
Ohio Tax Commissioner Determines BODD Real Property is Tax Exempt in May 30, 2025 Letter, County Auditor Has 60 Days to Appeal the Decision
Board of Developmental Disabilities (BODD) Meeting - June 18, 2025
Meeting Details: The Board of Developmental Disabilities held a Regular Meeting at 6:00 pm on June 18, 2025 in the Administration Board Room at the Metzenbaum Center at 8200 Cedar Rd., Chesterland, OH 44026. Virtual access was available via Zoom, and the agenda was provided in advance. For virtual meeting information contact Kellie Tvergyak-Oznowich at ktvergyako@geaugadd.org. This Observer attended in person.
Public Comment: Board of Developmental Disabilities has a written public comment policy, first approved by BODD in 2001, and most recently reviewed by the Board in October 2023. See policy here.
Board Attendance:
Developmental Disabilities Staff:
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Dave Carlson - Assistant Superintendent
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Rean Davis - Business Operations Director
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Tami Setlock - Support and Service Administration
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Richelle Mills - Transportation
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Megan Thirion - Employment First
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Janice Chesnes - Human Resources
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Meredith Myers - Early Intervention
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Kellie Tvergyak-Oznowich - Administrative Assistant
Others Present:
Training Session
A training session was conducted by Ms. Myers regarding the functions of the BODD Early Intervention program.
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History & evolution: Early Intervention (EI) used to be center-based, with children coming to the facility. After 2011, following closure of the school, EI shifted to home-based services in line with evidence-based practices, where young children (birth through 3 years) receive services in familiar environments, with parents as primary teachers.
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Program growth: In 2003, BODD served 68 children; by 2025 the number of children served increased to approximately 259. The Amish participation grew from 0 to 39.
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Impact of COVID: Spikes in referrals were linked to more children falling behind developmentally, changes in eligibility rules (e.g. automatic qualification for lead exposure or NAS/FASD - Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders), and increased parental concerns post-pandemic.
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Service model: The EI team uses a coaching model to teach parents strategies, rather than only direct therapy. Parents are considered experts on their own children. Ms. Myers emphasized that “play is children's work, and that's how they learn.”
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IFSP vs. IEP: EI develops an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), similar to school-age Individual Education Plans (IEPs) but focused more on family goals in natural environments.
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Team approach: Service coordinators lead the case, with direct involvement from speech, occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), developmental specialists, hearing/vision, and mental health consultants—all housed under the same roof, which is unique to Geauga County.
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Transition planning: Beginning when the child is 2 1/2 years old, EI staff help families consider options (school district preschool, private services, or staying home) and ensure a smooth handoff. Some children transition to local Amish schools (Sunny Hope, Sunny Acres).
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New School Age Coordination service - The team Identified a gap after age 3. Families often felt lost navigating school services alone. They created the School Age Coordinator role to support families with resources, respite, advocacy at school meetings, and bridging to additional services as the child ages. This resulted in a 94% increase in families served in a year.
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Additional programming - The team supplements their EI services with inclusive recreation which includes swimming for infants, toddlers, seniors, and adults with disabilities; music groups; and many activities aimed at fostering community inclusion.
After the training session, the Board meeting was called to order at approximately 6:45 pm by Mr. Lair.
Minutes: Minutes for the May 21, 2025 Board Meeting were approved without edits.
The Board took the following actions:
APPROVED - Financial statement for the period of May 2025. Ms. Davis highlighted a large transfer from the general fund to the residential services fund, an equipment purchase of approximately $37,000 for new copiers (awaiting installation) and the payment of pass-through funds from the Ohio Department of Education of approximately $1.1 million to the schools in the county.
APPROVED - Financial Transactions & Voucher Approvals - The board reviewed and approved various financial transactions, expenditures, and vouchers.
APPROVED - Locally Funded Service Agreements - The BODD Ethics Council recommended approval of transportation services agreements with Anna Peal for $9,000 and one with Lori Weber for $5,000. Also approved were non-medical transportation services agreements with Laurel DeLara for $5,000 and an increase of $10,000 for the agreement with Dianna Rutherford, each covering the period through the end of 2025.
APPROVED - Standard mid-year 3% salary increase - Effective with the 17th pay period of the year 2025, a salary increase of three percent (3%) to be granted to all eligible full-time and part-time employees.
