Board Meeting Minutes, February 13, 2018
Commissioners’ Meeting
William F. Hutson called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. with Adam Friedrick and Patricia G. Geissman present. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer.
The minutes of the February 6, 2018 Commissioners’ meeting were emailed in advance. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the minutes; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.
Highway Administrative Assistant Doug King presented and reviewed the following resolutions: (1) approving the final change order to the pavement marking contract (MED-CRPM-FY2018) between Dura Mark, Inc. and the Medina County Commissioners, and (2) approving the Annual County Highway System Mileage Certification Report prepared by the Ohio Department of Transportation. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the two resolutions; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.
The commissioners reviewed the permits issued January 18 through February 7, 2018.
Finance Director Mike Pataky presented and reviewed the following resolutions: (1) revenue adjustments for various funds; (2) authorizing the county auditor to transfer funds from various county department accounts to the Gasoline Rotary Fund; (3) accepting a lease agreement with Faith-In-Action Medina County Caregivers; and (4) allowing expenses of county officials. Mr. Pataky requested payment of the weekly bills in the amount of $1,273,631.18. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the four resolutions and to pay the bills; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.
Human Resources Director Holly Muren presented and reviewed a resolution approving personnel changes for the employees under the jurisdiction of the Medina County Commissioners. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the resolution; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.
County Administrator Scott Miller presented and reviewed the following resolutions: (1) authorizing an agreement for a copier lease with ComDoc and the Public Defender’s Office, and (2) authorizing extension of an agreement with BeWell Solutions for the provision of administrative services for the county wellness program. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the two resolutions; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.
Sanitary Engineer Amy Lyon-Galvin presented and reviewed the following resolutions: (1) authorizing the sanitary engineer to obtain an easement for the Sharon Water and Sanitary Sewer Project 2018; (2) authorizing the sanitary engineer to request Part II project proposal extensions for processing and recovery of recyclables and transfer, transport, and disposal of municipal solid waste for the Medina County Solid Waste District; and (3) awarding the bid for yard waste management services for the Medina County Solid Waste District. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the three resolutions; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion.
Mr. Friedrick noted that Jeremy Smith from Smith Brothers attended the Solid Waste Policy Committee meeting; he did a nice job of explaining and clarifying Class IV changes. Ms. Lyon-Galvin stated that she would be coming back with their proposal to capture some of feedback that was received from the SWPC about bringing in residential yard waste at no charge; they will be issued a punch card so that when they are dropping off materials, their card will be punched. It will help to ascertain how many customers bring yard waste and how often. There will be fees for commercial customers and government counterparts (cities, etc.); however, the Park District will not be charged. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE on Resolutions #1 and #3. Messrs. Friedrick and Hutson voted AYE and Mrs. Geissman ABSTAINED on Resolution #2. All of the resolutions passed.
Office for Older Adults Director Laura Toth presented their January report. All of their programs utilized between 7-11% of the grant funding, healthy ranges to start the year. They’ve utilized 9% of allocated funds for locally funded home-delivered meals for a total of $4,274. On January 12, the Brunswick Senior Expo was held in the morning (the day of the big ice storm). Over 250 people attended; however, 400 were expected. The sponsors and attendees enjoyed the event and all of the offerings. There was another day in January when they were unable to deliver home-delivered meals due to the weather. There was also a day when the Senior Centers were closed in order to protect their clients from the extreme cold. This week, Valentine’s Day events will be held February 14 in Brunswick and February 16 in Medina. Brunswick and Medina Newsletters were distributed. On February 12, there was a coyote outside of their Medina window (it was since reported that it was a dog).
Mrs. Geissman said that she heard on the news that older adults were complaining of the quality of food and the amount of salt and sugar in home-delivered meals in Cuyahoga County. She asked if Ms. Toth receives complaints. Ms. Toth answered that they don’t get many complaints. Their home-delivered meals are catered out of Cuyahoga County as part of the grant. Every April, quality assurance surveys are sent; usually the complaint is that the vegetables are don’t enough. Ms. Toth noted that they have charts that show the nutritional content of the meal; they make sure that clients are informed.
