Monthly publication of the Ohio Township Association O

ctober 2018

Like us on Facebook at Ohio Township AssociationFollow us on Twitter at @OhioTwpAssoc

This publication is printed and sent to fiscal officers only. Please copy and give this to your trustees and any other interested parties. If you would prefer to receive this via email, contact Natalie Skelley at skelley@ohiotownships.org or 614.863.0045.

Fiscal Officers: Have You Completed Your Continuing Education?

The Fiscal Integrity Act, passed during the 130th General Assembly and enacted on March 23, 2015, raises the bar of accountability for fiscal officers across the state. The purpose of the law is to help deter accounting errors and fraud with increased training requirements and a new removal process for fiscal officers.

Re-elected fiscal officers must complete 12 hours of continuing education courses before the end of each subsequent term, including two (2) hours of ethics training. Newly elected or appointed fiscal officers must complete:

• 6 hours of initial education courses before commencing their term in office or within the first year in office; and

• An additional 18 hours of continuing education courses before the end of their first term in office, including two (2) hours of ethics training.

If the township fiscal officer is appointed to fill a vacancy, the total hours for training will be prorated, based upon the amount of time left in the unexpired term.

Fiscal officers that fall under the requirements include: city auditors, city treasurers, township fiscal officers, village fiscal officers, village clerk-treasurers, village clerks, and in the case of a municipality with a charter, whomever the charter designates with the duties of these offices. Fiscal officers may count certain training programs or seminars including:

• Public records trainings offered by the Auditor of State or Attorney General;

• Continuing education hours completed as a CPA;• CPIM Trainings; and• Hours from an approved continuing education course taught by the

fiscal officer.The law, R.C. §507.12, specifically lists the topic areas for which continuing

education may be approved. The training must enhance and provide a working knowledge of township fiscal officers in government accounting, budgeting and financing, financial report preparation, cybersecurity, and the rules adopted by the Auditor of State. Continuing education hours are offered by the Auditor of State’s office or through the Ohio Township Association at its annual winter conference. All training must be self-reported online by setting up an account on the Auditor of State’s Training Portal.

For more information and to register your training hours with the Auditor of State’s office, please visit https://ohioauditor.gov/fiscalintegrity.

2018 Top Gun Construction Claims Seminar

The OTA is proud to sponsor Bricker & Eckler’s Top Gun, the 16th Annual Premier Midwest Construction Claims seminar.

On Thursday, October 11 at the Conference Center at OCLC in Dublin, Ohio, the seminar will run from 7:40 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. Presentation topics include Construction and the ADA, Beginning a Project, Strategies for Dealing with Claims, Specific Claims, and Financing Corrective Work Prior to Recovery.

Registration is $239 per person. For more information and to RSVP, please visit http://www.bricker.com/events/upcoming/2018-top-gun-construction-claims-seminar-44200.

Slow Down, OhioOhio has had four consecutive years of

increasing pedestrian fatalities, with 143 deaths in 2017. In response, the “Your Move” public education campaign, a joint effort from the Ohio Departments of Health and Transportation, is focusing on pedestrians in 2018. The goal is to increase awareness of and safety for people walking in the Buckeye State.

The messaging, which was tested in focus groups, asks motorists to “Slow Down. Watch for Pedestrians.” and “Yield to Pedestrians When Turning.” It also encourages motorists and pedestrians to “Look Out for Each Other.”

Help increase awareness by downloading, printing, advertising and sharing these messages in your community today. Visit YourMove.ohio.gov to download materials.

Photo of the Month

Madison Township (Franklin County) helped organize the annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony held each year at Motts Military Museum. This year’s speakers were Dan Kockensparger and Peter “Dan” Burrill. Kockensparger served 33 years with the Upper Arlington FD, and was deployed to Ground Zero with Ohio Task Force 1. Burrill worked with US Public Health for 20 years and, as a member of the Alaska Disaster Medical Assistance Team 1, provided care to those at Ground Zero as a Critical Care Nurse and Logistics person.

Motts Military Museum holds the second largest collection of 9/11 artifacts in the country, with the first being in NYC. Among the collection is FDNY Ladder 18, Fort Pitt, a firetruck severely damaged during the collapse of the WTC towers.

Each of Ohio’s 1,308 townships vary in size and budget. The Photo of the Month will give you a snapshot of the diversity that can be found around the state.

Have a photo you’d like to share? Email Natalie Skelley at skelley@ohiotownships.org with a photo and description of the topic and township.

