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Treasurer’s Office Wage Increase Request Tabled Again

Board of County Commissioners Meeting - August 4, 2026 

Meeting Details: The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met in Regular Session on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 9:30 am 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 351 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, Finance Manager Adrian Gorton, and Deputy County Administrator Mark Jimison.

County Representatives: Christopher Hitchcock, Treasurer; Caroline Mansfield, Deputy Treasurer; Lori Hurley, Treasurer’s Office; Liz Rubino, Contract Coordinator, Maintenance; Chuck Tkach, Program Manager, Maintenance; Linda Crombie, Director, Planning Commission; Nick Gorris, Director, Water Resources; Joseph Rice, Communications/Media Specialist; Jessica Boalt, Director, Office on Aging; Michelle Warren, In-home Services Supervisor, Office on Aging.

Others in Attendance:  Walter (Skip) Claypool, Board member, Geauga Metropolitan Housing Authority; Rob Weigle, Director, Maintenance; Adam Litke, Lake/Geauga Public Health Commissioner; court reporter hired by BOCC to record minutes of the meeting; Geauga Maple Leaf reporter Allison Wilson; Chagrin Valley Times reporter Anastasia Nicholas; other members of the public and this LWVG Observer.

5:43 Min. Pledge of Allegiance and Prayer (Commissioner Dvorak) 

6:29 Min. Public Comment on Agenda Items - none

6:32 Min Report from Administrator Amy Bevan - Ms. Bevan reported on the following:

On July 31st, 2026, she approved the following:

• for Community and Economic Development, adjusted the effective date of the motion from July 23rd, 2026 to read that the resignation of Elaine Malkamaki, project manager number 1411, is  to be effective July 31st, 2026. 

• for the Department of Water Resources, accepted the resignation of mechanic number 2310 to be effective August 12th, 2026 and also granted permission to advertise for the position of mechanic number 2310 internally for a period of five working days. If there are no qualified candidates presently employed with Water Resources, then they will advertise externally until the position is filled.

• concurred with the Chardon Township trustees in not requesting a hearing on the liquor license being requested by Chardon Petroleum Incorporated located at 11114 Chardon Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024; doing business as The Original Little Eagle Drive-Thru Beverage.

7:52 Min. Minutes - The Commissioners approved Minutes for the Special Meeting from March 2, 2026 and the Regular Meeting of March 10, 2026.   Observer Note: Weekly LWVG Observer Reports for the BOCC are available online through August 4, 2026 for informational purposes but are not substitutes for approved minutes. Approved BOCC Minutes are posted online here through March 10, 2026. 

8:29 Min. The Treasurer’s Office received approval to discuss a Supplemental Appropriations request regarding wage increases, as a result of a salary study that was completed.

Treasurer Hitchcock said, “Tax delinquencies are down in our office because of the success of my office…. Some of the salaries we were going to be running out of the Delinquent Tax Collection Fund.”  He said this Fund would be unable to provide those salaries in less than a year. He continued, “So, it was appropriate to make some adjustments in our salaries paid for by the County Commissioners. At the same time, Miss Hurley, who is present with me, her previous business experience allowed us to create a wage study for our office in comparison to other offices within the county and also other county treasuries. So, I am asking you for a supplemental authorization out of the general fund of $60,625. We're also going to change our policies for using delinquent tax to amend it, and that that fund will be allowed to grow, if only a little bit. So it will continue to pay for three salaries, which it has been doing in the past…. (Y)ou have all received our wage study. This is exemplary work provided by Miss Hurley and frankly I'm very lucky that we have her on the team. She's been a wonderful addition and I'm happy to answer any questions.”

Ms. Hurley explained how she conducted the wage study, omitting Cuyahoga County as it is so much bigger and with a different structure.  See the video for more detailed information.

Mr. Hitchcock continued, “we are just finishing tax collection… today at four o'clock in case you're wondering. We, for whatever reason, get an inordinate amount of cash. I hate cash. It is nothing but trouble. But, we are required to accept it. And for the past several years, we collected over a million dollars in cash each and every day. Thankfully, the Sheriff is kind enough to provide secure transportation of that cash.” Observer Note:  Ms. Mansfield confirmed with this Observer that it was actually one million in cash a year.

Mrs. Brakey asked what was prompting the change at this point. She also said, “individual increases we're looking at percent increases going from, according to my calculations, 22.9% to 32.5%.”

