Aquilla Dissolution May Set State Precedent
As the dissolution of Aquilla Village progresses, the board in charge of the process may set a precedent for other villages in Ohio considering the same.
As the dissolution of Aquilla Village progresses, the board in charge of the process may set a precedent for other villages in Ohio considering the same.
Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder virtually joined the first meeting of the transition advisory board Nov. 26, talking about the decision of Aquilla Village Council to dissolve the village, with the community becoming part of Claridon Township.
Aquilla’s voters approved a ballot issue Nov. 5 in favor of surrendering corporate power. The alternative to dissolution was to pass a large levy so the village responsibilities could continue to be met.
It is the first village to dissolve since new legislation was passed earlier this year, Walder said, adding two villages in Summit County placed dissolution on their November ballots, but those issues failed.
The transition advisory board came into existence on the effective date of Aquilla Village’s dissolution – Nov. 19, the date the Geauga County Board of Elections certified the election results.
That body includes Walder, Geauga County Commissioner Jim Dvorak and county Recorder Celesta Mullins, Walder said, adding he has designated Kate Jacob to represent his office.
“Kate’s experience working on complex legal compliance issues, her unparalleled track record of ethical public service and her commitment to open and transparent government make her the ideal leader for the board,” he said in a Nov. 22 press release.
Claridon Township Township Trustee Jonathan Tiber will serve as the non-voting member of the board and consultants include former village Mayor Richard Wolfe and Pat Fisher, fiscal officer for Aquilla. She is treasurer for the Village of Jefferson and has been hired to assist in the process.
As Walder spoke, it became clear the meeting last Tuesday kicked off the unraveling of Aquilla’s fiscal situation and will ensure the transition goes smoothly.
The transition advisory board voted in favor of hiring attorney Pearce Leary, of Chagrin Falls, as the receiver-trustee to manage many of those issues.
The position of receiver-trustee is mandated under law and Leary was selected from a list provided by Auditor of State Keith Faber, Walder said.
“(Leary) knows the area and most of the dynamics,” Jacob said.
Other matters, some urgent, were discussed and resolved during the Nov. 26 meeting, with Jacob as chair of the board.
With snowy weather closing in, she asked how the streets of Aquilla, now designated a neighborhood in the township, would be plowed.
Wolfe said the township had already agreed to plow the roads and Geauga County Assistant Prosecutor Susan Wieland said a memorandum of understanding will formalize that agreement.
Fire protection will be extended to Aquilla since both the former village and Claridon Township have contracts with Chardon Fire Department for fire and EMT services.
Wolfe said leaf pickup and crack sealing for Aquilla’s roads were paid for at the last village council meeting Nov. 15.
Although it appeared voters in the village would approve the issue since petitions were circulated last fall placing the dissolution on the ballot, Aquilla and Claridon were unable to put these matters formally in place before the election results were determined, Wolfe said.
“Until Nov. 5, we were just trying to get our ducks in a row,” he said. “Even if (the issue) failed, we may have had the township clear our snow. That was the unfortunate part of the whole thing — we didn’t know until Nov. 5 what would happen.”
Jacob said the receiver-trustee has the power to resolve legal claims, dispose of property, handle taxes and conduct all other business for the dissolved entity.
“It’s pretty expansive,” she said, recommending the board and consultants meet every week to work with the receiver-trustee.
“I propose we stay on top of this as a group,” Jacob said. “It’s extremely technical.”
The next meeting will be 1 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Geauga County Office Building.
In a phone interview Nov. 23, Wolfe said the last meeting of the council on Nov. 15 was “kinda sad.”
“This hasn’t been easy for me. I’ve been here for 70 years,” he said. “But, it will work out good for the village residents. Claridon has almost the lowest taxes in the county.”
He learned 18 months ago the village probably would run out of money in 2025, Wolfe said. When council and the mayor announced the dissolution would go on the ballot, some residents resisted the idea, but the lower taxes seemed to sway votes in favor of the issue, Wolfe said in previous interviews.
But, as Jacob observed, the dissolution process is complicated.
“We’re just now getting through the paperwork,” Wolfe said. “This is the first time in Geauga County this has happened.”
With no local knowledge or experience of dissolution, the only option is to follow the Ohio Revised Code, he said.
Well into the process now, he continues to see it through.
“It is what it is,” Wolfe said.