Did You Know? Township Limited Home Rule (part 2) (continued from page 4)

The board of township trustees of a township that adopts a limited home rule government has expanded authorized powers pursuant to R.C. Ch. 504 than a regular township. For example, a limited home rule township may adopt a plumbing code, electrical code, refrigeration machinery code, piping code, boiler code, heating code, air conditioning code, or any code pertaining to fire, fire hazards, and fire prevention if a county has not adopted such a code (R.C. §504.13(A)). A limited home rule township may provide for water and sewer services to users within the township (R.C.§ §504.18, 504.19, 504.20). A limited home rule township may adopt rules establishing standards to abate wind or water erosion of the soil or abate the degradation of the waters of the state by soil sediment in conjunction with land grading, excavating, filling, or other soil disturbing activities on land used or being developed in the township for nonfarm commercial, industrial, residential, or other nonfarm purposes, and establish criteria for determination of the acceptability of those management and conservation practices (R.C. §504.21).

For any particular road project in a limited home rule township, after notifying the county engineer, the board of township trustees may hire an independent professional engineer to be in charge of those activities (R.C. §5543.01(B)). The county engineer shall review all of the independent professional engineer’s plans for improvements and provide comments on those plans. The county engineer shall monitor all plans for improvements in order to maintain compliance with existing construction standards and thoroughfare plans, and coordinate construction timelines within the county. Finally, a township that has adopted a limited home rule shall not incur net indebtedness that exceeds an amount equal to 10.5 percent of its tax valuation (compared to 5 percent for regular townships) or incur without a vote of the electors net indebtedness that exceeds an amount equal to 5.5 percent (as opposed to zero for regular townships) of that tax valuation (R.C. §133.09).

If the population of the unincorporated territory of any township that adopts a limited home rule government under pursuant to R.C. §504.01(A)(3) or (4) is 15,000 or more, the township shall be called an “urban township” (R.C. §504.01(B)). An urban township has additional permissive authorities granted to them per the Ohio Revised Code. For example, an urban township may adopt access management regulations regardless of whether the county has adopted such regulations (R.C. §5552.02). An urban township that has a civil service commission may appoint to a vacant fire or police position any one of the three highest scorers on the eligible list for a promotional examination (R.C. §§505.38, 505.49). A board of township trustees of an urban township may lay out, establish, construct, maintain, and operate off-street parking facilities for motor vehicles that shall be exempt from taxation (R.C. §§505.24, 5709.10).

If limited home rule government is adopted by a township, it shall remain in effect for at least three years except if the electors propose by initiative petition that it be terminated. At the end of three years, if the board of township trustees determines that that government is not in the best interests of the township, it may adopt a resolution causing the board of elections to submit to the electors of the township the question of whether the township should continue the limited home rule government. If limited home rule is terminated, the board of township trustees immediately shall adopt a resolution repealing all resolutions adopted pursuant to R.C. Ch. 504 that are not authorized by any other section of the Revised Code, effective on the first day of January immediately following the election. However, no resolution adopted under this division shall affect or impair the obligations of the township under any security issued or contracts entered into by the township in connection with the financing of any water supply facility or sewer improvement (R.C. §504.03).

Did You Know is informational only and not intended as legal advice.

October 2018

2018 AFG Applications Open

The 2018 Assistance to Firefighter Grants application window is now open. The grant is issued by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/Grant Programs Directorate (GPD). Applications will be accepted through Friday, October 26 at 5:00 p.m.

For more information and to review the guidance materials, please visit https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/170096.

BWC Safety CoursesDozens of training courses are

available through the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Division of Safety & Hygiene. These courses are offered at branch sites around the state.

To be eligible for tuition-free enrollment in training center classes, you must provide an active Ohio workers’ compensation policy number for your

employing company at the time of registration. If you cannot provide proof of eligibility, you may still register for classes by paying tuition.

To see a list of available courses, eligibility requirements, training locations and hours, and to register, please visit https://www.bwc.ohio.gov/employer/programs/safety/sandheducation.asp.

Calendar of EventsOhio LTAP TrainingsYou can register for all of these trainings on the Ohio LTAP website

at www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions Planning/LocalPrograms/LTAP/Pages/TrainingCourseFlyers.aspx. Below are descriptions and dates for each training:

FHWA – Federal-Aid Contract Administration Core Curriculum TrainingPiketon (SW) – October 10 The focus is on FHWA contract provisions, administrative procedures, and applicable policies related to Federal-aid construction contracts in Ohio with an emphasis on local public agency participation.

Snow & Ice ControlBowling Green (NW) – October 10New Philadelphia (NE) – October 16 This course covers safety practices, pre-trip inspection and maintenance of the truck, plow, and spreader. Additionally, there is discussion of vehicle operation, plowing and salting techniques, and identification of different snow conditions.

Safety Studies Akron (NE) – October 18 The course is designed to assist in understanding the various aspects of safety studies. Requirements of a safety study’s report and analysis will be discussed.

