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Emergency Management Agency Explains Four Aspects of Their Work:

 Mitigate, Prepare, Respond and Recover 

Board of County Commissioners Meeting - April 14, 2026

Meeting Details: The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met in Regular Session on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 9:30 am for a Regular Meeting at the Geauga County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH.  BOCC 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 293 times. Notations in the report refer to the minute notation on the video for a particular section.  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 24, 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:  Recorder Celesta Mullins; Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand; Chief Deputy Sheriff Thomas Rowan; Nick Gorris, Director, Water Resources; Shane Hajjar, Deputy Engineer; Jessica Boalt, Director, Office on Aging; Christine Lakomiak, Director, Geauga Mental Health and Recovery Services (MHRS); Chuck Tkach, Program Manager, Maintenance; Rob Weigle, Maintenance Director; Liz Ruvino, Contract Coordinator, Maintenance; Max Yost, County Communications/Media Specialist; Austin Rice, Director, Emergency Management Agency

Others in Attendance:  Geauga Fair Board members Howard Bates and Meg Noah; Melanie Blasko, Director, Lake Geauga Recovery; Kathy Johnson, MHRS Board member; Walter (Skip) Claypool, Board Member, Geauga Metropolitan Housing Authority; Geauga Maple Leaf reporter Allison Wilson; Chagrin Valley Times reporter Anastasia Nicholas; other members of the public and press, and this Observer.

6:27 Min. Pledge of Allegiance and Prayer (Commissioner Dvorak) 

7:13 Min. Public Comment on Agenda Items - A resident of South Russell spoke about an item on the agenda from the Engineer’s Office.  He asked how much NOACA contributed.  He repeatedly asked questions of Mr. Shane Hajjar (Deputy Engineer) and Mr. Adrian Gorton.  At the end of his time he said “This is NOACA Bull….”  Mr. Dvorak cautioned him on language, and the South Russell resident repeated it and said “Call the Sheriff and have me removed.”  Mrs Brakey pointed to the back and said, “He’s right back there.”

Minutes - No Minutes were submitted for approval. Observer Note: Weekly LWVG Observer Reports for the BOCC are available online through April 14, 2026 for informational purposes but are not substitutes for approved minutes. Approved BOCC Minutes are posted online here through November 25, 2025.  

10:07 Min. Report of Administrator Amy Bevan: 

• On April 9th, approved a payment from JFS (Job and Family Services) to Xerox Corporation for copier lease payments from February and March 2026 in the amount of $1,121.20.

• On April 9th, concurred with the Newbury Township Trustees in not requesting a hearing on the liquor license being requested by Station Convenience Stores LLC located at 11253 Kinsman Road, Newbury, Ohio.

• On April 13th, approved for the Department on Aging the promotion of an employee to the position of full-time maintenance supervisor number 1043 at the rate of $28.98 per hour, which is a grade 12 step three, to be effective April 13, 2026 with a 180-day probationary period.  

• On April 13th, approved for the Department of Water Resources the promotion of an employee to the position of waste water plant operator number one at the rate of $27.76 per hour to be effective April 12, 2026.

11:49 Min. Financial Report - Mr. Gorton received approval for the following: 

• Supplemental appropriation from the Commissioners in the miscellaneous insurance expense account in preparation for paying the county's insurance bill. 

• Transfers:

  • Cash transfer from the general fund to Family First Council for the April through May 2026 commitment. 

  • Transfer from the Commissioners’ general fund capital transfers out account to the building improvements fund for 2026 projects.

  • Transfer from the general fund Commissioners’ miscellaneous levy reimbursement account to the JFS children's services transfer in revenue account for the first half children's services levy reduction payment. 

  • Transfer from the Juvenile Court general fund hospitalization and OPERS (Ohio Public Employee Retirement System) accounts to the care and custody fund for payments that were made in error from care and custody.

