Part of Master Plan?
What is the Russell Township Park District (1545) doing with our tax dollars?
As a reminder, Russell Township now has two township park districts: Russell Township Park District (1545) (whose commissioners are appointed by Probate Court Judge Timothy Grendell) and Russell Township Citizens’ Park District (511) (whose commissioners are appointed by the Russell Township Trustees).
We voted to form the locally-controlled “511” in 2017 after the “1545’s” Grendell-appointed commissioners nearly failed to complete the long-planned purchase of Modroo Farm, stopped public comment at meetings and proposed selling some of our township parks.
In apparent retaliation for forming the “511,” the “1545” leased our largest parks to Geauga Park District, removing all local control over Modroo, Russell Uplands, Westwood Land Lab and a large parcel on Sperry – parks that were purchased and maintained for years solely with Russell Township taxpayer dollars.
Where do we stand now? The Citizens’ Park District (511) is busy planning educational and environmental programs for the community as stewards of the Upper Chagrin Preserve.
The Russell Township Park District (1545) is busy spending down their bank account — our money! — on legal and accounting services.
From January 2018 through January 2021, the Russell Township Park District has spent nearly $67,000 on legal fees, almost all of which went to Thrasher, Dinsmore and Dolan, a high-priced law firm in Chardon.
Yes, some of this money was legitimately spent on acquiring the Modroo property. But most of it was spent on arranging the lease deal with Geauga Park District, representation before the Geauga County Budget Commission and, currently, an appeal to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals after our county budget commission rejected their budget. That case is still pending.
And, from September 2018 through January 2021, they have spent over $26,000 on accounting services from Karen Alger, an accountant in North Canton who also serves as the “1545’s” fiscal officer. That’s a lot of money to someone who can’t even put together a budget for a public park district that will pass the county budget commission.
And, in my experience, most small public entities like the “1545” have at least one appointed commissioner who is capable of acting as fiscal officer. Why hasn’t Judge Grendell appointed a commissioner capable of doing that?
The “1545” no longer receives any public money because their budgets have failed to be approved and their tax levy has long ago expired. So, they are spending down money that they had in the bank, money that we funded them with to maintain our park lands.
Here is my fear: I fear that the end result of all of this is that the “1545” will run through all of their funds and then go to the probate court and ask to be dissolved. This would give Judge Grendell direct control over what happens to our township park properties. Has this been the plan for the last three years? Nothing surprises me anymore.
Shelley Chernin
Russell Township
