Commissioners Deny Sheriff’s Request to Reduce Health Care Waiting Period
for New Hires
Board of County Commissioners Meeting - June 2, 2026
Meeting Details: The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met in Regular Session on Tuesday, June 2, 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 243 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 and Finance Manager Adrian Gorton.
County Representatives: Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand; Chief Deputy Tom Rowan; Andy Haupt, Engineer; Nick Gorris, Director, Water Resources
Others in Attendance: Adam Litke, Health Commissioner and Administrator, Geauga Public Health; Family of Levi Beck; Jason Sutter, Burton Township employee; Ken Burnett, Burton Township Trustee; Chagrin Valley Times reporter Anastasia Nicholas; Geauga Maple Leaf reporter Allison Wilson, other members of the public and press, and this LWVG Observer.
9:34 Min Pledge of Allegiance and Prayer (Commissioner Dvorak)
Public Comment on Agenda Items -There were no comments from the public
11:22 Min Administrator - The following were approved by Ms. Bevan:
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Dog Warden - Hiring of a Deputy Dog Warden and a part time Shelter Attendant
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Water Resources - Execution of a service contract with Jameson Well Drilling to perform services as needed at various locations
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Maintenance - An unpaid personal leave of absence was approved for a full time custodian
Ms. Bevan concurred with Bainbridge Trustees on not requesting a hearing for a liquor license request by Chagrin Acquisition dba (doing business as) Chagrin Athletic Club.
Minutes - There were no minutes submitted for approval. Observer Note: Weekly LWVG Observer Reports for the BOCC are available online through June 2, 2026 for informational purposes but are not substitutes for approved minutes. Approved BOCC Minutes are posted online here through December 30, 2025.
13:49 Min The Sheriff’s Office received approval to execute the Agreement for Professional Services between the Geauga County Board of Commissioners and Signature Health Inc to provide the necessary dental care to Geauga County Jail inmates. This will be for the term June 1, 2026 - June 1, 2027 and will renew for one year intervals unless terminated by either party.
Sheriff Hildenbrand stated that they are required to provide dental care to the inmates. He said that in the past, they have had someone come to the jail but can no longer find anyone that would provide that service. They will transport the inmates to a Signature Health located in Painesville. Mrs. Brakey asked how this would affect the budget. The Sheriff stated that it is hard to know as it depends on how many inmates require dental services.
16:46 Min The Sheriff's Office requested that the Board approve and execute a resolution which would update the waiting period for healthcare for newly hired Geauga County deputies, dispatchers and correctional officers.
Discussion followed. Sheriff Hildenbrand stated that the waiting period for the healthcare plan is 60 days and that presents a recruitment issue as it is too long. Although the department does offer to pay for their COBRA premiums until they are eligible for the county health plan, this is expensive. He said that his employees are the only ones that deal with violent people and put their lives on the line, so it is only fair to offer them coverage on the first day of employment. Ms. Bevan spoke with the county insurance carrier, and she was told that the Board does have the authority to move forward with this. There would be a pilot period. Ms. Brakey stated that the county should have one policy for all employees and, if changed, that would cost $332,000 annually. She also said that she has asked for data as to how many employees the department is losing due to this situation but has not received any information. Mr. Dvorak stated that he thinks this is a work in progress. The resolution was denied, with Mr. Spidalieri voting in favor of the resolution and Ms. Brakey and Mr. Dvorak voting no.
33:12 Min Report of Financials - County Finance Manager Adrian Gorton received approval for the following:
The Commissioners’ Office received approval to execute the Letter of Engagement with Gallagher Sharp LLP for general counsel services through December 31, 2026 in an amount not to exceed $15,000, unless there is prior approval by the Board.
39:36 Min Public Hearing - A hearing was held for the proposed name change of a portion of Osmond Rd to Levi Lane. All those present who wished to be heard were sworn in. The Family of Levi Beck presented the name change to honor their deceased son, Levi, so that his name would be remembered and also to call attention to SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood). Mr. Beck said, “It is one of the leading causes of children's death age 1 to four.” Mr. Beck also mentioned that they are the only house on this portion of Osmond Road and that the southern section of the road would still be called Osmond Road. Representatives from Burton Township, the Engineer’s Office and Sheriff Hildenbrand spoke of the issues and challenges related to renaming of the road. All speakers acknowledged the difficulty of the loss for the Becks and expressed their condolences.
Burton Trustee Ken Burnett noted that, although Mr. Dvorak had been a Burton Trustee for 2 terms, no road was named after his daughter when she died. He also said that Trustee Whiting’s daughter had passed away, and he had been a trustee for 40 years, but no street was named for her. Mr. Burnett said that he was concerned about setting a precedent. Sheriff Hildenbrand expressed concern about EMS finding the correct address with different names for the same road. He suggested a sign and a road dedication, such as is done for fallen military servicepeople. Mr. Dvorak agreed with the Sheriff concerning the road dedication. Mrs. Brakey emphasized that there is only one house on this section of the road. It was also acknowledged by Burton Township that the actual cost would be minimal. County Engineer Haupt talked about the administrative burden on various departments of the county. Mr. Spidalieri said that he also favored the option of a road dedication. The hearing closed at 10:34 with no decision made on this issue.
1:14 min Board Discussion - Water Resources presented a letter from Ohio Department of Transportation requesting a permanent easement on Surrey Downs Drive, Russell Township which is the location of the Surrey Downs Wastewater Treatment Plant. After looking into the .070 portion of a 1.878 acre parcel, Mr. Gorris stated that it would not affect Water Resources and ODOT has presented an option where the County would receive $3,150.00 for the parcel. He suggested that they move forward with this and that the Department of Water Resources receive the money for operating expenses. The Board agreed. Mr. Gorris said he will get the paperwork presented as an actual action in the future.
Public Comment - There was no public comment.
Min. Adjournment at 10:41 am.
Next Meeting: The next Regular meeting will be Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 9:30 am at the Geauga County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH.
Observer: Mary Heintzelman
Editor: Sarah McGlone
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
Date Submitted: June 12, 2026
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