• Travel incumbrances for the following: the Common Pleas Court to attend the 2026 court information technology officers consortium 2026 Security for Justice Summit in Austin, Texas; from the Engineer’s office to attend the County Engineers Association of Ohio bridge workers, supervisors and engineers conference in Newark, Ohio; from Job and Family Services to attend the Ohio Job and Family Services Directors Conference in Columbus, Ohio; from the Juvenile Court to attend the Ohio Bailiffs and Court Officers Association 2026 spring conference in New York, Ohio;  and from the Treasurer's office to attend the County Treasurers Association of Ohio spring conference in Columbus, Ohio.

• Then and Now incumbrances from the Sheriff's office to Lake Geauga Recovery Centers for program expenses from January 2026 and to FSP America LLC for doorless lockers, both of which were not previously encumbered. 

• Vouchers: $317,618.85  from Community Development to 7145 Pine LLC for the brownfield remediation grant reimbursement project.

• Revenue Certification from the Commissioners in the building improvements fund for additional unbudgeted revenue received in 2026.

Mrs Brakey asked about the travel requests, especially the one to Austin, Texas.  She said, “taxpayers are under real pressure right now, particularly when it comes to property taxes. And so I would just encourage our offices, our departments to be mindful about that when it comes to these discretionary travel expenses.”

14:41 Min. The Commissioners’ Office received approval for the following:

• To execute the Certification Request to County Auditor, Request to Board of Commissioners Quarterly Use of County Credit Cards, pursuant to O.R.C. 301.27 for the Year 2026 (Quarters 1, 2, 3 and 4) to increase the quarterly use of the Geauga Credit Union Visa cards in the amount of $1,000.00 each per quarter.

• To award the Competitive Sealed Proposal to Maximus, US Services, Incorporated for the Preparation of a Geauga County Cost Allocation Plan as they represent the offeror with the most advantageous proposal to the County, based on rankings performed by the County, pursuant to O.R.C. 307.862 (A)(2) and (E).

Mrs. Brakey asked Mr. Gorton to discuss the Maximus Cost Allocation Plan.  He said that, “We are required by law to have a cost allocation plan in order to receive  federal funds, particularly from JFS. And this is the opportunity that the county has to recoup some of the expenses of the general fund from accounts and departments that are outside the general fund. So each year I send several reports to the company that does the cost allocation. For several years now it's been Maximus. They plug all that data into their formulas and spreadsheets and spit out cost allocations really for all the departments within the county and then we bill certain departments for that cost allocation.“  Mr. Gorton also discussed the scoring process he used to select Maximus and said that they were willing to commit to a 5-year term, at no increase.

19:26 Min. The County Engineer’s Office received approval to award the Bid to Fechko Excavating, LLC for the Replacement of the Pettibone Road Bridge (Structure #BR-0607-C-01.250-2026) in Bainbridge Township, in the amount of $1,209,979.23 as they represented the lowest and best bid. The Bid Bond submitted shall be held to serve as the Performance Bond for this project. Mr. Hajjar confirmed that there were no State of Ohio grant funds used for this project but he thought there might be CEO (County Engineer’s Association of Ohio) funds.  He also said that there are some other projects that will be coming later in which they have received OPWC (Ohio Public Works Commission) grants.

21:40 Min. The Recorder’s Office received approval to execute the Geauga County, OH Media Conversion Agreement with Fidlar Technologies to provide image processing and importing to comply with Senate Bill 94 (SB 94). Completion of the project is to be within sixty (60) days of the date of execution of the agreement, in an amount not to exceed $45,000.00.  Ms. Mullens said that these changes were required by Ohio SB 94.  Observer Note: See summary of the bill here.  She also said that they have included some extra funds in case they are needed before the deadline for making changes. Observer Note: According to a different summary, the deadline is June 30, 2026.

24:04 Min. The Sheriff’s Office received approval for the following:

• To execute Resolution #26-054 Declaring County Property as Surplus and Directing its Sale to Ashtabula City Police Department, Ashtabula, Ohio, as authorized by O.R.C. 307.12 for a 2017 Ford Police Utility Interceptor, Vin #4207 in the amount of $9,600.00.

• To execute Resolution #26-055 Declaring County Property as Surplus and Directing its Sale to Ashtabula City Police Department, Ashtabula, Ohio, as authorized by O.R.C. 307.12 for a 2017 Ford Police Utility Interceptor, Vin #4210 in the amount of $9,600.00.