Mr. Hitchcock replied, “... in looking at the pay rates for my office's colleagues throughout the county, we were at the very bottom of the barrel. It was embarrassing, and I'm very proud of my office. We are a lean, mean tax collection machine, and I think it's very important that they be paid their fair wage.”

Mrs. Brakey said because these increases are so large that she would be more comfortable, “doing a ladder approach,” with a 10% increase this year and a revaluation in following years.

Mr. Dvorak was inclined to permit the original request.

Mr. Spidalieri was concerned that such a large increase would create a ripple effect across the county. He said, “there's been a failure to not maintain this a little bit better on a yearly basis of being able to do this. I can't support these kind of increases because it's sending the wrong message…. I agree with what Commissioner Brakey is saying. I think that I would support something of a gradual step, but this is just a little bit extreme…. I want to repeat it is not a shot at you, not a shot at any of your employees. It's just the process that I just think that it's just a little bit excessive and I just, I mean I can't, I can't do it.”

Mrs. Brakey confirmed that it wasn’t six employees but five for which the raises were suggested. It was confirmed that the Deputy Treasurer would not receive a raise as she had a pay adjustment recently.

There was discussion about whether to vote on a 10% raise for now with further discussions for a later point, or whether to table with the expectation of working out a plan.

It was decided to table the request for a week to determine the best way forward.

30:27 Min. Report of Financials - County Finance Manager Adrian Gorton received approval for the following (except for the items related to the Treasurer’s Office which were removed):

Supplementals

• supplemental in the Commissioners’ building improvement fund account to cover the contract certification and incumbrance for the safety center roof upgrade 

• supplemental from the Common Pleas Court in their general fund travel account for any upcoming travel.  Mr. Gorton said that he made specific mention of this because typically a supplemental in the County’s General Fund would come from his office and not directly from the Court.  He had not been aware of the request.  He said they have a new finance person and he would be reaching out to them to discuss procedure.

Incumbrances - travel from the Common Pleas Court to attend the Ohio Association of Magistrates fall conference and from Job and Family Services to attend the 2026 Public Children's Services Association of Ohio annual conference (both in Columbus, Ohio).

Then and Now from the Juvenile Court to the Geauga County Sheriff's Office for a BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation) web check that was not previously encumbered.

Vouchers 

• $58,500 from the Auditor's Office to ESRI Incorporated for the annual licensing agreement for GIS mapping software and support. Mr. Gorton said that amount is the same as last year.

• $31,127 from Water Resources to Workman Industrial Services Incorporated for shut off valve installations and the removal and installation of pipe work at the Laurel Springs Pump Station.

33:55 Min. The Commissioners’ Office received approval to increase the Engagement Agreement with Mazanec, Raskin and Ryder, L.P.A. for representation concerning the defense of the mandamus and procedendo actions pending in the Eleventh District Court of Appeals to wit: State of Ohio ex rel. Judge Timothy Grendell v. Geauga County Board of Commissioners et al., case number 25G0028 pursuant to R.C. 309.09(C) in the amount of $10,000.00, for a new not to exceed amount of $25,000.00, without prior approval from the Board. Observer Note:  See information about this lawsuit filed by Judge Grendell to compel the Commissioners to pay $300,000 in legal fees here.  Mrs. Brakey asked what the law firm was paid to date, and Mr. Gorton said it was $9,308 which would not be enough to pay the most recent bill of $5,722.05

36:13 Min. The Commissioners’ Office received approval for the following:

• to execute the Request for Partial Payment #36 for Infinity Construction Company, Incorporated for the Geauga County Courthouse Expansion, GMP Phase #1 and #2, in the amount of $53,762.60.

• to execute the Request for Partial Payment #37 for Infinity Construction Company, Incorporated for the Geauga County Courthouse Expansion, GMP Phase #1 and #2, partial release of retainage in the amount of $416,311.44.

Ms. Bevan said that most of the items left were furniture-related.  She reminded Commissioners about the scheduled walk-through on December 10, 2026.

39:13 Min. The County Engineer’s Office received approval to execute Change Order #1 and Final, decreasing the Contract with Grade Line, Incorporated for the Replacement of the Riverview Drive Bridge (Structure #0380-0031) in Bainbridge Township, in the amount of $4,024.00.  Mr. Hajjar said that this bridge was on a Township road and they had received a $200,000 Ohio Public Works Grant.  He said the project came in under budget.