Mr. Hutson asked if Mr. Toth had seen any effects of the flu season. Mr. Toth answered that they had a couple of regular clients that didn’t attend activities for a week. The fact that many of their clients are homebound protects them because it keeps them away from infectious diseases.MCDAC Director Brian Nowak noted that Anti-Drug Levy funds are distributed through a grant process; those grants are due April 6. All of the current grantees have been informed of that date; the dates are also on the front page of the website. Also on the website is all of the grant documentation and grant guidelines. They are in the process of updating their website to a more modern and flexible design and it will also appear very well on a mobile phone, enabling more access. Last week, ADAMH Board Director Phillip Titterington addressed the MCDAC Board; they will continue to partner with the ADAMH Board to better leverage treatment dollars to address gaps in treatment and, hopefully, create a more unified approach to provide residents who are in need of substance use disorders to get the help they need. In March, Gary Hubbard will address the Board to update members of the county-wide drug enforcement services and present his budget for review. The Drug Abuse Commission will have a booth at the Medina Home and Garden Show March 3-4.
Mr. Friedrick stated that the news is talking about the Federal budget and some changes to some entitlement programs and additional dollars for opioids. He asked if Mr. Nowak knew how the dollars would be distributed. Mr. Nowak said that he saw the $6 billion amount that would be disbursed. His understanding was that it would go more toward treatment and prevention; there’s drug enforcement funding as well. The money will be distributed by states, but he didn’t know how that would happen since all states have been impacted; it may be done with a grant process.
Chief Public Defender Jocelyn Stefancin stated that on January 3, Timothy Lutz resigned unexpectedly. Kimberly Stout-Sherrer was hired and started on February 5. She reviewed her qualifications and background. She has been assigned to the Wadsworth docket and will also cover absences in the Common Pleas Courts.
Continuing, Ms. Stefancin reviewed statistics for 2016 and 2017. She distributed monthly statistical reports for November and December 2017 and January 2018. In 2016, the office handled a total of 1,937 cases between the four courts (two municipal courts, juvenile, and adult felony cases); in 2017, there were 1,976 cases. In 2016, there were 86 felony cases; in 2017, there were 234 felony cases. While they are seeing a decrease in some other areas, there is an increase in the Common Pleas Court. Comparing 2016 to 2017, the Juvenile Docket increased by 11 cases, Medina Municipal Court decreased by 102 cases, and the Wadsworth Municipal Court increased by 18 cases. Mr. Hutson asked why there was an increase in felony cases. Jocelyn answered that it was due to continued expansion of their services and the judges are appointing more cases. Judge Kimbler, for example, is appointing her to all of the probation violations in her courtroom; that is where the majority of the cases are. They are still allowing the office to handle any felony to which they were appointed to in the Municipal Court. There’s still areas for growth. Mr. Friedrick asked if felony cases consume more time; Ms. Stefancin said that it depends on the nature of the felony and the offense that was charged.
Commissioner Hutson presented and reviewed the following resolutions: (1) reappointing Royden T. Schenz as architect to the Medina County Board of Building Appeals, and (2) reappointing members to the Medina County Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the two resolutions; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.
Mr. Friedrick moved to go into Executive Session after the Discussion Session to consider the purchase of real property; the motion was seconded by Mrs. Geissman. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE. With no further business to come before the Commissioners, the meeting recessed at 9:53 a.m.
Discussion Session
At 9:56 a.m., the Commissioners began the Discussion Session.
Electric Aggregation
Scott Miller indicated that he had met with Community Energy Advisors the week before. They have been negotiating with FirstEnergy Solutions for the county electric aggregation program. Last year, residents in the program, combined, saved $901,000; that money was available to put back into Medina County’s communities. Had a fixed program been utilized, savings would have been approximately $1.8 million. There were two months last year that the price dropped lower than the fixed rate. If we choose a fixed rate, we gamble that the prices will go up; if we choose a variable rate, we gamble that prices will go down. It’s anticipated that rates will be low. He suggested choosing the fixed rate; the Commissioners agreed.
Subordination Agreement
Mr. Miller stated that he received a call from Dave Wadsworth the day before. The owner of the building where the Medina County Auto Title office is located is refinancing and the bank wants the county to do a subordination agreement. Mr. Hutson noted that this is standard. The Commissioners agreed and approved for Mr. Miller to sign the agreement.