• To execute Resolution #26-056 Declaring County Property as Surplus and Directing its Sale to Ashtabula City Police Department, Ashtabula, Ohio, as authorized by O.R.C. 307.12 for a 2018 Ford Police Utility Interceptor, Vin #8873 in the amount of $9,600.00.

Mrs. Brakey asked about the miles on the cars that are being sold and Sheriff Hildenbrand said about 135,000 and that two of the cars were 2017 and one was a 2018.  He said that since they are going to another Sheriff’s department, the signage on the car can remain the same.  He said that all Sheriff’s cars in the State have the same markings. He also said that according to Ohio Revised Code 307.12D, if they are selling to another police or sheriff’s department they do not need to advertise.

26:52 Min. The Department on Aging received approval to execute the Certification Request to County Auditor, Request to Board of Commissioners Quarterly Use of County Credit Cards, pursuant to O.R.C. 301.27 for the Year 2026 (Quarters 1, 2, 3 and 4) to increase the quarterly use of the Home Depot and Geauga Credit Union Visa cards in the amount of $1,500.00 each per quarter.

27:55 Min. The Maintenance Department received approval for the following:

• To execute the service Contract Agreement with Plunkett’s Pest Control to perform interior and exterior Pest Control Services on County Buildings and Safety Center per the Director for a three-year period, effective April 14, 2026 in an amount not to exceed $40,000.00 ($31,500.00 County Buildings, $5,700 Safety Center and $2,800.00 for unforeseen or additional pest control services that may arise).  Ms. Ravino said that they locked in a three year price.  She also said they did get other bids, but this one was the best.

• To execute the service Contract Agreement with Vinecourt Landscaping, Incorporated to provide semi-annual and as-needed weed control at various County locations and Tower sites as well as needed fertilization services per the Director for the period April 15, 2026 through October 31, 2027, in an amount not to exceed $49,870.00. This is a two year contract and Ms. Ruvino said it covers more buildings now, including the Veteran's Memorial.

• To approve a merit increase for Rik Wareham, Operations Manager (#1909) from $32.30 (Grade 14, Step 3) to $35.48 per hour (Grade 14, Step 6) to be effective April 12, 2026 (Payroll #9).  Mr Weigle said that there had been a temporary raise, but now they want to make it permanent to align with their department plan.

32:26 Min. The Department of Water Resources received approval for the following:

• To authorize Ralph Spidalieri, authorized representative, to execute the Request for Partial Payment #9 for Shook Construction Company for the McFarland Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Project in the amount of $1,335,003.52, and the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA) Contractor’s Estimate, and the OWDA Fund Payment Request #9 (loan #11217) in the amount of $1,082,026.27. This remaining $252,977.25 will be paid using the remaining balance of ARPA funds allocated for this project.

• To authorize Ralph Spidalieri, authorized representative, to execute the Request for Partial Payment #10 for Shook Construction Company for the McFarland Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Project in the amount of $1,412,755.86, and the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA) Contractor’s Estimate, and the OWDA Fund Payment Request #10 (loan #11217) in the amount of $1,412,755.86. Mr Gorris said that they are 44% complete and still in line with the schedule.

• To acknowledge that there were no bids received for the Services Center Water Treatment Facility Upgrade and to grant permission to re-advertise for Bids for the Services Center Water Treatment Facility Upgrade to be held on May 20, 2026, at 2:00 pm. Notice of this Bid Opening will be advertised on April 17, 2026, April 24, 2026, and on the County website.  Mr. Gorris said they are going to reach out nationally due to the type of project.

• To award the Bid to Grade Line, Incorporated for the Merritt Road Sanitary Extension in the amount of $130,960.00 as they represented the lowest and best bid. Mr. Gorris said this was well below the estimate.  They had received five bids.