Transportation Information Mapping System (TIMS) Computer Training Class Akron (NE) – October 30 The TIMS application provides transportation employees, transportation stakeholders, and the general public a central access point for viewing, distributing, and analyzing Ohio’s transportation data through web mapping tools.

Opportunity to Submit Ideas for Local Roads Research

Established in 2013 to provide research support for township, county and municipal agencies, Ohio’s Research Initiative for Locals (ORIL) is one of only three locally-focused

transportation research programs in the United States. As of September 2018, the ORIL program has successfully launched or participated in 19 research projects/studies within categories such as Hydraulics, Pavements & Materials, Policy/Legal/Revenue, and Structures.

ORIL is now accepting research ideas for the upcoming FY 2020 program, and everyone is invited to submit ideas! The ORIL Board has recently expanded the criteria for the idea submission process. In addition to Ohio’s local public agencies, MPOs and RTPOs, ideas may now also be submitted

by university researchers, students, consultants, associations, and ODOT staff. All ideas must be applicable to the local transportation system and must be research. The ORIL Board will review all ideas submitted and select those that propose the greatest benefit for Ohio. Selected ideas will be developed into Requests for Proposals, which will be posted for response from the transportation research community in March 2019. Research projects may begin any time after July 2019.

Research ideas may be submitted online. To access the Idea Submission Form and get additional information, click here or visit the ORIL website at: http://oril.transportation.ohio.gov. Submissions must be received by October 31, 2018 in order to be considered.

October 8 Columbus Day (OTA office closed)

October 11 Butler CountyHarrison County

October 15 Hocking County

October 18 Defiance County Lorain County Sandusky County

Trumbull County

October 20 Monroe County

October 25 Licking CountyOttawa County

Washington County

October 31 Preble County

Feel the Heat:Fire Service Experience

“Feel the Heat” provides an opportunity for public officials to learn first-hand about the challenges firefighters face on a daily basis. Ohio FireAcademy instructors work closely with public officials as they learn new skills and gain a better understanding of what it means to be a firefighter.

With your local fire chief as your sponsor, you will have an opportunity to participate in this orientation program. Classroom instruction will be combined with hands-on, realistic situations. For example, you will wear turn-out gear and use self-contained breathing apparatus to conduct search-and-rescue operations in a darkened maze. You will learn about and use a variety of hose techniques and put into practice your new skills in a live burn in the Burn Building.

There is no cost to attend the event, that is open to elected officials. Officials must be sponsored by their local fire chief.

For more information, please visit www.ohiofirechiefs.com/aws/OFCA/asset_manager/get_file/168565?ver=571

Please RSVP and direct any questions to kelly.stincer@com.state.oh.us.

October 2018

SERB Collecting Documents from Public Employers

Ohio law requires the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) to collect and analyze all public sector collective bargaining agreements and provide the citizens of Ohio and collective bargaining stakeholders with a reliable source of information.

To assure the accuracy and integrity of this database, Ohio law also requires that all Ohio public employers file copies of all contracts, memoranda of

understanding, contract amendments, etc. with SERB within 30 days of completion.

To file these relevant documents with SERB, please email research@serb.ohio.gov.

Should you have any questions, please contact Justin Brown, Research Aministrator at 614.466.1122 or justin.brown@serb.ohio.gov.

October 2018 Grassroots ClippingsOhio Township Association6500 Taylor Road, Suite ABlacklick, Ohio 43004

Did

You

Kno

w?

Tow

nshi

p Li

mit

ed H

ome

Rul

e (p

art 2

)La

st m

onth

’s Di

d Yo

u Kn

ow fo

cuse

d on

the

diffe

rent

pro

cedu

res f

or a

dopti

ng

limite

d ho

me

rule

. Th

is m

onth

’s fe

atur

e w

ill fo

cus t

he p

ower

s and

resp

onsib

ilitie

s on

ce a

tow

nshi

p ad

opts

lim

ited

hom

e ru

le.

Purs

uant

to R

.C. §

504.

04(A

), a

tow

nshi

p th

at a

dopt

s a li

mite

d ho

me

rule

go

vern

men

t may

do

all o

f the

follo

win

g by

reso

lutio

n, p

rovi

ded

that

reso

lutio

ns,

othe

r tha

n a

reso

lutio

n to

supp

ly w

ater

or s

ewer

serv

ices

, may

be

enfo

rced

onl

y by

th

e im

positi

on o

f civ

il fin

es a

s aut

horiz

ed in

this

chap

ter:

1.

Exer

cise

all

pow

ers o

f loc

al se

lf-go

vern

men

t, ot

her t

han

pow

ers t

hat a

re

in c

onfli

ct w

ith g

ener

al la

ws…

and

shal

l ena

ct n

o ta

xes o

ther

than

thos

e au

thor

ized

by g

ener

al la

w;

2.