Sheriff Department Upgrades
Scott noted that last week, he sent the Commissioners an email. The Sheriff has been performing radio upgrades, as well as looking to upgrade the 911 system. Emergitech, the current provider of 911 services, has been purchased by Zurcher; they are in the process of upgrading those systems and will be providing the support. As a module to the 911 system, there is a CAD system. It has record management, e-citation, booking software, and different facets that can be used by law enforcement, including townships, cities, and villages law enforcement. One of things it can do is if an officer makes an arrest, completes the paperwork on his computer, and then transports the prisoner to the jail, the paperwork is ready at the jail and the officer signs off and the prisoner is booked. Now, the prisoner is delivered, the paperwork is prepared, the jail personnel handle items, and then calls the officer to come in to sign the paperwork. The new way would be much easier. Departments also have access to other departments’ investigative information. If one entity has burglaries, another entity can make comparisons if they are also having the same problem; this aids in their investigations. The system will be purchased, maintained, and housed by the Sheriff Department.
In the past, if other departments accessed the system, they’ve billed those other departments to recover some of the costs. With the sales tax coming up and it being a law enforcement/criminal justice sales tax, Chief Terry Grice of Montville Township asked if the county would be willing to pick up the costs since its Sheriff’s system is a benefit to all Medina County residents. Mr. Miller will be presenting at the Police Chiefs meeting on February 28. He asked the Commissioners that if the sales tax passes, if those items purchased and maintained by the Sheriff’s Office could be covered by the county.
Mr. Hutson clarified that the cost is the Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Miller answered that it’s for the benefit of the Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Friedrick said that he felt it was the right thing to do. He asked how much money wouldn’t be billed to other entities. Mr. Miller answered that the current purchase involves Medina City, Montville Township, Medina Township, and the Sheriff’s Office; the purchase is $291,000 for the 911 system. About $24,000 of that is the Sheriff’s costs; the actual CAD cost is $491,000. The maintenance cost is about $110,000 a year. About $120,000 would be billed out. If other townships and villages utilize the system, costs would increase. The Commissioners agreed that it was the right thing to do.
Mrs. Geissman stated that she keeps hearing that even though we’re in compliance with the State that we’re still not able to talk to neighboring counties. Mr. Miller said that the only political subdivision that has had problems is Seville; no one else has had problems (deputies, other political subdivisions using the system). We are in compliance and are able to talk to surrounding communities. Mrs. Geissman said that she had been told that we’ll probably have to get new radios. Carol Carter said that she had spoken to the Commissioners and had contacted the Sheriff, Captain Centner, and Janelle. They are listening and doing their best to make it better; some of the problems are electronic. Sometimes she thought that there is a system and no one knows it’s broken until someone says something; not everyone is saying something. Janelle and Captain Centner came to the village two weeks ago and gave instructions. She thought she had heard that they can’t contact Wayne County; they’re working on that. She didn’t know if it was just the Fire Department; they have issues because the Fire Department doesn’t have the new radios. They need to stay with the 400 because they’re volunteers and the Fire Department doesn’t have the cash flow to purchase 800s for all of the volunteers.
Mr. Miller said that he understood that Janelle and Captain Centner had spoken to the police chief and the police chief had nothing but compliments about the system. Mayor Carter said that as they’ve worked with personnel from the Sheriff’s Office, things are getting better. Mr. Friedrick said that there had been backup and battery failures that had been a problem. Mrs. Geissman said that Lodi has had problems with some areas that are low lying. Mr. Hutson said that he spoke to a couple of departments and they indicated that over time, the system had improved and that they think that with the changes that the Sheriff’s Office is planning that they will continue to improve.
Bee Inspector
Scott Miller indicated that in the last couple of years, Medina County didn’t have an apiary inspector because they were told in an audit that the individual must be employed as a county employee. The County would pay an amount not to exceed $3,000 and liability/workers’ comp would need to be paid. In the past, there were volunteers who got hurt while volunteering; therefore, workers’ comp claims have been in excess of $100,000. There have been two advertisements in the Gazette. He contacted the Ohio Department of Agriculture; they and their attorney are aware of the situation and they are trying to get something changed in the Ohio Revised Code that will not define the bee inspector as a public employee. Mr. Friedrick asked if we could pay another county that already has a bee inspector; Mr. Miller said that he contacted Lorain County and it wasn’t possible. Mrs. Geissman reminded that all of this was because of an IRS audit; she brought it up to the CCAO Board and there wasn’t a single county that had ever had an IRS audit and they all do what we’ve always done (contracted it out). Mr. Miller said that last year or the year before, Peggy Folk had done research about what other counties did; most counties utilized employees. Mr. Hutson asked if Peggy Gardner of the Beekeepers Association had been contacted; Scott said that he had not contacted her. Mr. Hutson said that it’s interesting what happens all over the state and particularly in Medina County. There are bees that are trucked up from the south. Commercial companies put bees in hives in different areas for pollination purposes. There is no control or oversight as to whether they’re bringing diseases from the south here. Then those southern bees interact with Medina bees and contaminate them. At the end of the season, the bee hives are then trucked back south. This is an issue for the Farm Bureau and the agriculture community because they need bees to pollinate crops and produce food. The Commissioners agreed that a bee apiary should be hired.
