Board of County Commissioners - October 17, 2023
Meeting Details: The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met at 9:30 AM on October 17, 2023 at the County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH. BOCC meetings are in-person only and there are no recordings for the public. An agenda is available in advance via request to the Commissioners’ Clerk.
Public Comment Policy: Observer Comment: Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri announced at the end of the April 4, 2023 meeting that public comment would be permitted and that a more formal policy would be forthcoming. There was no formal policy introduced today.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited and a prayer was offered by Commissioner James Dvorak.
Attendance: Present were Commissioners Ralph Spidalieri, James Dvorak and Timothy Lennon. Also present were Commissioners' Clerk Christine Blair, County Administrator Gerald Morgan, Assistant County Administrator Linda Burhenne, and Finance Manager Adrian Gorton.
County Representatives: Shane Hajjar, Deputy Design/Planning Engineer; Nick Gorris, Director of Geauga County Department of Water Resources; Nicole Walker, Chief Probation Officer, Common Pleas Court
Others in Attendance: Kathy Shimer, Destination Geauga; Dean Hayne, Regional Affairs representative from the Illuminating Company; Tom and Diane Jones; several other members of the public, reporters from the Geauga Maple Leaf and Chagrin Valley Times and this observer.
Minutes: No minutes were presented for approval. At publication, minutes posted on the BOCC website through September 26 , 2023. Observer Comment: Weekly LWVG Observer Reports for BOCC are available online through November 7, 2023 for informational purposes but are not substitutes for approved BOCC minutes.
Report of County Administrator Mr. Morgan - Mr. Morgan reported on the following action taken by him:
Financial Report - Mr. Adrian Gorton received approval for the Financial Report, containing the following:
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Appropriations transfers from Sheriff’s department to Miscellaneous, Reimbursements and Web checks that were deposited into the General Fund
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Supplemental to the Maintenance Department for increases in natural gas, water utility and postage expenses
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Cash transfer from General Fund to Family First Counsel for October to December commitment
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Travel request from Common Pleas Court to attend the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association winter conference
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Travel request from Probate Court to attend the 2023 Fall Probate Courts conference
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Vouchers:
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$283,151.31 from the Commissioners’ Office to Thendesign Architecture, Ltd., for the phase 2 basic services and design
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$30,343.21 form the Sheriff’s Dept to Fuji Mats, LLC for training mats for defensive tactics training
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Revenue Certification from Common Pleas Court in the Court Technology Fund for additional unbudgeted Revenue received in 2023
The Common Pleas Court - Adult Probation Department received approval to execute Resolution #23-173 Requesting to Establish a New Fund, called CCA 2.0 which will include already established funds (#2057 - Pretrial, #2068 - Standard Probation and #2082 - Presentence Investigation). Ms. Walker stated that the State of Ohio asked the Common Pleas Court to consolidate current grants funds into one fund.
The County Engineer’s Office received approval for Resolution #23-174 to Order the Asphalt Resurfacing of Munn Road, Sections E-F in Auburn and Newbury Townships. Bids for this project will open on November 8, 2023 at 2 p.m. Notice of the Bid Opening was to be advertised and placed on the County website.
Mr. Lennon asked if the project would start in 2024. Mr. Hajjar explained that the project bid would be awarded and executed in 2023 and that it was scheduled to start on May 1, 2024. Mr. Lennon inquired about price adjustments in the contract. Mr. Hajjar stated that the standard Ohio Department of Transportation contract includes a price adjustment clause but that the Geauga County Engineer’s Office excludes that clause from its contracts, resulting in contractors incurring any impacts of price increases or decreases on related commodities, supplies, wages, etc.
The Department of Water Resources received approval for the following:
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To execute the contract with Mission Communication to perform monitoring and alarm services at various wastewater locations for a three-year period, December 2021 - November 2024 in an amount not to exceed $30,000.
Mr. Dvorak asked why the approval for a contract dating back to December 2021 was now being requested. Mr. Gorris explained that it first had to be approved by the ADP Board to whom the Department of Water Resources recently presented the contract. He also stated that going forward all contracts with Mission Communication would be for one-year terms.
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To execute the contract with Mission Communication to perform monitoring and alarm services at various water locations for a three-year period, December 2021 - November 2024 in an amount not to exceed $9,200.
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To authorize the President of the Board to execute revisions to the county credit card authorization form as a result of the departure of former Department of Water Resources Director, Steve Oluic.
Mr. Dvorak asked Mr. Gorris if there had been any communications with University Hospital Geauga Medical Center representatives regarding water supply. Mr. Gorris confirmed that discussions were ongoing with mechanical and site civil engineers regarding design and fiscal matters. Mr. Dvorak asked that Mr. Gorris forward emails relating to the hospital project to the county commissioners going forward. Mr. Gorris promised that he would do so.
The Commissioners’ Office received approval to execute Resolution #23-175 to honor Raymond Kozelka on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.
Items Not on the Agenda:
Item One: Mr. Morgan provided an update on an ongoing matter with the County Prosecutor’s Office. Observer Comment: See Observer Report for the September 26, 2023 BOCC meeting where this matter was first reported. In response to an earlier communication from the Prosecutor that any requests for opinions or other actions by an employee of the BOCC should first be approved by the BOCC, the BOCC passed a resolution that authorized Mr. Morgan to make submissions to the Prosecutor’s Office. Upon a recent request, the Prosecutor’s Office again responded that it would not accept such submissions if they were not previously approved by the BOCC. Mr. Morgan engaged outside counsel to draft a motion to again address this matter. The motion language provides blanket BOCC approval of all requests from employees of the County Commissioners’ Office to the Prosecutor’s Office requesting review, opinion, comment and approval of any contracts, public records requests and responses, personnel issues, human resource issues, and any other matters related to the execution of the BOCC’s duties, powers and responsibilities covering all past, present or future requests. The motion further stated that all BOCC employees are controlled in the manner of performing work by the BOCC. This motion was approved.
Item Two: Kathy Shimer from Destination Geauga explained the 2023 Taste of Geauga Passport program. She noted that the program was widely accepted and included 38 locations, up from 32 in 2022. Five thousand passports were ordered, and 3,800 were already delivered to participating vendors. The BOCC congratulated Ms. Shimer on the success of the program. Mr. Lennon asked Ms. Shimer about the proposed 2.5% tax on Airbnbs. She replied that her organization was in support of such a tax and that she would raise the matter with the Destination Geauga Board.
There was no Executive Session.
Public Comment:
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Dean Hayne from the Illuminating Company updated the BOCC on a reconductoring project in Leroy Center and Chester Township in phase 1. The follow-up phase 2 will start soon, and impacted property owners were notified of the upcoming project. The Commissioners complimented Mr. Hayne on the communication regarding power outages during the August storms.
Mr. Spidalieri requested that Mr. Hayne and the Illuminating Company revisit the overhead power wire currently in place at the Geauga County Airport. The situation is hindering growth at the airport and potentially poses a safety concern. Mr. Hayne stated he would contact the engineering department at Illuminating Company to get an update.
Motion to Adjourn occurred at approximately 9:55 am.
More Information and Posted Minutes: Available here.
Next Regular Meeting of the BOCC: October 24, 2023 at 9:30 am.
Observers: Carol Benton
Editor & Reviewer: Anne Ondrey
Date Submitted: 11/13/23
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