40:42 Min. The Planning Commission approved a waiver of policy and approve the full reimbursement for Allyson Kobus-Havel for materials and supplies, including sales tax, that were purchased for the Farmland Preservation Plan Public Forum, in the amount of $276.08. This amount includes $17.43 for sales tax, which would normally not have to be paid by a public entity.  Ms. Crombie said that they would not normally use Amazon (since they have no agreement with them and thus have to pay taxes), but that the cost for purchasing elsewhere would have been higher.  There was a discussion about whether they should pursue an agreement with Amazon, but Ms. Crombie said this was a one-time occurrence.  She said once in the past they went through the Department of Aging since they do have an Amazon business account.

42:41 Min. The Maintenance Department received approval for the following:

• to execute the service Contract Agreement with Tim Frank Septic Tank Cleaning Company to perform sewer hydro-jetting services at various Geauga County locations as directed per the Maintenance Director for a two-year period, effective August 4, 2026, in an amount not to exceed $7,500.00.

• to execute the service Contract Agreement with Gardiner Service Company, LLC / Continental Fire and Security to provide inspections and maintenance on the Novec 1230 Fire Suppression System at the Geauga County Office Building per the Maintenance Director for a three-year period, effective August 4, 2026, in an amount not to exceed $10,000.00.  Observer Note:  The system referred to above is a waterless system as used in the Board of Elections space.  See August 14, 2025 LWVG report for more information.

• to execute the service Contract Agreement with Fire Protection Solutions to provide inspections, repairs, testing, maintenance and emergency services of the sprinkler systems in the Geauga County Courthouse, the Opera House, County Home, Patterson Center, Courthouse Annex and the Geauga County Office Building per the Maintenance Director for a three-year period, effective August 4, 2026, in an amount not to exceed $20,000.00.

• to execute Change Order #3, increasing the Contract, by extending the dates of completion with V.L. Chapman Electric, Incorporated for the West Geauga Senior Center / MSI Wastewater Treatment Plant dedicated Generator Installation by adding one hundred nineteen (119) days to the date of substantial completion through November 13, 2026 and final completion through November 30, 2026, due to lead time on larger gas meter required for project. Mr. Tkach said that the generator should be ready to install by September 19, 2026.

• to reject the bid from Architectural Siding, Trim and Roofing, Incorporated for the Safety Center Roof Upgrade Project, as the bid received exceeds the estimate by more than twenty percent (20%), in accordance with O.R.C. 153.12. Mr. Tkach said that they had received six bids, but this one was in excess by 20%.

• to award the Bid to Warren Roofing and Insulating, LLC for the Safety Center Roof Upgrade Project in the amount of $3,113,985.00 ($2,920,600.00 Base bid and $193,385.00 Owner’s Contingency), as they represented the lowest and best bid.

Mrs. Brakey asked for an overview of the project, and Mr. Tkach said, “So for the past approximately 10 years, the roof has been leaking in various areas. We've done some patchwork. We've done some repair work. But it, you know, continues to get worse and worse. And of course, the roof is 22 years old. So, it's time for a replacement. Fortunately, as we did the engineering on it, only two of the sections required a full tear off. Two of the other sections were just an overlay because the insulation was still in good shape for the other two sections. So this project is really a complete tear off of about 40,000 square feet of roofing and then the remaining 20,000 is an overlay.”  He said that the project will begin in 2026 but be completed in 2027.

• to grant permission to advertise for Statements of Qualifications for design professionals to serve as Criteria Engineer for the Geauga County Safety Center Security Console Upgrade project, with submissions to be received by 4:00 pm on Thursday, August 27, 2026. Notice of this request for Statement of Qualifications will be advertised on August 7, 2026, August 14, 2026, and on the county website.

51:50 Min. The Commissioners’ Office received approval for the following:

• to execute the Amended Services Agreement between Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, and Geauga County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division, to provide secured detention space and temporary holding of Geauga County Juvenile detainees, while they await adjudication, disposition or placement elsewhere, including the Lake Effect Program, for a term of three years with an annual not to exceed amount of $250,000.00. This includes annual review of amounts, and the agreement will automatically renew for successive one-year terms.  Mr. Jimison said that the reason for the amended contract is that Lake County has developed a new program called the Lake Effect program. He said, “Not everyone will qualify for this program and it's for children who by recommendation of probation or the judge believe that the children have the propensity to benefit from counseling and it’s sort of a reward program. It's a whole curriculum and not for everyone but Lake County has developed this program. None of the fees change from the previous contract that the Commissioners are already in  with Lake County.”  Mrs. Brakey praised the decision to enter into this contract.  She said that it was “saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.” She said she had wondered about the $250,000 cap.  “I just had the question of who's monitoring this and  what happens after we reach that cap, and the answer is Adrian (Gorton) would be watching it just as he monitors any cap…. And then we do have a relationship with Richland Detention center which we have not used so far but there is that agreement in place.”  Mrs. Brakey mentioned that if Lake County declines to take a detainee, then Geauga County still has an agreement with Richland.    Observer Note:  The original agreement to move from a relationship with Portage County Detention Center to Lake County occurred in May, 2024 and the LWVG observer report can be found here.

