Commissioners Recognize National Agriculture Week
Board of County Commissioners Meeting - March 17, 2026
Meeting Details: The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met in Regular Session on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 9:30 am for a regular meeting at the Geauga County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH. Meetings can be live streamed through the Geauga ADP Youtube channel and can be accessed here by scrolling down and clicking on the section for YouTube videos. Recordings are available for the public. This meeting can be found here. As of this report’s publication date, the video has been viewed 290 times. Notations in the report refer to the minute notation on the video for a particular section. Observer Note: There is a time at the beginning when there is no audio, as will be noted in the report. An agenda is available in advance via request to the Commissioners’ Clerk and at the meeting. Items discussed at the meeting but not on the agenda, if any, are addressed at the end of this report.
Public Comment Policy: Permitted as outlined in the BOCC’s Public Comment Policy that was adopted on January 28, 2025, revised on April 15, 2025, and again modified on September 30, 2025 and February 19, 2026.
Attendance: Present were Commissioners Carolyn Brakey, James Dvorak and Ralph Spidalieri. Also present were Commissioners’ Clerk Christine Blair; County Administrator Amy Bevan; Deputy County Administrator Mark Jimison, and Finance Manager Adrian Gorton.
County Representatives: Frank Antenucci, Chief Deputy Administrator, ADP (Automatic Data Processing); Andrew Haupt, PE, PS, Engineer; Linda Crombie, Director, Geauga Planning Department; Nick Gorris, Director, Water Resources; Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand; Chief Deputy Sheriff Thomas Rowan; Jessica Boalt, Director, Office on Aging; Max Yost, County Communications/Media Specialist.
Others in Attendance: Geauga County Farm Bureau President Bob Rogish, Mandy Orahood, organization director, Carmella Shale, PE, Director, Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District (GSWCD), and Hannah DeLear (spelling not verified); Ben Young, City Manager, Chardon; Vanessa Povozhaev, Director of Professional Learing and Community Outreach, Berkshire School District; Amily A. Imbrogno, Meyers Roman Law Firm; Geauga Maple Leaf reporter Allison Wilson, and this Observer.
9:50 Min. Pledge of Allegiance and Prayer (Commissioner Dvorak)
Public Comment on Agenda Items - No Comments from the public.
Minutes - Minutes were approved for the November 18, 2025 meeting. Observer Note: Weekly LWVG Observer Reports for the BOCC are available online through March 17, 2026 for informational purposes but are not substitutes for approved minutes. Approved BOCC Minutes are posted online here through October 28, 2025.
10:56 Min. (no sound) Report of Administrator, Amy Bevan: The following item was mentioned:
11:52 Min. (no sound) Financial Report - Mr. Gorton received approval for the following:
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Supplemental from the Auditor in their General Fund Vendor License Reimbursement account to allow for a payment of vendor licenses to the State
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Cash Transfer: Cash Transfer from the Juvenile/Probate Court General Fund Salaries accounts to the Unemployment Compensation fund
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Encumbrances: Travel encumbrances from the Clerk of Courts to attend the Ohio Clerk of Courts Association monthly meetings for May, July and August of 2026 in Columbus, Ohio and from the Recorder's office to attend the Ohio Recorders Association 2026 Spring Conference in Dublin, Ohio.
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Vouchers:
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$51,015.00 from ADP to Zeroeyes Inc. for the firearm detection system renewal
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$13,000.00 from the Commissioners' office to Maximus Inc. for the 2026 cost allocation plan (2024 expenses) Observer Note: Maximus Inc provides services to governmental agencies, especially regarding federal programs like Medicaid. One method for cost allocation is based on the cost of past services.
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$390,420.04 from the Sheriff's office to Preston Chevrolet, Hall Public Safety MPH Industries Inc., and Upstate Wholesale Supply, Inc. for the purchase and upfitment of six new Chevy Tahoe police pursuit vehicles
A question was asked if the Juvenile and Probate Court Judge was receiving unemployment and Mr. Gorton said no, that it was another employee.
14:00 Min. (Sound starts at 14:20 Min.)
The Farm Bureau received approval to execute Resolution #26-042 Recognizing March 15 – March 21, 2026, as National Agriculture Week.
Mr. Rogish, President of the Farm Bureau, was joined by other members, including Carmella Shale, Director of Geauga County Soil and Water Conservation District. Mr. Rogish expressed his appreciation to the Commissioners and said that their role is to support Agriculture. Mrs. Brakey asked about the Farm Bureau’s legislative priorities. Mr. Rogish said that on the State side they are looking at property taxes and farmland taken out of production for things like solar, data centers and land generally being taken out of production. On the federal side, they are trying to get the Farm Bill passed. Reviewer Note: Learn more about the status of the Farm Bill currently in Congress here.