Adop

t and

enf

orce

loca

l pol

ice,

sani

tary

, and

oth

er si

mila

r reg

ulati

ons t

hat

are

not i

n co

nflic

t with

gen

eral

law

s or o

ther

wise

pro

hibi

ted;

3.

Supp

ly w

ater

and

sew

er se

rvic

es to

use

rs;

4.

Adop

t and

enf

orce

adu

lt en

tert

ainm

ent r

esol

ution

s.

Ther

e ar

e lim

itatio

ns p

lace

d on

tow

nshi

ps, h

ence

the

nam

e lim

ited

hom

e ru

le.

A to

wns

hip

that

ado

pts l

imite

d ho

me

rule

, pur

suan

t to

R.C.

§50

4.04

(B),

shal

l not

ad

opt a

ny re

solu

tions

that

do

any

of th

e fo

llow

ing:

1.

Crea

te a

crim

inal

offe

nse

or im

pose

crim

inal

pen

altie

s, e

xcep

t as a

utho

rized

;2.

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pose

civ

il fin

es o

ther

than

as a

utho

rized

; 3.

Es

tabl

ish o

r rev

ise su

bdiv

ision

regu

latio

ns, r

oad

cons

truc

tion

stan

dard

s,

urba

n se

dim

ent r

ules

, or s

torm

wat

er a

nd d

rain

age

regu

latio

ns, e

xcep

t as

prov

ided

in R

.C. §

504.

21;

4.

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blish

or r

evise

bui

ldin

g st

anda

rds,

bui

ldin

g co

des,

and

oth

er st

anda

rd

code

s exc

ept a

s pro

vide

d in

R.C

. §50

4.13

; 5.

In

crea

se, d

ecre

ase,

or o

ther

wise

alte

r the

pow

ers o

r duti

es o

f a to

wns

hip

pert

aini

ng to

agr

icul

ture

or t

he c

onse

rvati

on o

r dev

elop

men

t of n

atur

al

reso

urce

s;6.

Es

tabl

ish re

gula

tions

affe

cting

hun

ting,

trap

ping

, fish

ing,

or t

he p

osse

ssio

n,

use,

or s

ale

of fi

rear

ms;

7.

Es

tabl

ish o

r rev

ise w

ater

or s

ewer

regu

latio

ns, e

xcep

t in

acco

rdan

ce w

ith

R.C.

§§5

04.1

8, 5

04.1

9, o

r 504

.21.

Ther

e ar

e se

vera

l req

uire

men

ts p

lace

d on

tow

nshi

ps th

at a

dopt

lim

ited

hom

e ru

le.

Purs

uant

to R

.C.§

504.

15, a

tow

nshi

p th

at a

dopt

s lim

ited

hom

e ru

le sh

all h

ire a

fu

ll-tim

e or

par

t-tim

e to

wns

hip

law

dire

ctor

or c

ontr

act w

ith th

e co

unty

pro

secu

ting

attor

ney

to se

rve

as la

w d

irect

or.

Addi

tiona

lly, R

.C. §

504.

16 re

quire

s a li

mite

d ho

me

rule

tow

nshi

p to

est

ablis

h a

polic

e di

stric

t. T

he to

wns

hip

can

crea

te a

n in

divi

dual

po

lice

dist

rict,

a jo

int p

olic

e di

stric

t, hi

re c

onst

able

s or c

ontr

act f

or p

olic

e se

rvic

es.

Reso

lutio

ns a

dopt

ed u

sing

limite

d ho

me

rule

aut

horit

y sh

all c

onta

in o

nly

one

subj

ect m

atter

and

shal

l be

read

at t

wo

diffe

rent

tow

nshi

p m

eetin

gs b

efor

e pa

ssag

e,

exce

pt th

at th

e se

cond

read

ing

may

be

wai

ved

by a

maj

ority

vot

e of

the

trus

tees

(R

.C. §

504.

10).

Addi

tiona

lly, i

n a

tow

nshi

p th

at a

dopt

s lim

ited

hom

e ru

le, r

esol

ution

s may

be

pro

pose

d by

initi

ative

peti

tion

by th

e el

ecto

rs a

nd a

dopt

ed b

y el

ectio

n (R

.C.

§504

.14)

. Fu

rthe

rmor

e, li

mite

d ho

me

rule

reso

lutio

ns a

dopt

ed b

y th

e bo

ard

of

tow

nshi

p tr

uste

es m

ay b

e su

bmitt

ed to

the

elec

tors

for a

ppro

val o

r rej

ectio

n by

re

fere

ndum

.Co

ntinu

ed o

n pa

ge 2

.