County Officials to Supervise Transition
The timeline for the dissolution of Aquilla Village is a week shorter than village and Claridon Township officials expected.
The timeline for the dissolution of Aquilla Village is a week shorter than village and Claridon Township officials expected.
According to Ohio Revised Code 703.331, once the Geauga County Board of Elections officially certifies the Nov. 5 election results on Nov. 19 to dissolve the village, the village will cease to exist.
As of Tuesday, no village officials will have the authority to make decisions or sign checks, said village attorney Harry Jacob III in a phone interview Nov. 11.
All monies and properties will be transferred to Claridon Township, which will take over all governmental functions for the community of fewer than 400 residents in the northwest quadrant of the township on the east side of Aquilla Road.
“The voters of the village voted to unincorporate – it was pretty lopsided,” Jacob said.
The unofficial tally from the board of elections was 106 to dissolve the village and 43 against dissolution. Voters were apparently motivated to dissolve the village when they learned their property taxes would decrease, which Mayor Rich Wolfe said would not happen until 2026.
On Nov. 15, as its last act, Aquilla Village Council will approve payment of remaining bills and make other decisions required by the ORC, Jacob said.
Council will also pick one non-voting representative from council to help with the process, he said, adding a trustee from Claridon Township will have a similar role.
Jacob and a fiscal officer will serve as advisors to the transition supervisory board made up of a representative from the Geauga County Auditor’s Office, the Geauga County Recorder’s Office and one county commissioner. It will meet for the first time Nov. 26.
The board will choose a receiver/trustee of the village from a list of qualified individuals, he said.
“Someone has to write that big check to Claridon,” he said.
The village still has funds in its coffers to be transferred to Claridon Township.
Several parcels of land owned by the village will also be transferred to the township board of trustees, Jacob said.
The receiver/trustee has to resolve the village’s obligations and responsibilities, such as contracts that may be outstanding, he said.
A fiscal officer will also close out the books and finalize work for the state audit, he added.
A solicitor is required to consult with the board and Jacob said he agreed to serve in that capacity pro bono.