18:40 Min. The ADP Board received approval to execute Resolution #26-043 to Grant Approval to the Geauga County Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Board to enter into an Agreement with the Legislative Authority of the Township of Thompson, pursuant to O.R.C. 307.847(E), to provide microfilming, automatic data processing, or other image processing or electronic data processing or recordkeeping services.
19:45 Min. The County Engineer’s Office received approval for the following:
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the allocation of Municipal Road Funds in the amount of $307,800.00 for the 2026 Street Repair and Resurfacing project sponsored by the City of Chardon. This project is scheduled for construction in 2026 and will repair and resurface primarily Allynd Boulevard and Tilden Avenue.
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to certify to the County Auditor the use of $307,800.00 from the Municipal Road Fund for the 2026 Repair and Resurfacing project in the City of Chardon, pursuant to O.R.C.4504.04.
22:15 Min. The Planning Commission received approval for the following:
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to execute the Final Plat for Chagrin Falls Park, Replat of Sublots 1037 through 1044 inclusive, as recorded in Volume 1, Page 60 of Geauga County Records, creating Sublot 1037-R in Bainbridge Township.
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to execute the Final Plat for Frank W. Stanton’s Riverdale Estates Replat of Sublot 7 and part of Sublot 8, creating Sublot 7-R in Russell Township.
24:09 Min. The Sheriff’s Office received approval to authorize the President of the Board to execute the Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) Fiscal Year 2024 and 2025 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) pre-award conditions and standard assurance forms for a combined Grant amount of $59,414.78, $26,706.06 for FY2024 Grant #2023-WF-VA2-8214a for the period January 1, 2026 through May 31, 2026 and $32,708.72 for FY2025 Grant #2025-WF-VA5-46168 for the period January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026 with a local match from the County General Fund of $17,078.81 (FY2024 $8,901.63)
26:09 Min. The Department of Water Resources received approval for the following:
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to authorize Ralph Spidalieri, authorized representative, to execute the Ohio Water Development Authority Fund Payment Request #12 for the McFarland Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Project for technical services by HDR Engineering, Incorporated in the amount of $47,736.39.
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to execute Contract Maintenance Form #3, increasing the Service Contract with Bill Conti Plumbing, LLC for backflow testing and as needed plumbing services in the amount of $15,000.00 and extending the contract for an additional year for a new amount, not to exceed $28,500.00.
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to approve the revised Organizational Chart to include the addition of a Wastewater Plant Operator I (#2326) position at the McFarland Wastewater Treatment Plant, to be effective March 17, 2026. Mr. Gorris said this change will enable them to be prepared when the Plant comes on line.
Mrs. Brakey suggested that when they redo the Organization Chart that they remove names, so that a change in employee would not necessitate a new Organizational Chart.
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to grant permission to advertise for the position of Wastewater Plant Operator I (#2326) internally for a period of five days, beginning March 19, 2026. If no qualified candidate is found, then they will advertise externally until the position is filled.
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to grant permission to advertise for two (2) positions of Maintenance Worker (#2330), one position at McFarland Wastewater Treatment Plant and one position for the Water District. These positions will remain posted until they are filled.
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to approve the Re-Grade of the position of Assistant Water Supervisor (#2352) from WR6 to WR7, to be effective March 17, 2026. Mr. Gorris said this will put this position in line with other areas.
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to advertise for the position of Assistant Water Supervisor (#2352). This position will remain posted until filled.
31:38 Min. The Berkshire Local School District - Director of Professional Learning and Community Outreach Vanessa Povozhaev discussed a request to the Board to make an application to the Ohio Department of Transportation Safe Routes to Schools Sidewalks Grant. Ms. Povozhaev said that in order to obtain this grant the County would need to be the applicant and fiscal agent for the grant. She described the safety issues and the identified need for sidewalks so that students can get to school safely. She said there were over 6,600 vehicles traveling this corridor every day. The main concerns mentioned by Mr. Dvorak and Mrs. Brakey were that as applicant and fiscal agent for the grant, the Commissioners would be required to promise to pay any overruns. Ms. Povozhaev acknowledged that she also had concerns about the overrun clause. Commissioners said they would need to see if their staff could handle the extra work this would entail. There was also a question about responsibility for maintenance but Ms. Povozhaev said that the City and the Burton School District will be collaborating on that aspect. She said that the grant needs to be re-submitted by April 1, but that there might be some wiggle room on the date. She said she would go back and try to find information on the points raised by the Commissioners.
