No Action on Rent as Geauga County Did Not Send Draft Lease Agreement
Geauga Public Health (GPH) - Regular Meeting - August 28, 2024
Meeting Details: The GPH Board met in Regular Session at the Geauga County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite B167-168, Chardon, OH, on August 28, 2024 at 5 pm. This meeting was live-streamed by Geauga County ADP. Typically the Agenda is posted on their Facebook page a few days prior to the meeting and then on their website. The video is available here. This observer did not attend the meeting in person, but viewed the video.
Public Comment Policy: There is no separate written policy, but in practice “Citizens’ Remarks” are listed on the agenda and are permitted as detailed there.
Board Attendance: (as seated, from L to R).
Staff Attendance:
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Adam Litke - Administrator (end of table left)
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Ron Graham, Heath Commissioner for both Geauga and Lake Counties ( end of table far right)
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Dan Lark, Environmental Health Director (end of table second from the right)
Others Present: Two other members of the public can be seen in the meeting recording but were not identified.
11:45 Min. Call to Order: Called to order at 5:06 pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. A quorum was declared. Dr. Hendrickson certified the delivery of official notices of meeting.
Minutes: The Board approved Minutes of the Regular Meeting on 7/24/24. Observer Note: Board of Health Published Minutes are up-to-date; the most recent minutes published are for the June 26, 2024 Regular Meeting. Use the down arrow under “Select Category” at the top to search for the correct year at the link provided.
13:07 Min. Health District Staff Reports Observer Note: These reports are available with the Agenda on the GPH website here.
Population Health Report - No update beyond what is in the report with the agenda.
Environmental Health Report - No update beyond what is in the report. All staff will be at the Geauga County Fair tomorrow inspecting food vendors.
13:55 Min. Administrator’s Report - No update beyond the report. Mrs. Brakey asked for an update on the Health District Advisory Council Meeting (HDAC). Mr. Lark provided a brief update. Operations maintenance and housing were discussed. They are waiting for some legal opinions and for ways funds could be used to help low income residents. Mr. Graham added that staffing, accreditation, and community health assessments were also discussed at the HDAC meeting.
Dr. Rood asked what was known about the methane issue in Parkman. Mr. Litke reported that he and Mrs. Brakey went to Parkman for an event. There is a methane vein that runs through Parkman. They both said that you can smell the methane and the water is undrinkable at the town hall and this likely affects more than one property. Mr. Litke said it is the homeowner’s responsibility to treat the water for methane, just as it would be the homeowner’s responsibility to treat their water for excess iron or any other irregularities. Reviewer Note: There was no indication that this is harmful to drink, but rather that it would taste bad. See more information here.
18:33 Min. Health Commissioner’s Report - Nothing further beyond what is in the report in the Board packet and what was mentioned previously about the HDAC meeting. Dr. Hendrickson asked about the cancer data which stated there is a correlation with being vaccinated. Dr. Rood said that at this time HPV (human papillomavirus virus) is the only cancer for which there is a vaccine. The study as quoted in the report says: “About half of U.S. cancer deaths in 2019 were linked to modifiable risk factors, according to a new study. According to the American Cancer Society study, four in 10 cancer cases and about half of cancer deaths among U.S. adults 30 years old and older were linked to factors such as smoking, drinking, poor diet and not getting vaccinated.”
20:14 Old Business -
Geauga County Administration Rent and Space discussion. No update. The Board of County Commissioners has not sent over a draft lease. No action at this time.
Housing Code Discussion. Mr. Litke has done some research. It would cost at least $100,000 to develop and enforce a housing code. This is not in the budget. As previously stated there are concerns about a housing code becoming subjective and the cost/procedures for enforcing such a code. Therefore, this is not moving forward at this time. Reviewer Note: See information and discussion in the LWVGeauga Observer Report for July 24, 2024.
Second reading of Resolution to Increase Certain Fees, Food Service. Passed unanimously.
22:58 Min. New Business -
6.01 Resolutions
6.01.10 Financial Reports, Resolution 24–08-06-01-01 Mrs. Brakey asked about a $1,200 entry for giveaways. Mr. Litke stated this was for items for the events such as the Geauga County Fair and Trunk or Treat. Mrs. Brakey asked about $10,000 for Workforce Development training. Mr. Graham said these funds came from the state and needed to be used for workplace training. Beside the “in the moment” training, it included a library of virtual training resources for future use. The cost was shared with Lake County.
Resolution to approve Financial Reports passed unanimously by voice vote.
6.01.02 Permission to Approve Appropriations for Increase/Decrease - Includes a transfer of funds to the Geauga Public Health General Fund. Lake County bills the GPH General Fund. These transfers involve transferring money to the General Fund to cover these expenses.
Resolution approved unanimously by voice vote. Additionally, individual transfers were signed by each Board member following the procedure preferred by the County Auditor.
29:00 Min. Additional Comments: Mr. Graham asked the Board for suggestions for a topic for the two- hour required Board training. There was interest in Robert’s Rules of Order. Mr. Graham will follow up.
30:20 Min.
6.02 Resolution to change the date of the October GPH meeting of October 23, 2024 to October 30, 2024. This is to avoid a conflict with the Trunk or Treat Event. Passed unanimously.
32:08 Min. Public Comment - No public comments
33:08 Min. Motion to Enter Executive Session to Discuss Pending Litigation - Mr. Litke explained that this would be a brief 5 to 10 minute session. No further business would be discussed after the executive session. Motion passed unanimously by roll call vote.
33:39 Min. Board went into Executive Session to discuss pending litigation.
Reviewer Note: The video stops at this point so it is not known when the Board came back from Executive Session.
Next Regular Meeting: September 25, 2024 at 5:00 pm. All meetings are held at the Geauga County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite B167-168, Chardon, OH.
More Information: Geauga Public Health
Observer: Kathy Franz
Editor: Anne Ondrey
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
Submission Date: September 3, 2024
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