APPROVED - Disposal of outdated IT equipment - Includes fax stations, laptop computers and docking stations. Ms. Dean explained that old IT equipment is turned over to ADP who clears hard drives, etc. before disposing of it.
APPROVED - Cancellation of the August 20, 2025 Board meeting, consistent with prior year practice of canceling the August Board meeting.
APPROVED - 2030 Vision plan - The 2030 Vision document outlines the Board’s programmatic and financial expectations through 2030. Included in this document is the intention of BODD to ask to put a 1 mill, 5-year levy on the ballot in 2026. All plans in the 2030 Vision are based on the passage of that levy. If the levy fails, major cuts in programming will be necessary.
The Board received the following status and program reports:
Major Unusual Incidents (MUIs):
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Mr. Carlson reviewed the MUI report, noting that MUIs remained low with 6 reported during the month of May. He communicated that there had been 1 child death that had been expected due to a rare genetic condition. He noted that they anticipate changes in counts due to a new rule narrowing hospitalizations as MUIs. Observer Note: For more information, see the LWVG Observer Report for the February 19, 2025 BODD Meeting where these changes were reviewed.
Population & Residential Services:
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Mr. Carlson reported that the total population served was 987, down slightly from the prior month.
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A total of 301 individuals were receiving waivers while 3 were on the waiver waiting list, most already allocated.
Employment & HR Updates:
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Mr. Carlson reported that 189 individuals served by BODD were actively employed, up from 188 in the prior month.
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Mr. Carlson also noted that the BODD staff remained at 60.
Program Reports:
The Board discussed the following issues:
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IT issue - Mr. Carlson provided an overview of a recent IT issue involving the loss of access to Riverside, a critical EI assessment software tool, on May 31, 2025 due to security clearance delays with county IT department, Automated Data Processing (ADP). The EI staff were forced back to manual scoring and tracking of cases after the software license expired. Mr. Carlson was able to set up a meeting between the software provider and ADP at which a solution was found, and the software is expected to be back online soon. Observer Note: At the May 27, 2025 ADP Board meeting, ADP’s Department of Advanced Research and Cybersecurity team discussed their concerns about the Riverside software tool’s security capabilities.
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Minor revision to complaint resolution procedure policy - Mr. Carlson reviewed a change made to the complaint resolution procedure policy to clarify that it applies to BODD actions only, not third party issues. This was prompted by a frequent filer of complaints about decisions or actions by third parties.
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Tax Commissioner ruling - Mr. Carlson shared that in her letter of May 30, 2025, Patricia Harris, Ohio Tax Commissioner, confirmed the Metzenbaum Center real property parcels are exempt from property tax as a public purpose. The Tax Commissioner also found that the County Auditor exceeded his authority in restoring this property to the tax list for the years 2022 and 2023. The County Auditor may appeal the decision within a 60-day period from the date of the decision. Reviewer Note: For background information on the property tax issue, please refer to the January 30, 2024 County Commissioners Meeting Observer Report.
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Ohio budget - The BODD is watching provisions that might let County Budget Commissions reduce approved levies, and is also monitoring HB 335 which would eliminate inside millage. Though it does not directly impact Developmental Disability boards, it could strain overall county finances.
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Summer programs - A record 124 children enrolled in summer camp programs. Due to the high enrollment, the budget is expected to be exceeded by approximately $20,000. Mr. Carlson explained that they are likely to propose increasing the contract allocation for this at the next Board meeting.
General Announcements
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Mr. Lair mentioned Maple Leaf Residences’ upcoming events: 1) Wicked Wonder at all new Legends Aviation Museum, at the Lost Nation Airport in Willoughby, OH on September 21, 2025 at 2:00 pm and 2) Maple Leaf Magic at Bremec Garden Center of Concord on Saturday, November 15, 2025 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
Other Business/Comments: Mr. Lair asked if there were any comments from the floor. There were none.
Executive Session - The Board voted to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing the employment and compensation of a public employment, pursuant to O.R.C. 121.22 (G)(1). Mr. Lair announced that there would be no report from the Executive Session.
The regular meeting was adjourned at 7:18 pm.
The next BODD meeting is scheduled for July 16, 2025 at 6:00 pm.
Minutes when posted are available here: Board Minute Summaries|Geauga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Observer: Carol Benton
Editor: Gail Roussey
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Submitted: June 30, 2025
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