37:18 Min. The Geauga County Fair Board discussed with the Board sublease options in accordance with the Lease Agreement.  Ms. Noah from the Fair Board said that according to the lease agreement between the Fair Board and the Commissioners, the Commissioners must approve any subleases.  She said that they are looking for a sub-lessee for the old Maintenance building.  Mr. Bates said that he preferred renting to a non-profit because he didn’t want to jeopardize their tax-exempt status.  The Commissioners seemed to agree and said that they wanted to go forward with non-profit sub-lessees. Motion approved to rent the former Maintenance area to a non-profit organization.  

Mrs. Brakey said she thought that the lease agreement between the Commissioners and the Fair Board should be renegotiated to make it more in line with how the parties actually are working together.  

As to the needed electrical work, Ms. Noah said that they will need capital funds as the electrical work is estimated to be $131,000.  They have applied for grants and for money to come out of federal appropriations but have not heard back on either.  They also want to put in security cameras so that Gate 2 can be opened. 
They would need $5,000 for the cameras and have also applied for grants for them.

The Multi-Purpose Building revisions were discussed.  Phase 1 would cost an estimated $881,000 (which includes $135,000 contingency).  It would include doing new restrooms and adding showers.  They have received two grants for this work and hope to have Phase 1 completed by August 1, 2026.  Phase 2 would be to raise the roof and put in new lighting.  No cost estimates were discussed for this phase.

Mr. Spidalieri asked if the county had made their annual contribution to the Fair for this year and Mr. Gorton said no, but in the prior year they had contributed to the poultry barn.

52:06 Min. The Emergency Management Agency received approval to extend the term of the original contract with Inspiron Logistics, LLC up to and including April 23, 2028, to furnish the Geauga County EMA Mass Notification System, in accordance with the First Addendum previously executed by the parties. This term extension shall be $23,650.00 annually with one third being paid by the Emergency Management Agency ($7,883.34), one third being paid by the Sheriff’s Office ($7,883.34) and one third being paid by the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) ($7,883.34). All of the remaining terms and conditions of the original contract and First Addendum shall remain in full force and effect.  Mr. Austin Rice said that 91% of this expense is grant funded and that they have had the contract reviewed by their representative from the Prosecutor’s office, Laura LaChappelle.

54:37 Min. Board Discussion – Emergency Management Agency (EMA) – Mr. Rice provided an update on the EMA.  

He said they are a new staff, having been hired recently (within the last eight months).  They have three full-time staff and 1 part-time fiscal administrative employee.  He said they are required to meet many federal and state requirements, especially since Geauga is one of six counties in the State that must meet federal requirements and those of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency due to the proximity to the Perry Nuclear Plant.  He said this is a tiered system -  federal, state, and local level. He said, “So FEMA is what everybody knows. That's a federal emergency management agency. And of course, all the states need to have a state EMA, which is OEMA or Ohio Emergency Management Agency. And per the Ohio Revised Code, all 88 counties in the state need to have an emergency management agency or a program as well. So that's where we come into play. We're the local EMA branch.” 

They have four key aspects of their work:  Mitigate, Prepare, Respond and Recover.  Mr. Rice said that, “probably about 80 - 90% of what we do is actually in this preparation and mitigation, this (is the) non-emergency duty phase.”

He said there are a lot of detailed plans required, such as “the REP which is the radiological emergency response plan or the hazard mitigation plan or the emergency operations plan….  There's a hazmat chemical spill response plan. And we have to review lots of school plans and other safety plans.”  He said they also require drills on different cycles, some yearly and some every other year. He said for the Perry Nuclear Plant, “some people know that we deal with the nuclear power plant in Perry. So, we have all these Perry drills. Everyone thinks of the big Perry drills every year or every other year. Well, this is true. We do have to do these things. There's also smaller Perry or nuclear drills throughout the year that nobody knows about that we have to do. And because we have to participate in the state's nuclear program, we actually have to help with the other two (nuclear power plants). There's three nuclear power plants that affect the state of Ohio. So, we have to help with those other plants as well.”  He said they also help with local community and school drills and said that if anyone wanted help with drills or training or presentations they should contact him.

Besides the preparation and training, they also do have to respond to major incidents. He stated, “So the EMA responds to complex, rapidly evolving and large-scale incidents. And large scale is the key word here because we are not actually a response agency. We are not primarily a response agency, I should say. We're not fire or police.”

