BODD Welcomes Two New Board Members
Board of Developmental Disabilities (BODD) Meeting - January 21, 2026
Meeting Details: The Board of Developmental Disabilities held a Regular Meeting at 6:00 pm on January 21, 2026 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 virtually.
Public Comment: The 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:
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Dave Lair - President
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Uschy Keiper
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Martin Miller
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Dave Welty
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Tristan Sanchez
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Rebecca Bennett
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Bill Mann
Developmental Disabilities Staff:
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Don Rice - Superintendent
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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 and Business Coordinator (via video)
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Megan Thirion - Employment First
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Meredith Myers - Early Intervention (via video)
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Kellie Tvergyak-Oznowich - Administrative Assistant
Others Present:
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Sally Contizano - Metzenbaum Foundation
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Sara Clemson - Maple Leaf Community Residences (via video)
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Carol Benton - LWV Geauga Observer
The Board meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Mr. Lair.
Minutes: Minutes for the December 10, 2025 Board Meeting were approved without edits. Mr. Miller abstained from the vote since he was not present at the December meeting.
Following the approval of the minutes, a resolution was passed to adjourn the 2025 BODD Board. At this point, Ms. Bennett was sworn in by Mr. Lair as a new member of the BODD. Mr. Mann, also a new board member, was sworn in by a judge in December.
The Board took the following actions:
ELECTED 2026 OFFICERS AND APPOINTED COMMITTEE MEMBERS - After nominations and a brief discussion, the board elected Mr. Lair as President, Ms. Keiper as Vice President, and Ms. Bennett as Secretary. The board then turned to Ethics Council appointments. Mr. Carlson explained that only certain members were eligible due to conflict-of-interest rules tied to family relationships. The board appointed Mr. Lair, Ms. Keiper, and Mr. Welty to the 2026 Ethics Council.
Next, the board appointed the 2026 Finance Committee. Mr. Lair described the committee’s purpose as providing a deeper review of financial information and projections, particularly around the annual appropriation and budget process, so that recommendations can be brought back to the full board in an organized way. The committee generally meets at least once per year and sometimes more if circumstances require. The board appointed Mr. Mann, Ms. Keiper, and Mr. Lair to serve on the Finance Committee.
ACCEPTED DONATIONS - The board voted to accept donations and direct the Superintendent to send letters of thanks to donors. Donations accepted included items such as home furniture, a game, recurring monthly donations and additional monetary gifts made in memory of Bob Mikula.
APPROVED - The board reviewed and approved the financial statement for the month of December. During the financial statement review for December 2025 and the year-end wrap-up, Ms. Davis reported that BODD finished the year with a deficit, meaning total expenses exceeded total revenue, and emphasized that this deficit spending was planned and expected. For 2025, the deficit was reported as approximately $732,874, which was described as better than earlier projections of $1.2 million. Mr. Rice explained that levy funding is essentially flat over time while costs rise due to inflation and operational pressures, so agencies typically experience a “stair-step” cycle in which reserves are built early in a levy period and then used later as expenditures outpace revenue. The board discussed cash balance levels of $8.2 million across all accounts, and Mr. Rice explained that reserves are necessary to cover the first months of the year before property tax receipts begin arriving in April. Mr. Lair also referenced an ongoing matter regarding potential property tax obligations relating to challenges made by the Geauga County Auditor’s office. Observer Note: After a favorable ruling on the matter by the Ohio Tax Commissioner, the Geauga County Auditor elected to appeal the decision. See the June 18, 2025 Observer Report for more information.
APPROVED - Financial Transactions & Voucher Approvals - The board reviewed and approved various financial transactions, expenditures, and vouchers. Ms. Davis explained to newer members that the large figures reflected routine payments, particularly service contracts and provider payments, and that the action was an approval of expenditures already incurred and reviewed rather than authorization of new programs. It was also explained that a cash transfer from reserves had been executed at year-end to ensure the operating fund maintained an appropriate cash balance going into the new year.
APPROVED - Mr. Rice as the 2026 representative to NEON (Northeast Ohio Network) and Mr. Carlson and Ms. Setlock as alternates. Mr. Rice explained that NEON functions as a regional council of governments for participating county BODDs and can provide administrative support, coordination with providers, and assistance with certain regional functions, including Medicaid match-related processes and continuity support if a county needs backup capacity. Observer Note: Learn more about NEON here.
