He further opined that “I don't think we should do that (issue advisory letters) because it's going to be used against us.” The Budget Commissioners considered the possibility of having a work session on budget submissions with interested entities prior to the Budget Hearings, but nothing was actually decided. Mr. Walder noted that budget submissions are due on July 20 and the Auditor’s Office is not obligated to present those budgets to the Budget Commission until its first meeting in August, so any work session would likely not occur until then. OBSERVER NOTE: The first Budget Commission meeting in August is currently scheduled for August 7, two weeks before the Budget Hearings on August 21-22. In an email communication on June 21, the Auditor’s Office confirmed that the Budget Commission will further discuss whether or not to hold a work session at its next meeting.
Mr. Walder and Mr. Flaiz both noted the importance of the Budget Commission conducting its business publicly and cautioned against too much private communication and “meeting(s) before the meeting” that happen outside of the public eye. Mr. Walder remarked that “...there's courtesies, but then there's certain things that should be aired in public…. Otherwise how does the public know how government is operating?”
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GPD Reminder Letter: Mr. Walder observed that there has been no further communication from GPD regarding its response to the Ohio Attorney General (OAG) opinion stating it cannot have reserve funds or renewal levies other than its acknowledgement that they are working on the issue. See May 1 Observer Report which documents this discussion .
The Budget Commissioners decided to send a reminder letter to GPD stating that this matter must be dealt with. Mr. Walder noted that unless GPD has crafted a solution to this issue prior to the Budget Hearings, the Budget Commission will be forced to decide whether or not it is lawful for them to continue to certify GPD’s renewal levy dollars. Mr. Flaiz reported that he plans to discuss the possibility of requesting a follow up opinion from the OAG on what the Budget Commission should do if GPD doesn’t remediate the issue with APA Kristen Rine, but he noted that it is possible that the OAG would not be able to issue his guidance in time for the Budget Hearings in August.
Public Comment:
This observer asked for the names of all meeting attendees who did not appear on camera.
More Information and Posted Minutes: Available on Auditor website
Next Meeting: June 30, 2023 at 10:00 am in the Auditor’s Conference Room at 215 Main Street, Chardon, Ohio.
Name of Observer: Sarah McGlone
Name of Editor: Anne Ondrey
Name of Reviewer: Shelly Lewis
Submitted 6/21/2023
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