For recovery, that could be “trying to get things back to normal after a large incident. So there's sheltering, warming and cooling centers, working with the utility companies on restoration and specific issues in that regard. That's some of the recovery efforts that we work on usually.”  

They are also thinking ahead and trying to build better communications.  He said, “We're trying to implement a multi-layer emergency communication system and strategy that increases reach, spread, accessibility, and public trust.” They also have an emergency operations center for the county. 

In summary, he said their goal is to ”build a county recovery framework and resilience pipeline that accelerates restoration, supports survivors, and integrates mitigation. The training and exercise program, which I mentioned, we already have our training exercise program, but we'd like to expand that to better enable Geauga County citizens and first responders to prepare for, respond to, and better recover from emergencies. And last but not least is public facing -  visibility and branding.”

1:15 Min. Change in April 23, 2026 Work Session. Ms. Bevan said she would like to talk about the building department during the April 23 work session.  Also in May she would like a discussion of the tenants to the space in the old courthouse.

1:19 Min. Added to Agenda:  Ms. Lakomiak, Director of Geauga Mental Health Recovery Services, and Melanie Blasko, Director of Lake Geauga Recovery, spoke to the Commissioners about the recovery house that is planned for Chardon across from St. Mary’s Catholic Church.  At a meeting on April 7, 2026, the Commissioners declined to award $50,000 requested by Lake Geauga Recovery for the recovery house because of concerns that neighbors and parents of children in St Mary’s school might not know about the projected change in use.  Ms. Blasko said that she had attended a meeting with the pastor of St. Mary’s Church, Reverend Scott, and said that there was a communication plan to explain it to school parents and parishioners.  Mrs. Brakey asked if it was for men or women, and Ms. Blasko said it was a men’s recovery house.  Ms. Blasko did not think that there was a “change of use,” as the house will still be a single family house within the definition in Chardon having no more than five unrelated individuals living there.  No action was taken at this meeting. Observer Note:  See LWVGeauga Observer Report for April 7 here for more details.

1:23:43 Min. Public Comment 

A South Russell resident spoke about NOACA and said that NOACA recently handed out (or made available) a flyer that he said shows gas tax from Geauga County.  This resident said that the flyer did not include diesel fuel.  He referred to Gas Buddy as his source of information. He also asked each of the Commissioners about when Grace Gallucci (Executive Director of NOACA) was coming to a Commissioners’ meeting. Mr. Spidalieri said he had called twice, but it went to voicemail and the voicemail was full.  Mrs. Brakey attempted to answer but was cut off by the resident as he continued to ask additional questions.  Mr. Dvorak said that he had emailed with Ms. Gallucci.  He also said that the flyer was given out at the Geauga Township Association meeting.  The resident said “no one knew about this meeting,” and Mr. Dvorak said he was not in charge of the Township Association.  Observer Note:  The Geauga Township Association meets quarterly, hosted by a different township for each meeting, and members are generally county departments and township trustees or other designees. Reviewer Note: The flyer in question is available here.

A Troy Township resident spoke about his views on NOACA’s climate action change.  He said that CO2 does not cause climate change.

A resident from Hambden Township was concerned that money from Geauga County was going to Cuyahoga County.  He said that “We don’t owe them a dime.”

A resident from Russell Township expressed support for those who have expressed concerns about NOACA.

Mr. Dvorak said that Lake County is not interested in joining Geauga and leaving NOACA.

Mr. Claypool spoke about NOACA and a safety study that was done years ago.  He said that NOACA had nothing to do with that study. He said, “I have a cost model that was approved by ODOT when I was a  county commissioner that shows if we did form a combination with Lake County, we'd share about $7 million a year.”

Meeting recessed at 11:03 am.

Next Regular Meeting of the BOCC: The next Regular Meeting of the BOCC will be on Tuesday, April 21, at 9:30 am at the Geauga County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH. 

Observer: Gail Roussey

Editor: Rooney Moy

Reviewer: Sarah McGlone

Date Submitted: April 20, 2026

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