VOTE411 Voter Guide

Portage County Treasurer’s roles and responsibilities are very specifically outlined by the Ohio Revised Code. The majority of the responsibilities center around the collection of local taxes, including real estate and personal property taxes. The Treasurer also is responsible for the collection and accounting of all monies collected by other County Departments as well as investing of all County funds, providing the best return in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code. The Treasurer must track and prepare financial statements for the Portage County Auditor and other County Departments. In short, the Treasurer is elected to serve as Portage County’s banker and safekeeper of all taxes and the investor of local funds. As such the Portage County Treasurer must be an individual that is highly trained and experienced in financial planning, public budgeting and cash management to properly manage and safeguard Portage County’s funds.

My assessment is that we can always strive for improvement, especially when it comes to taxpayer funds and services. Substantial improvements can be made in both the process and communication methods currently in use. Families work very hard for their money. It is unacceptable to be surprised by a tax bill that they neither expected nor understood. I would improve explanations for what the county is required to reevaluate and/or collect by State law. Nobody wants to collect taxes, but I would make sure the only taxes collected are those required by law.

My highest priority is to make sure we are only collecting the taxes that we absolutely have to collect from Portage County citizens. The best Treasurer is one that understands they work for the taxpayers of the county and need to make taxpayers the highest priority. As part of the county’s budget commission, I would bring nearly 20 years of complex governmental budging experience to the team, examining ways to reduce spending and applying business best practice to help reduce the taxpayer’s burden. I would make it a priority to keep the county taxpayer informed about county revenues and expenditures. I would develop a long-term strategy of conservative and prudent financial investing using financial forecasting and modeling. With over $160 million dollars of county funds to invest and protect, small strategic changes to the investment portfolio can make significant revenue improvements.

I will make sure that the office records and the office staff are available to answer questions from Portage County taxpayers. While I will endeavor to cooperate with other elected officials, I will not hesitate to ask questions to make sure there is accountability for all spending. I will also pursue a program to make the "Portage County checkbook" easy for citizens to view online. I would focus additional efforts on developing a comprehensive community outreach program to inform and educate the county taxpayer about county revenues, expenditures and investments.

My office plays three crucial roles in county government: tax collector, banker, and chief investment officer. As tax collector, we gather resources for essential services like police, fire protection, schools and parks, collecting real estate taxes and various other levies. The revenue we collect also funds county services such as emergency management, public assistance, and criminal prosecutions. As the county's banker, my office safeguards collected tax revenues and manages the treasury's finances in close collaboration with the Auditor. Daily reports are made to ensure transparency, with monthly financial statement balancing and cooperation during audits. Functioning as the chief investment officer, we invest county funds to ensure safety, liquidity, and optimal returns for county taxpayers. As Treasurer, I am accountable to the Investment Advisory Committee, providing data and forecasting quarterly to align with the county's investment objectives.

We have made progress in recent years to upgrade our customer-facing technology, but there’s a lot more we can do to add ease and efficiency to the way we deliver services. As a former IT systems pro, I have a deep understanding of technology and the ways it can safely transform the way customers interact with county services. We currently allow customers to pay taxes in person; by mail or by onsite mail drop box; online (using our Point & Pay service); by phone; and through our pre-pay program (using monthly coupons). My goal is to push for greater adoption of online payment and payment by phone, which could potentially streamline reconciliation, while reducing costs and data entry errors. We are currently working in partnership with the county auditor’s office to enable procurement card processing to add efficiencies and reduce costs. We plan on launching a customer-service friendly “phone-tree” for phone-in customers to save time and provide easier navigation of our services.

As county CIO, continue the work of ensuring the best rate of return on our investments. Leverage technology to add value to customer-Treasurer communications and service delivery, while reducing red-tape and cost. Annually attend all 18 township trustee meetings, all city and village councils, and many civic groups. Promote Treasurer’s office programs, including the low interest linked deposit program enabling residents, family farms, and small businesses to access cheaper capital for household improvements, to grow the family farm, and stimulate small business growth in Portage County. Hold township-based small business and entrepreneurship workshops, to share information, stimulate partnerships and provide a doable path forward toward launching a business in our county. Continue to build and leverage partnerships with other county entities to deliver great services. Research and leverage “best practices” implemented by other county treasurers across the great state of Ohio.

As your Treasurer and trusted public servant, my philosophy is to share as much information with the public as I can, and to meet with the public as much as possible. The hard-working taxpayers of Portage County deserve to see me in their community -- to listen to their concerns and answer questions about their taxes, valuations, and our programs. Since taking office last year, I have made public presentations to all 18 township trustee meetings in Portage County as well as city and village councils, including Ravenna, Kent, Streetsboro, Aurora, Garrettsville and Windham. I have participated in every monthly meeting of the County’s Budget Commission. I have organized and held four quarterly (and open to the public) Investment Advisory Committee (IAC) meetings. Budget Commission meetings and quarterly IAC meetings are streamed live via the Portage County YouTube channel. The minutes of these public meetings and our county's quarterly investment portfolio reports are also posted online.