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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 November 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 Engineer Andy Conrad presented and reviewed the following resolutions: (1) determining that one (1) vehicle used by the Medina County engineer is excess property and authorizing its disposal under the provisions of Section 317.12 Ohio Revised Code; and (2) establishing bridge load limits in Medina County. 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 November 1-7, 2018.

Finance Director Mike Pataky presented and reviewed the following resolutions: (1) amending the 2018 Appropriations Resolution by transferring appropriations; (2) amending the 2018 Appropriations Resolution by transferring resolutions; (3) authorizing the county auditor to transfer funds from various county department accounts to the Gasoline Rotary Fund; (4) authorizing the county auditor to transfer funds from various county department accounts to the Medina County Print Shop Revenue line item; (5) approving a lease agreement between the Medina County Commissioners and the County Emergency Management Agency; and (6) allowing expenses of county officials. Mr. Pataky requested payment of the weekly bills in the amount of $1,062,189.37. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the six resolutions and to pay the bills; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.

Human Resources Assistant Nicole Lee presented and reviewed the following resolutions: (1) approving personnel changes for the employees under the jurisdiction of the Medina County commissioners; (2) amending the Table of Organization for the Medina County Building Department; and (3) amending the Table of Organization for the Medina County Transit Department. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the three resolutions; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.

County Administrator Scott Miller presented and reviewed a resolution appointing an excess insurance carrier for the county’s Worker’s Compensation Self Insurance Program. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the resolution; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.

Economic Development Corporation Director Bethany Dentler presented and reviewed a resolution to act solely as the applicable elected representative for the Medina County Port Authority pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 9.97(B) and Internal Revenue Code Section 147(f) and approve the reissuance by the Port Authority of $8,755,000 Variable Rate Revenue Bonds, Series 2016 (Altenheim Rehabilitation Facility Project) as tax exempt obligations. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the resolution; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.

Mrs. Dentler presented and reviewed a resolution adopting the Medina County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the two resolutions; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Mrs. Geissman stated that Kathy Breitenbucher did a very good job on it. Mrs. Dentler explained that over 300 stakeholders in the community who were part of 37 meetings held throughout the county over the past year. Mr. Hutson noted that it was a big effort that involved a lot of people with a great deal of work put into it. There was no further discussion and roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.

Office for Older Adults Director Laura Toth reviewed the quarterly update noting that there have been 121 more contacts this year in comparison to last year; she attributes the growth to the boom in senior housing in the county. Mrs. Geissman stated that she has noticed that relatives are moving their parents into the county because it really is a great place to live; Mrs. Toth agreed and stated she anticipates continued growth. In answer to a question posed by Mr. Hutson, Mrs. Toth explained that services they offer supportive services including transportation, home delivered meals, benefits and insurance assistance. They have touched all townships and municipalities in the county with the exception of Rittman, however, she stated that they will be getting there by the end of the year. Mrs. Toth reported that the contract with Brunswick has been renewed through 2021. The contracted services provide a 20 hour per week part time employee that is based out to the rec center in Brunswick, and they also do several senior events throughout the year in Brunswick such as dinner and a show with the high school theaters. Medicare Open Enrollment is currently underway and she encouraged the public to call and schedule their appointments to review benefits. They recently held Halloween events in Medina and Brunswick as well as their annual veterans’ lunch. This Friday, they will have their Thanksgiving celebration at the Medina Center at a cost of $4 per person. Mrs. Toth also noted that Home Instead Senior Care is offering delivered meals on Thanksgiving Day; this is offered to any senior age 60 and over as well as their caregivers.

Chief Public Defender Jocelyn Stefancin reported that her office is participating in a number of community events including providing two expungement clinics at The Recovery Center; each clinic had 15-25 attendees. They are also working with Leadership Medina and will be part of Local Government Day. She reported that renewal letters for village ordinances and contract services went out last week; they generally get those back and finalized by the end of January. She noted that they also had an attorney who left the office in October. She will be conducting interviews and hopes to have somebody in place by the end of December.

Ms. Stefancin provided and reviewed statistics of the office noting that current year is getting rather busy. Through the end of September 2018, they have opened 1,555 cases between the four courts. In comparison, through the end of December 2017, there were 1,742 open cases. The felony court has had a large increase due to the criminal nonsupport initiative that the prosecutor has implemented this year, so there are more indictments coming through. Overall, she expects this year’s numbers to be much higher. They have had 131 cases dismissed to date this year for their clients between the four courts. Their average municipal court case is taking just under 10 hours of work before it gets to the court stage. When factoring the rate for appointed counsel, it’s still $40 per hour for out of court work and $50 per hour for in court, the staff is keeping very busy. In answer to a question by Mrs. Geissman, Ms. Stefancin stated that she believes they are still saving money for the county. Mrs. Geissman stated that we’ve expanded quite a bit from when we first started. Ms. Stefancin stated that in theory, they could continue to expand while still saving the county money.

