Board of County Commissioners - November 28, 2023
Meeting Details: The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met at 9:30 AM on November 28, 2023 at the County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH. BOCC meetings are in-person only and there are no recordings for the public. An agenda is available in advance via request to the Commissioners’ Clerk.
Observer Note: This Observer did not attend in person but viewed the meeting as recorded by a private news service.
Public Comment Policy: Observer Comment: Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri announced at the end of the April 4, 2023 meeting that public comment would be permitted and that a more formal policy would be forthcoming. There was no formal policy introduced today but public comment was permitted..
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited and a prayer was offered by Commissioner James Dvorak.
Attendance: Present were Commissioners Ralph Spidalieri and James Dvorak. Commissioner Timothy Lennon was absent. Also present were County Administrator Gerald Morgan and Finance Manager Adrian Gorton. Commissioners' Clerk Christine Blair was absent and acting in her capacity was Senior Financial Specialist Deborah Ashburn.
County Representative: Shane Hajjar, Deputy Engineer
Others in Attendance: Observer Note: As noted above, this Observer was not present. The only individuals present that could be verified were Tom and Diane Jones and one other member of the public who spoke during public comment.
Report of County Administrator Mr. Morgan - Mr. Morgan reported on the following action taken by him:
Approved Encumbrance for Infinity Construction for pre-construction expenses related to the contract for construction of the new courthouse project.
Minutes: No minutes were submitted for approval. At publication, minutes are posted on the BOCC website through September 26, 2023. Observer Comment: Weekly LWVG Observer Reports for BOCC are available online through November 28, 2023 for informational purposes but are not substitutes for approved BOCC minutes.
Financial Report - Mr. Adrian Gorton received approval for the Financial Report, containing the following:
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Cash Transfer from the General Fund to Court Technologies for the remainder of their 2023 funding
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Purchase Order from Water Resources to Buckeye Power for a generator at the Laurel Springs Lift Station
Vouchers:
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$40,069.60 from the Auditor’s office to Nearmap Inc., for aerial imagery for the Real Estate Assessment Fund
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$273,075.88 from Engineer’s Office to Aero-Mark Company for pavement markings on county roads
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$402,843.51 from the Engineer’s office to Karvo Paving for paving of Old State and Farmington Roads
Emergency certification for the Court of Common Pleas Court in their Pre-Sentence Investigative Report Fund for additional unbudgeted revenue received in 2023.
The County Engineer’s Office received approval for the following:
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To execute the Unit Price Contract with Ronyak Paving, Incorporated for the Asphalt Resurfacing of Claridon Troy Road (CH-0003, Sections D-E) in Burton and Claridon Townships in the amount of $599,500.92.
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To execute the Unit Price Contract with Ohio Bridge Corporation for the Replacement of the Robinson Road Bridge (Structure #GEA-0076-0188) in Chardon Township in the amount of $1,478,981.15.
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To execute the Unit Price Contract with Ronyak Paving, Inc., for the Asphalt Resurfacing of Munn Road (CH-0032 Sections E-F) in Auburn and Newbury Townships in the amount of $482,220.00.
The Public Defender’s Office received approval to reappoint Susan Davis and Bridey Matheney to the Public Defender Commission for a four-year term, effective November 28, 2023 through October 3, 2027.
The Commissioners’ Office received approval to execute Change Order #1, increasing the Contract with ThenDesign Architecture for Additional Mechanical and Electrical Fees for the Engineering of a snow melt system for several exterior sidewalk curbs in the amount of $4,400.00 for the courthouse project.
The Commissioners’ Office received approval for an encumbrance and expenditure to the Geauga County Agricultural Society (Geauga County Fair) pursuant to O.R.C. 1711.15 and 1711.16 for the year 2023 in an amount not to exceed $20,000.00.
Mr. Dvorak asked if they would receive the funds before the end of the year. Mr. Morgan said that they will, as they have already completed the work.
Public Comment:
Mrs. Jones requested information about the additional $4400 awarded to ThenDesign and whether the extra item would impact the original estimate. This amount was for changes in design to include a snow melt system.
Mr. Dvorak said that this is the best time to do this kind of planning. He said that with the new County Building, it had cost over $300,000 (to install ice melt at the front entrance) because it was done after the fact.
In answer to a follow up question about the courthouse project and the $4400 payment, Mr. Morgan said that the amount approved was just for design work, not construction and that it would be paid by the Commissioners and not the City of Chardon.
Another person asked if Ms. Matheney would be paid for her work on the Public Defender Commission. Mr. Morgan said that he didn’t think so, and also that this Commission is required by the State of Ohio. See Geauga Public Defender Office.
Items not on Agenda:
Mr. Morgan requested two items be sent to the Prosecutor’s Office for review. This request was approved. It was difficult to understand the stated requests, so this Observer requested more information. In an email response, Mr. Morgan defined these two requests as follows:
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“BOCC request for the Prosecutor’s office to review. The request for Archives was for review of Resolutions needed for the elimination of an agreement between the BOCC, the Records Commission and the Microfilm Board that has been in place for many years whereby the Archives was placed under the BOCC authority for hiring and operational purposes and the Boards would handle all the other statutory requirements of those Boards.”
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“The MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) request was for the Prosecutor’s office to review MOU agreements related to the State Brownfield Grant program, the MOUs will be needed for any entity that requests to be included in the Brownfield Program. request for the prosecutor’s office - Resolution on Archives and another is for an MOU for the construction of a project.”
More Information and Posted Minutes: Available here.
Next Regular Meeting of the BOCC: December 5, 2023 at 9:30 am
Observers: Gail Roussey
Editor: Anne Ondrey
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: November 30, 2023
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