Brimfield Trustee Organizational Meeting Sets New Schedule, Committee Seats, And JED Finance Fix

BRIMFIELD TOWNSHIP – Brimfield’s newly seated Board of Trustees used its 2026 organizational meeting to reshuffle leadership roles, move regular meetings to evenings, and begin untangling a financing problem involving joint economic development district (JED) funds.

The Brimfield trustee organizational meeting on Jan. 2, 2026, opened with routine housekeeping but quickly turned substantive as the board debated public access to meetings, confirmed a long list of committee appointments, and heard a detailed explanation of how past spending from JED maintenance and improvement funds must now be corrected.

Online township records confirm the meeting as the Board of Trustees Organizational Meeting – Jan. 2, 2026, with trustees Chairman Nic Coia, Vice Chairman Kevin Scott and Trustee Sue Fields present at Brimfield Town Hall, 1333 Tallmadge Road. The board’s current roster and liaison assignments are shown on the township website’s Board of Trustees page, which now lists Coia as chairman, Scott as vice chairman, and Fields as a trustee and zoning liaison, among other roles. Board of Trustees | Brimfield Township, OH

Leadership Votes And Liaison Assignments

After approving the amended agenda, trustees moved into their annual leadership selections.

• Chairman: Trustee Nic Coia was nominated and unanimously approved as chairman of the Board of Trustees.
• Vice Chairman: Trustee Kevin Scott was unanimously approved as vice chairman.
• Police Liaison: Coia will continue as police department liaison.
• Fire Liaison: Scott was named fire department liaison.
• Road Department Liaison: Scott will also serve as road department liaison.
• Cemetery Liaison: Trustee Sue Fields will remain cemetery liaison.
• Administration Liaison: After discussion about workload and staff changes, Coia was appointed administration liaison, covering non‑zoning administrative offices such as parks and the main township office.
• Zoning Liaison: Fields will serve as zoning liaison, reflecting how heavily zoning issues have dominated township business in recent years.

The decision to separate administration and zoning was framed as both a workload and policy issue, with Scott calling zoning a “hot item” that warrants its own dedicated attention.

Residents Challenge Campaign Finance Narrative

Two residents, Dan Mars and Bill Mars, addressed the board during public comment, challenging a December 12 Facebook post by Trustee Coia and a comment by Vice Chairman Scott regarding campaign contributions in the recent trustee election.

• Dan Mars, a former Brimfield Township trustee candidate, argued that online posts about donor influence painted an incomplete and potentially misleading picture of his campaign finances.
• He specifically criticized a post suggesting that outside business interests might have undue sway over candidates, and said all of his donors—including members of the DeHoff family—had no promises or expectations of favorable treatment.
• Mars also contrasted his donations with perceived benefits and endorsements for other candidates, asserting that if his contributions were suspect under that logic, similar scrutiny should apply to other relationships, including local business support and social media backing.

Mars closed by saying he takes his integrity “very seriously” and called for a public apology “as public as the original post,” adding that Coia had blocked him from viewing the original content.

Bill Mars then took the podium, gave his address, and formally yielded his time back to Dan so he could complete his comments.

Trustee Coia briefly responded that he had declined a similar outside company donation and re‑stated his concerns about development interests connected to variances and JED‑related projects. The board otherwise kept to its practice of limited back‑and‑forth during public comment.

Evening Meetings Approved After Debate

One of the more consequential decisions for residents was the shift to evening trustee meetings.

Trustees approved a 2026 schedule of regular trustee meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month at 7 p.m., replacing the previous 8 a.m. weekday format. The township’s Board of Trustees web page now reflects the evening meeting schedule and encourages public participation. Board of Trustees | Brimfield Township, OH

The change followed a lengthy debate:

• Scott said residents had told him they could not attend morning meetings without using vacation or personal days and that evening meetings were more consistent with the “average family” work schedule.
• Coia noted Brimfield had been one of the few Portage County townships still meeting in the mornings and argued that evening meetings expand opportunity for public engagement, even if attendance does not spike immediately.
• Fields opposed moving all meetings to evenings, citing concerns about the strain on department heads and the township administrator, who already work full daytime schedules and frequently attend nighttime zoning and other board meetings. She pointed out that past experiments with occasional evening trustee meetings did not draw significantly larger crowds than morning sessions.