Commissioner Hutson presented and reviewed a resolution approving the petition for the Expedited 2 annexation of one parcel of land totaling 1.4627 acres known as being part of Sharon Township to the City of Wadsworth, Medina County, Ohio. The commissioners’ job is to review the annexation; no public hearing is required. Mr. Hutson noted that petition was filed on October 10, 2018 and the Commissioners are in their timeframe for rendering a decision. The Commissioners had reviewed the checklist of submission requirements and had determined that the application and attachments were in order. Under the annexation law, this will not result in the area being annexed to be detached from Sharon Township. He opened the floor for comments; there was no one wishing to speak. Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the resolution; the motion was seconded by Mrs. Geissman. There was no discussion. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.

Commissioner Hutson presented and reviewed a resolution reappointing the following representatives to the Medina County Drug Abuse Commission (MCDAC) with terms expiring December 31, 2020:

• Commissioners’ representative – David Centner
• Commissioners’ representative – Jeffrey Vogel
• City of Brunswick representative – Cliff Nowak
• City of Wadsworth representative – Patricia Nahrstedt
• City of Wadsworth alternate – Matthew Hiscock
• Villages’ representative – Walter Schaedel
• School District representative – Margaret Reeves
• Police Chiefs Assn. representative – Kent Patterson

Mr. Friedrick moved to approve the resolution; Mrs. Geissman seconded the motion. Mr. Friedrick stated that they are a good group of people that take their job very seriously. Roll call showed all commissioners voting AYE.

Public Comment

Kathie Jones, 2606 Hidden Spring Lane, Wadsworth, thanked Mr. Friedrick for his phone calls to apprise her of what is happening with Nexus. She asked if any of the commissioners have recently visited the compressor station; Mrs. Geissman and Mr. Hutson indicated that they have seen it, but not recently. Mrs. Jones stated that the pipes are all above the ground now and looks quite differently. She stated that she checked with the Ohio EPA to see when the startup will be, but was told that Nexus doesn’t have to let them know when the startup is. The residents won’t know. She asked Mr. Friedrick if he hears anything to let her know. She asked the commissioners if there is an emergency management plan and if there is, has anyone seen it. She stated that other counties have an emergency management plan for the Nexus pipeline. Mr. Friedrick stated that there have been multiple meetings and the plan is to handle the Nexus pipeline as we would any of the other pipeline emergencies. There is a first responders meeting in Avon for all the counties in December.

Mrs. Jones distributed an article from the Akron Beacon Journal regarding Summit County’s plans to create a special emergency response fund for Nexus pipeline problems. She stated that Summit County only has two areas in the entire county that the pipeline runs through, whereas Medina County has six townships plus a township with the compressor station in it. She asked if the commissioners would be thinking about a special emergency fund with the monies received from Nexus. Mr. Hutson stated that the money is in the general fund and they have not discussed any kind of a special fund. He stated that if something happened to the compressor station or the pipeline, it probably wouldn’t be enough to cover it. Mrs. Jones stated that Summit County is using money out of another tax base. She stated that this is going to effect a lot of residents of Medina County, and she had heard that the money from Nexus was already allocated for other funds. She made a public records request to see where the money is allocated. Mr. Hutson suggested she speak to Rhonda Beck regarding the request. Mrs. Jones stated that Pauline Chapman made a records request for this information but did not receive a response. Mrs. Geissman stated that she doesn’t believe the money has been allocated as it is in the general fund. Mrs. Jones stated that she would like that in writing. Mrs. Geissman stated that she did not want Mrs. Jones to leave there thinking that the commissioners have turned their back on emergency management because when Nexus first started talking about bringing the pipeline in, there was a meeting with emergency management and many fire departments in the county, and there is a plan in place that would take care of any emergency that the county would face. Mrs. Jones stated that if there is a plan, the residents should know how to be out of harm’s way. If something were to happen with the compressor station, they need to know how to get out, what to do and how to protect their families, and no residents have heard anything about what to do. Its fine that they know, or Christina Fozio know or some firefighters, but the residents don’t know. Mrs. Geissman answered that if anything happens, they are prepared. Mrs. Jones said if there’s nothing to worry about, it should go out to residents that it’s covered. She stated that this doesn’t look good for the commissioners because they are here to protect the health and safety of the residents. She further stated that there is not one commissioner that has the pipeline crossing their property and not one lives within five miles of the compressor station. Mrs. Geissman stated that she has a son that lives in a house less than five miles of the compressor station. Mrs. Jones stated that Mrs. Geissman had the pipeline moved; Mrs. Geissman answered that she didn’t have anything moved and she doesn’t have that power. Mrs. Jones said that if she has a son and a family living near there, she should be concerned like the other residents are.