Mr. Jimison said this is “truly an example of a partnership with neighboring counties. Observing the relationship between the probation department here and then the detention facility is exceptional. The level of communication they have and knowledge working back and forth together creates savings and a good partnership."

• to execute Resolution #26-120 Establishing the Location and Time of the September 3, 2026, regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners to be held at 10:00 a.m. at the Great Geauga Fair at the Junior Fair Stage.  Mr. Dvorak said that anyone who wanted to attend the meeting would not have to pay an entrance fee, but tell them at the Gate that they are attending the public meeting.

Board Discussion – Discussion on the Department on Aging Assistance with Daily Living program insurance requirements.  Mr. Jimison discussed the fact that the three contractors who are part of this program to offer in-home assistance to seniors only have insurance coverage that covers through the date of the service.  He explained that if a lawsuit were filed at a later date, even though it occurred during that contract period, their insurance would not cover it.  He also said that the contracts with Geauga Office on Aging are a very small part of the work of these companies. His suggestion was to put information into the bid specifications, but not to reject bids that don’t have the type of insurance coverage that the County would like.  He said that way the County has “an opportunity to decide whether they (the Commissioners) want to assume some risk to keep the program going.”

Mrs. Brakey asked for a review of information about the importance of the program. Ms. Boalt said, “The assistance with daily living program is an in-home services program where we contract with home care providers to provide personal care in homes for seniors who would be eligible to live in nursing home facilities.”  Ms. Warren continued, “so they have a home health aid twice a week for two hours each time and it is for, like Jessica (Boalt) said, it's for personal care. So, bathing, dressing, things like that. If there's time left over, the caregiver can run errands, run the vacuum, things like that, but they have to accept personal care every time that the caregiver goes out. We contract with Home Instead, Cherish Companions, and Ohman Family Living. We have wonderful relationships with those three agencies.” Ms. Boalt said, “The private pay wage for home care is $30 to $36 an hour. So that is quite a hardship for an individual to pay that out of pocket to be able to remain in their homes…. So there is not an income requirement to participate. However, if someone makes above 150% the federal poverty level, they do have to pay a co-pay to our agency. If someone makes 50% federal poverty level or below, they are a waiver client and they do not owe a co-pay. Now, also if someone does meet passport waiver Medicaid guidelines, what we do is we try to get them that service.”  Ms. Boalt said they would either get Medicaid Passport or the Office on Aging service, but not both.

Ms. Boalt recommended that they not reject the bids that could not obtain the correct insurance so that the issue could be studied further.

There was no further discussion and no decisions were made.

1:08:43 Min. Public Comment

A man from South Russell Village talked about the hazards of getting to the Geauga Fair in Burton.  He had several suggestions to improve safety outside the Fair.

Mr. Claypool commended Mrs. Brakey and Mr. Spidalieri for their handling of the request from the Treasurer.  He continued with some concerns: “Each individual position has a value and those values should be evaluated individually and each individual performs differently. So if you give a 10% across the board, you may be giving raises to somebody who's an underperformer and that's based on the overperformers. Now in the case of the Treasurer's Office, I have experience with them. I think they all do a great job. So I'm not casting aspersions there. But I also have a concern that the salary hearing was outside of the budget hearing. The proper place to have a salary discussion is in your budget hearings and to avoid the budget hearings and try to do that after the fact raises a concern for me, generally speaking.”

Mr. Dvorak asked, “Any report from the Geauga Public Health?”  Mr. Litke said “We will have the August 13th meeting in conjunction with the Health District Advisory Council….” Reviewer Note: More information about the joint Geauga Public Health-Health District Advisory Council meeting is available in the LWVG Observer Report on the July 15, 2026 Geauga Public Health Meeting. 

Adjournment at approximately 10:58 am.

Next Meeting:  The next Regular meeting will be Tuesday, August 11, 2026 at 9:30 am at the Geauga County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, Chardon, OH. 

Observer: Gail Roussey

Editor: Rooney Moy

Reviewer: Sarah McGlone

Date Submitted: August 10, 2026

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