43:36 Min. The Commissioners’ Office received approval for the following:
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to adopt the Cyber Fraud Internal Controls Policy and include it in the Geauga County Personnel Policy and Procedure Manual, to be effective March 17, 2026. Ms. Bevan said “this is the first step of putting it in writing that it is mandatory.” She said they would also include in job descriptions that all employees “must comply with all county level training which will include cyber security training.“ Mrs. Brakey noted the importance of letting employees know that “they can be personally liable now for some of these.” The Board also approved the placement of the previously approved policies into the Geauga County Personnel Policy and Procedure Manual, including the credit card policy, cyber security, and electronic signature policy, to be effective March 17, 2026.
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to schedule and hold Work Sessions at the County Office Building, in Room B303, Chardon at 10:00 am on Thursday, April 2, 2026, Thursday, June 4, 2026, and on Thursday, July 9, 2026. Ms. Bevan said that the topics are still being considered but that April is confirmed to be with Water Resources.
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to appoint Chris Alusheff to the Geauga County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board to fill the unexpired term of Mr. Holden, effective March 17, 2026 through June 30, 2026.
50:00 Min. Board Discussion -
County Engineer’s Building Improvement Projects - Mr. Jimison and County Engineer Haupt discussed the requirement to replace/repair a roof and then a boiler system. Mr. Jimison said, “they have the funds to do that. So they're not requesting fund approval. But because we are, so to speak, the landlord of a building that they're the tenant, they're seeking permission to go forward with the project.” There were no objections to this. Mr. Dvorak said that it would be good to fix the roof quickly.
Statutory Group for Improvement at the Geauga County Safety Center – Mr. Jimison said that whenever there is a need for repair of a safety center, the Statutory Group has to meet in public session, which will be done next week at 10:00 am, as part of the next regular meeting. Observer Note: An article in the April 10, 2025 Geauga Maple Leaf states that the Statutory Group includes the Commissioners, Clerk of Courts, Magistrate, possibly another Judge and the Sheriff.
Commissioners Letterhead options - Mr. Yost said that he had noticed that there were three different versions of the Commissioners’ Seal. He said that it made sense to have just one, and he said he felt the color version was the best. The design received approval. Mrs. Brakey said that she thought they should use up what is already printed first, which was agreed to.
55:45 Min. Public Comment -
This Observer spoke about “Sunshine Week” (week of March 15-21) and applauded the Commissioners for enacting a policy on public comment, for the livestream and video options and for adding an additional public comment on Agenda items at the beginning of meetings.
A resident from South Russell asked when the Executive Director of NOACA (Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency) would be attending the Commissioners’ meeting. Ms. Bevan said that they had not heard back from NOACA Executive Director Grace Gallucci. He then asked for a commitment from each of the Commissioners in turn to contact Ms. Gallucci. Mr. Spidalieri said he would try. Mrs. Brakey declined and Mr. Dvorak said he would also try.
59:55 Min. Executive Session - The Department on Aging received approval to move into Executive Session at 10:19 am for the purpose of discussing the employment and compensation of public employees, pursuant to O.R.C. 121.22 (G)(1). The Board was joined by Director of Office on Aging, Jessica Boalt, Ms. Bevan and Mr. Jimison.
1:12 Min. Return from Executive Session at 10:32 am, with the following actions:
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Approval for the creation, title and job description for the position of maintenance supervisor number 1043 grade 12 step three to be effective March 17, 2026.
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Approval for the creation, title and job description for the position of assistant transportation coordinator number 1042 grade 8 step one to be effective March 17, 2026.
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Approval for the revised organizational chart to include the position of maintenance supervisor 1043 and move the existing positions of chore and home safety coordinator, chore and home safety project coordinator and maintenance coordinator positions under the supervision of maintenance supervisor and include the position of assistant transportation coordinator number 1042 to be effective March 17, 2026.
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Approval to advertise for the position of maintenance supervisor number 1043 and the position of assistant transportation coordinator number 1042 internally for a period of 5 days with applications accepted from Monday, March 23, 2026 through 4:30 pm on Friday, March 27, 2026. If no qualified candidates are found, the position will be advertised externally until the position is filled.
Ms. Boalt said that if the positions are filled internally, they would not be hiring replacements.
1:16:37 Min. Executive Session - The Commissioners’ Office received approval to move into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing pending litigation, pursuant to O.R.C. 121.22 (G)(3). The Commissioners were joined by attorney Amily A. Imbrogno, from the law firm of Meyers Roman (appointed outside counsel), Ms. Bevan and Mr. Jimison.
1:35:40 Min. Return from Executive Session at 10:56 am with no action.
Meeting adjourned at 10:58 am.
Information and Posted Minutes: Available here.
Next Regular Meeting of the BOCC: The next Regular Meeting of the BOCC will be on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at the County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH.
Observer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Carol Benton
Date Submitted: March 21, 2026
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