With no further business to come before the Commissioners, the meeting recessed at 10:01 a.m.

Discussion Session

At 10:03 a.m., the Commissioners began the Discussion Session in the Commissioners’ Conference Room.

Budget

Scott Miller stated that there will be budget meetings the week of the November 26.

Open Enrollment

Scott Miller noted that open enrollment started for benefits on November 12 and go run through November 30.

Human Services Ramp

Scott Miller mentioned that the ramp and the Human Services Center has been poured and the project is nearly complete.

60 Public Square

Scott Miller stated that the completion date for 60 Public Square has been pushed back to January 18. There was a slight delay because bathrooms on the third floor needed to be complete. The drywall is currently being hung. The design of the second floor is really nice.

Adult Probation

Scott Miller noted that the design for the Prosecutor’s office for Adult Probation is finalized. The office furniture will be finalized tomorrow.

Accounting Software

Scott Miller stated that there are letters regarding the accounting software for the Auditor’s office that will be sent out. He noted that 54 percent of the cost will be allocated to non-general fund departments that use the software; this equates to over $300,000. Implementation is expected begin in February. The general ledger will be first and then the payroll and HR system. It will go live in April or July of 2020. The general ledger will take 8 to 10 months and the payroll software will not be started until August or September 2019.

Public Defender

Mike Pataky stated that the Public Defender’s office is still a cost savings for the county. Mrs. Geissman stated that she knew it was in the beginning, but as it continues to expand, is it still as good as it was when it started. She noted that she thought in the first year, the county saved approximately $140,000 which was more than what was anticipated. Mr. Pataky stated that the projected savings are $100,000 or so depending on the budget request.

Chippewa Seasonal Meter Removal Program

Amy Lyon-Galvin stated that she followed up with Mr. Stevens about the water not being potable and suggested the water be tested because it is delivered to the cottage potable. Ms. Lyon-Galvin noted that she reached out to his daughter as well and she has not heard from any additional residents. Discussion occurred about the age of the cottages in the area. Ms. Lyon-Galvin stated they will continue to work with anyone that calls.

Veterans Breakfast

Commissioner Friedrick thanked Amy for the breakfast at the Sanitary Engineer’s office; it was a very nice event.

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 10:11 a.m.

RESOLUTIONS PASSED NOVEMBER 13, 2018

• 18-0881 Allowing claims and authorizing issuance upon the treasurer in settlement of such list of claims
• 18-0882 Determining that one (1) vehicle used by the Medina County engineer is excess property and authorizing its disposal under the provisions of Section 317.12 Ohio Revised Code
• 18-0883 Establishing bridge load limits in Medina County
• 18-0884 Amending the Annual Appropriation Resolution
• 18-0885 Amending the 2018 Appropriations Resolution by transferring appropriations
• 18-0886 Authorizing the county auditor to transfer funds from various county department accounts to the Gasoline Rotary Fund
• 18-0887 Authorizing the county auditor to transfer funds from various county department accounts to the Medina County Print Shop Revenue line item
• 18-0888 Approving a lease agreement between the Medina County Commissioners and the County Emergency Management Agency for storage space
• 18-0889 Allowing expenses of county officials
• 18-0890 Approving personnel changes for the employees under the jurisdiction of the Medina County Commissioners
• 18-0891 Amending the Table of Organization for the Medina County Building Department
• 18-0892 Amending the Table of Organization for the Medina County Transit Department
• 18-0893 Appointing an excess insurance carrier for the County’s Workers’ Compensation Self Insurance Program
• 18-0894 Resolution to act solely as the applicable elected representative for the Medina County Port Authority pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 9.97(B) and Internal Revenue Code Section 147(f) and approve the issuance by the Port Authority of $8,755,000 Variable Rate Revenue Bonds, Series 2016 (Altenheim Rehabilitation Facility Project) as tax exempt obligations
• 18-0895 Adopting the Medina County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
• 18-0896 Reappointing representatives to the Medina County Drug Abuse Commission (MCDAC)
• 18-0897 Approving the petition for the expedited type 2 annexation of 1.4627 acres of land known as being part of Sharon Township to the City of Wadsworth, Medina County, Ohio

All deliberations concerning official business and formal actions by this Board of Commissioners were conducted in an open public meeting this thirteenth day of November 2018.

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