Solid Waste District Proposals
Amy Lyon-Galvin reported on contract negotiations for Part 2 of the project proposals. They’ve met with Rumpke and Ensortga individually and with both of them together. She was pleasantly surprised on the synergies that were developed. It looks like they have a good chance of furthering talks, although work is not done by any stretch of the imagination. Mr. Miller said that he was also pleasantly surprised. They conversed, discussed certain issues, and got to know each other and each other’s operations. The possibility of further talks and negotiations is very positive. Mr. Springer asked to make comment. Mr. Hutson requested that Mr. Springer request to be put on the agenda under “Public Comments”; Mrs. Geissman said that Mr. Springer wanted to make comments as he had last week. Mr. Springer said that he listened to the Commissioners last week and they had said they had to look at it. In the newspaper, it looked as if it was a done deal. He read that the top two bidders want to merge together; that’s not what their bid said. One of the two wants one year and then out. If we’re going to bid it out, that’s wrong. He stated that Medina County is putting all of this money and time to build a plant and there will still be trash (recycling) containers. He dealt with them for 30 years and they take maintenance and personnel to pick up the materials. He said it wasn’t logical to pay someone for something that could be done for nothing.
Mr. Hutson invited Mr. Springer to attend Solid Waste Policy Committee meetings because there’s a lot of conversation about the plan and how the plan is constructed and what it entails; he recommended that the meetings are where he should get his information and understand the direction. He noted that Mr. Springer seems very interested in the entire topic and has an interesting perspective.
Colleen Swedyk stated the same things as she had the week before. The Commissioners have no idea what the contracts are going to be and that people should be patient.
Executive Session
At 10:19 a.m., the Commissioners went into the Executive Session that had been voted on earlier. The Executive Sessions ended at 10:41 a.m.
Adjournment
There being no further business, Mr. Friedrick moved to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by Mrs. Geissman. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE. The meeting ended at 10:41 a.m.
RESOLUTIONS PASSED FEBRUARY 13, 2018
18-0080 Allowing claims and authorizing issuance upon the treasurer in settlement of such list of claims
18-0081 Approving the final change order to the pavement marking contract (MED-CRPM-FY2018) between Dura Mark, Inc. and the Medina County Board of Commissioners
18-0082 Approving the Annual County Highway System Mileage Certification Report prepared by the Ohio Department of Transportation
18-0083 Revenue adjustments for various funds
18-0084 Authorizing the county auditor to transfer funds from various county department accounts to the Gasoline Rotary Fund
18-0085 Accepting a lease agreement with Faith-In-Action Medina County Caregivers
18-0086 Allowing expenses of county officials
18-0087 Approving personnel changes for the employees under the jurisdiction of the Medina County commissioners
18-0088 Authorizing an agreement for copier lease with ComDoc and Public Defender’s Office
18-0089 Authorizing extension of agreement with BeWell Solutions for the provision of administrative services for the County Wellness Program
18-0090 Authorizing the sanitary engineer to obtain an easement for the Sharon Water and Sanitary Sewer Project 2018
18-0091 Authorizing the sanitary engineer to request Part II project proposal extensions for processing and recovery of recyclables and transfer, transport and disposal of municipal waste for the Medina County Solid Waste District
18-0092 Awarding the bid for yard waste management services for the Medina County Solid Waste District
18-0093 Reappointing Royden T. Schenz as architect to the Medina County Board of Building Appeals
18-0094 Reappointing members to the Medina County Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging
All deliberations concerning official business and formal actions by this Board of Commissioners were conducted in an open public meeting this thirteenth day of February 2018.