BODD Awaits Confirmation of County Auditor’s Possible Withdrawal of Appeal Regarding Ohio Tax Commissioner’s Decision Upholding BODD’s Tax Exempt Status
Board of Developmental Disabilities (BODD) Meeting - April 15, 2026
Meeting Details: The Board of Developmental Disabilities held a Regular Meeting at 6:00 pm on April 15, 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 and board materials were provided in advance. For virtual meeting information contact Kellie Tvergyak-Oznowich at ktvergyako@geaugadd.org. This Observer attended in person.
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:
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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Janice Chesnes - Human Resources
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Kellie Tvergyak-Oznowich - Administrative Assistant
Others Present:
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Sally Contizano - Metzenbaum Foundation (via video)
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Sara Clemson - Executive Director, Maple Leaf Community Residences (via video)
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Carol Benton - LWV Geauga Observer
Ethics Council Meeting scheduled to convene before the Board meeting was cancelled due to lack of a quorum.
The Board meeting was called to order at 6:02 pm by Mr. Lair.
Minutes: Minutes for the March 18, 2026 Board Meeting were approved without edits. Minutes can be found on the BODD website here.
The Board took the following actions:
APPROVED - The Board accepted a donation of furniture from Jim and Kathy Bohn in memory of Jackie Wallace for general agency use. Ms. Wallace was a long-time client of BODD who passed away in March in a nursing home.
APPROVED - The Board reviewed the March 2026 financial statements. Ms. Davis noted that the agency had only received the smaller manufactured home tax settlement payment of $18,254.38 by March, while the larger levy tax settlement was received in April and will appear in next month’s report. Other revenues and expenses were reported as routine.
APPROVED - Financial Transactions & Voucher Approvals - The Board reviewed and approved various financial transactions, expenditures, and vouchers for the month of March.
NOT ADDRESSED - Since the Ethics Council did not meet, the Board did not address the following:
APPROVED - An addendum to the contract with the Metzenbaum Foundation in the amount of $15,655 to administer the 2026 Summer Support Program for individuals with developmental disabilities in Geauga County. Due to an increase in the number of individuals served and the growing needs of the program, additional funding was necessary to ensure continued access to appropriate support and services during the summer months. Ms. Contizano noted that this program is very popular and that they received 65 applicants in the first 24 hours and stated that “funding ensures all current applicants are served.”
APPROVED - Locally funded service agreements with the following:
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Heart of Gold Residential Services, in an amount of $2,000 for Money Management / Payee / Rent Subsidy / Etc services.
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Kerry Banks, in an amount of $10,000 for HPC (Homemaker Personal Care), HPC Transportation, NMT, and Community Employment Services.
APPROVED -The 2026-2027 Geauga BODD calendar of operations.
The Board received the following status and program reports:
Major Unusual Incidents (MUIs)
Population & Residential Services:
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Mr. Rice highlighted that a total of 1,049 people were served by BODD in March.
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Residential waiver waiting list was at 7. Ms. Setlock commented that “most of them are on a waiver and are now waiting for the next level waiver so they're able to get services.”
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Employment & HR Updates:
The Board discussed the following issues:
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Proposed updates to the Superintendent replacement process to clarify language and improve preparedness for future transitions.
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Revisions to the administrative complaint resolution process to align with updated state rules. The new process reduces formal complaint steps from four to three and clarifies informal resolution, superintendent review, board/hearing review, and state appeal procedures. Mr. Rice noted, “I've been superintendent 20 years, and I think we've had 5 of them. It's not a common thing.” Formal approval will occur at a later meeting after board review.
General Announcements:
Mr. Lair asked for an update on the appeal of the Ohio Tax Commissioner’s decision by the Geauga County Auditor’s Office regarding BODD’s tax exempt status in relation to the leasing of some parts of the Metzenbaum Center to various parties. Observer Note: See LWV Observer Report from January 30, 2024 Board of County Commissioner’s (BOCC) meeting for the discussion regarding the challenge to BODD’s tax-exempt status by the Auditor’s Office and claim for $700,000 in back taxes and the LWV Observer Report from the June 18, 2025 BODD meeting for a discussion about the Ohio Tax Commissioner’s decision in favor of BODD and a potential appeal by the Auditor. Mr. Carlson responded that they saw “... an entry on the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals. The case was voluntarily withdrawn, and we have not received any notice, but we've been checking regularly. So we're taking that as a good sign. We've checked with Adrian Gordon [County Finance Manager] over at the Commissioners’ office, who's been kind of our liaison in this process. He has also not received any information about it just yet, but he's also interpreting it as a good sign at this point.” Mr. Lair questioned why the Auditor’s Office had not notified BODD, saying that they could have reached out and said, “say, just to let you know, we're withdrawing this….” Observer Note: In a follow up question from this Observer, Mr. Carlson noted, “They have been asking the BOCC since they were the named party and were the ones who originally received notifications when this all began a few years ago. All communication about this issue has flowed through the BOCC's office thus far, because they are technically the owners of the parcels in question.”
Mr. Rice noted that there was information in their board packets about the following:
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Ms. Tvergyak-Oznowich announced that there were more DD Awareness ‘Nice to Metz You’ t-shirts available to purchase.
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Save the Date for the ‘Metz Froggy’ Fun Walk on May 16, 2026
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‘Trunk to You Community Garage Sale & Craft Fair’ on May 30, 2026
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19th Annual Metzenbaum Center Golf Outing on June 12, 2026 at the St. Denis Golf Course
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Summer Afternoon Concert Series at the Chesterland gazebo on Friday afternoons throughout the summer
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The Metzenbaum Foundation Night at the Lake Erie Captains game on June 28, 2026
Other Business/Comment: Mr. Lair asked if there were any comments from the floor. There were none.
The regular meeting adjourned at approximately 6:26 pm.
Executive Session: The Board entered executive session pursuant to ORC 121.22(G)(1) to consider the employment of a public employee. Mr. Rice and Mr. Carlson joined the Board for the executive session. Mr. Rice said there would be no action taken.
The next BODD meeting is scheduled for May 20, 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: April 20, 2026
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