APPROVED - Mr. Rice to the Geauga County Family First Council and Mr. Carlson as the alternate. Mr. Rice described Family First Council as a local multi-agency collaborative involving partners such as children services, mental health, BODD, school districts, and others and discussed its role in pooling efforts to support children and placement needs. Observer Note: Learn more about the Geauga County Family First Council here.
APPROVED -
Locally Funded Service Agreements (LFSAs) with:
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Jamie Schenker for non-medical transportation (NMT) in an amount of $16,000.
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Matthew James Sieracki for homemaker personal care (HPC) and HPC transportation in an amount of $5,000.
Mr. Rice clarified the meaning of the service categories and explained that these approvals allow purchase orders to be issued so services can be provided as needed, but the amounts are not guaranteed payments and depend on actual service delivery.
APPROVED - Disposals of various unusable, broken, or outdated assets, including furniture and equipment from a room that had been vacated after an outside partner moved out.
APPROVED - A contingency measure related to “lease expenditure lines” in the county auditor’s financial system. Ms. Davis explained that these lease lines are primarily used for accounting adjustments that allocate building-related costs to tenants based on the percentage of square footage they occupy, including certain shared operating and maintenance-related expenses. The intent is to preserve the ability to process required adjusting entries regardless of how the auditor’s office ultimately requires the lines to be handled. Ms. Davis emphasized that the action did not increase the agency’s overall budget and was mainly an administrative mechanism to keep accounting and reporting in compliance while awaiting final guidance from the auditor. The following lease expenditure appropriations were approved:
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ESC (Educational Service Center) of the WR (Western Reserve) – $64,090.00
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ESC of NE Ohio – $33,190.00
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West Geauga LSD (Local School District) – $49,034.00
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Starting Point – $2,390.00
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NPower – $650.00
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Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland (JFSA) – $96,930.00
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The Metzenbaum Foundation - $8,160.00
The Board received the following status and program reports:
Major Unusual Incidents (MUIs)
Population & Residential Services:
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Mr. Rice referenced a total number of people served to be 985 in December.
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The residential waiver waiting list was at 12 at year-end 2025. Ms. Setlock explained that the higher number compared to previous months related to the following factors:
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Timing effect since no new waivers were to be granted until January.
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Two emergencies relating to caregiver deaths.
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“Refinancing” strategy of moving some locally funded cases to waivers to shift 60% of the burden to Medicaid and free local dollars.
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BODD requested and received 16 waivers. Any future waivers received would be reserved for emergencies.
Employment & HR Updates:
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Mr. Rice reported community employment of 192 individuals employed at minimum wage or higher and noted this as a key metric that BODD tracks.
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Mr. Rice noted that BODD staff was at 59 in December, down from 60 after the retirements of 2 maintenance staff at year-end, only one of whom was replaced.
Metzenbaum Foundation - Ms. Contizano, Executive Director of the Metzenbaum Foundation, provided a year-end summary of the organization’s 2025 activities. She described the Foundation’s mission of supporting clients and programming in partnership with BODD and noted that the Foundation’s endowment was close to $2 million. She reported that grantmaking during the year served 25 clients and exceeded $31,000, with a large share of requests related to respite care. She also described program growth over time, including increases in Family Home-Based Services support. Ms Contizano answered questions about the Foundation’s governance and board composition and staffing.
The Board discussed the following issues:
Revision to Family Home-Based Service (FHBS) procedure policy - Mr. Carlson explained that documents included in the board packet reflected procedural updates to align written procedures with long-standing practice. He clarified the distinction between board-approved policies and superintendent-managed procedures, changes to which are typically shared with the board as informational updates. Only a policy change requires board action.
Metzenbaum Sheltered Industries (MSI) - Mr. Lair asked for an update on MSI. The discussion touched on provider and system issues, including an overview of MSI’s history and the broader statewide shift away from subminimum wage workshop models, with the expectation that such arrangements will continue to be phased out. Observer Note: BODD provided a grant to support MSI which was experiencing financial difficulties. See the Observer Corps report from March 19, 2025 for more information.
General announcements -
Other Business/Comments - Mr. Lair asked if there were any comments from the floor. There were none.
Executive Session - There was no Executive Session.
The regular meeting adjourned at approximately 7:10 pm.
The next BODD meeting is scheduled for February 18, 2026 at 6:00 pm.
Minutes when posted are available here: Board Minute Summaries|Geauga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Observer: Carol Benton
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Submitted: January 24. 2026
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