Financial Straits Cause Officials to Consider Dissolution
Aquilla Village residents might be asked to vote Nov. 5 to dissolve their status as an independent corporation and rejoin Claridon Township after 75 years of independence.
Aquilla Village residents might be asked to vote Nov. 5 to dissolve their status as an independent corporation and rejoin Claridon Township after 75 years of independence.
Aquilla Village Council discussed the issue of insufficient revenue to cover the small community’s expenses at its May 14 meeting, which about 30 residents attended, said then-council member Chris Alusheff — who resigned that same day, citing a desire to remove himself from a political environment.
“It was standing-room only,” Alusheff said in a phone interview May 17.
Officials talked about the fiscal realities of the village, which has fewer than 400 residents. Alusheff said he felt there was a general lack of understanding among those in the audience of how government budgeting works.
Officials answered questions as best they could and Alusheff said it boiled down to a simple fact.
“Without having the highest taxes in Geauga County, we can’t keep our heads above water,” he said Friday, adding it seemed to him about half those attending were for the proposal and half against it.
Several older members of the community have voiced objections to a dissolution, said Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz in a May 20 interview.
“I always understand nostalgia, but council has to move in the best interests of the taxpayers,” he said.
Council member Libby Savel said May 17 she wouldn’t comment on the discussion or the proposal other than to say council is in the beginning stages of addressing the problems.
“We are just discussing the possibilities,” she said.
Tax Relief Predicted
One benefit to rejoining Claridon Township is a significant decrease in property taxes, which Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder confirmed in an email last Friday.
“As requested, my office ran the comparison of current Aquilla Village taxes per $100,000 value versus what we believe the taxes would be if (the village) dissolved and under Claridon as part of the township,” he wrote. “It would seem that Aquilla Village residents would see their tax burden fall to approximately 46% of their current amount.
“We assumed that, since Aquilla Village would no longer exist, that any and all taxes levied against the entity would become moot and no longer collectible. We bounced this belief through our APA (assistant prosecuting attorney) and she concurred with the limited information that we currently have.”
Walder said an informal meeting with village representatives and the Geauga County Budget Commission in February revealed the village’s problem of low revenue compared to its expenditures had not been resolved since previous meetings.
Having calculated what would be needed for village income to equal out-go, he said the only option would be to raise taxes on village properties by about 15 mills.
“We found it was very prohibitive,” Walder said, adding a new bill in the Ohio Legislature may make dissolution less complicated than in the past.
Two Empty Council Seats
Walder is also concerned about Aquilla’s political health as a village.
Council is made up of six elected council members and as of May 14, that number is down to four.
“We now have two vacant seats. That’s not a good sign. No one is volunteering to run (for council),” Walder said.
The elected mayor of Aquilla is Richard Wolfe and Brittany Knife was appointed about a year ago to replace Cheryl McNulty as fiscal officer.
The auditor praised the village leader.
“The mayor truly has his heart in Aquilla,” Walder said. “He is facing reality.”
When asked via email for a comment regarding the future of the village, Wolfe replied, “At this time, I have no comments due to many specifics that need to be dealt with. I will reach out to you soon.”
Wolfe did not respond to a public records request for minutes from previous council meetings prior to press deadline, and minutes for this year’s council meetings were not linked to their respective dates on the township website. Calls to town hall were unanswered.
The effect a dissolution would have on Claridon Township is yet to be explored.
Walder said Claridon trustees did not ask for any calculations regarding revenue from property taxes paid by Aquilla homeowners if the village does dissolve.
The township may become responsible for maintaining the streets in the community. Both entities currently contract with Chardon Fire Department for fire protection.
Proposed Dissolution Transition
Despite its funding troubles, the village is not a total financial catastrophe, Flaiz said, adding while Aquilla’s cash reserves are “scary low,” if the village does dissolve, Claridon Township should not find itself in financial difficulty.
“The mayor has done a great job of doing more with less,” the prosecutor said. “They would not be handing the township a disaster. The roads are in good shape. Council has been very forward thinking.”
The transition process — outlined in a new law that took effect April 30, 2024 — requires the village electorate to approve a ballot issue on dissolution this November or wait until 2026, he said.
A petition signed by a sufficient number of voters must be submitted to the Geauga County Board of Elections by Aug. 9. The signatures have to be validated by the board before the issue goes on the Nov. 5 ballot, Flaiz said.
Once the board of elections certifies the results of the election — and if the vote is in favor of dissolution — the village ceases to exist, he said, adding a three-person commission comprising one county commissioner, Walder and the Geauga County recorder would work through the red tape to merge Aquilla into Claridon Township.
A Claridon Township trustee would also be asked to provide input, he said.
The shortage of council members is a potential complication, Flaiz said, adding the vote to place the issue on the ballot must be unanimous and, since there are only four members, council cannot vote to waive the three readings of the legislation required to place it on the ballot.
The readings have to be made at three different council meetings, he said. Special meetings may have to be held since the village council only meets once a month.
Claridon Township Trustee Jonathan Tiber said in a phone interview May 15 he has always admired Aquilla Village’s determination to be independent and regrets the council has to make difficult choices.
The timing of the dissolution effort, while tight, is doable and he said the time is right for the village and the township since the village is not bankrupt, yet.
Dissolution appears to be the only solution out of the fiscal morass, he said.
“The mountain was just too big,” Tiber said.
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Aquilla Village History
According to the village website, Aquilla started as a collection of vacation cottages on the west side of what is now Aquilla State Park Lake early in the 18th century.
It included a ballroom and other structures for the enjoyment of Cleveland residents on vacation.
During the Depression, beginning in 1929, some families who lost their homes winterized their cottages and moved to Aquilla permanently, according to the website.
Lake Aquilla Estates was formed in 1933 to expedite the sale of the remaining lots and the 0.15-square-mile municipality of Aquilla Village was incorporated in 1946.
In 2021, after several years of debate, Aquilla Village Council petitioned the Geauga County Commissioners to allow the village to detach from Claridon Township and form a “paper” township in order to receive additional tax revenue of more than $10,000 per year.
Aquilla Township’s footprint is identical to that of the village and there is no board of trustees, village Solicitor Jim Gillette said at that time.
