Geauga Commissioners Close Out 2017 with No Vote on NOACA

January 4, 2018 by Amy Patterson

Geauga County Commissioners met Dec. 28 with a short agenda and no decision on whether to approve the 2016 resolution to the bylaws of The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, which would give the City of Cleveland two more seats on the NOACA board in proportion to its population.

The deadline for a decision on the resolution is Dec. 31, 2017.

If commissioners take no action, the resolution fails and Cuyahoga County must decide whether to pursue arbitration or wait until the 2020 census, at which time they will automatically receive their proportional seats.

In other business, commissioners authorized monthly statements from the Geauga County treasurer and auditor’s offices for January through May 2017.

The county engineer’s office asked to release bid/performance bonds for completed projects, including the resurfacing of Clay Street in Thompson Township and the drainage project on Caves Road in Chester and Russell Townships.

The new dean of Kent State University – Geauga, Angela Spalsbury, was appointed to Geauga County Job and Family Services’ planning committee, replacing Susan Stocker, her immediate successor as dean.

The remaining board members were re-appointed to their positions through Dec. 31, 2018.

Through its membership in the County Employee Benefit Consortium of Ohio, Geauga County’s employees will now have access to LiveHealth, a service that allows employees face-to-face online meetings with doctors in their area, both to encourage wellness and to prevent unnecessary emergency room visits, which can cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Kathleen Hostutler, the county’s human resources specialist, told commissioners CEBCO will no longer pay for ER visits that turn out to not be true emergencies, but will encourage use of the online program, which is free from co-pays.