Road Superintendent Dave (last name not used in the transcript) added that 7 p.m. meetings would make it harder to balance his already heavy workload, winter storm response and family time, and could force him to send staff on overtime. Coia acknowledged that future discussions might examine when department heads are required to attend, but argued that for now, leadership positions come with an expectation of flexibility.

The motion to set first and third Mondays at 7 p.m. passed 2–1, with Scott and Coia voting yes and Fields voting no.

2026 Inventory Meeting And Statutory Requirements

The board also scheduled the annual inventory meeting for Monday, January 12 at 7 p.m. This meeting is required by Ohio law so trustees can formally accept each department’s inventory of equipment and sensitive items.

Coia emphasized that the board must approve the completed inventories on that date, not just accept them for review, and asked department heads to submit their lists—covering items over $500 or security‑sensitive equipment—before the meeting so trustees can ask questions in advance.

Financial Institution, Office Hours And Legal Counsel

Trustees moved through several structural and administrative items:

• Financial Institution: The board voted to retain Chase Bank as the township’s primary financial institution for 2026. Scott raised the possibility of exploring Hometown Bank, located close to the town hall, arguing that the local bank has been a supportive community partner. Coia said the choice should be driven largely by the fiscal office’s needs and Chase’s experience with government accounts but encouraged staff to investigate Hometown Bank’s capabilities and report back if a switch makes sense.
• Administration Office Hours: Trustees approved administration office hours of Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays, with the office remaining at 1333 Tallmadge Road.
  This matches the township’s contact information and hours posted on the main website. Brimfield Township, OH – Official Website
• Website And Legal Notices: The board again designated the official Brimfield Township website and social media accounts as the primary platforms for statutory notice requirements, a move that continues to save on newspaper advertising costs. Scott strongly criticized the current website layout, calling it “a mess” and saying meetings and park information are hard to find. Staff noted that agendas, minutes and calendars are still accessible through the Agenda Center and Board of Trustees pages, but acknowledged the need to clean up outdated front‑page items and navigation. Agenda Center • Brimfield Township
• Legal Counsel: Trustees approved continued use of outside legal counsel as needed, including Greg Beck, Chad Murdock, Demer Associates, and Zashin & Rich, while noting that the Portage County Prosecutor remains the township’s default legal representative. There was discussion about potentially requiring board approval for large or project‑based legal expenditures to control costs, given recent financial pressures.

JED Maintenance And Improvement Fund Shortfall

One of the most significant issues came from an update on the township’s ongoing 2024 audit and the discovery that some Joint Economic Development District (JED) Maintenance and Improvement (M&I) funds had been spent on items the state auditor now considers unallowable under the original JED agreements.

Fiscal Officer staff told the board that:

• The state auditor determined that certain equipment purchases, including vehicles, were improperly paid from the JED maintenance and improvement fund, despite prior written concerns from both the county auditor’s office and legal counsel.
• The prior fiscal officer was informed that the spending was not permitted under the JED language but proceeded anyway, shifting costs that should have been borne directly by the police, fire and road funds.
• As a result, those departmental funds have had to pay money back into the JED M&I account, creating short‑term shortfalls in their own budgets, particularly:
  • The general fund, now reflecting a significant negative balance on paper.
  • The fire fund, which is currently holding a positive—but tight—balance of roughly $50,000 going into 2026 after the correction.

Brimfield is temporarily allowed to operate in what staff called “compliance mode removed,” meaning the township can run negative balances in certain funds for a short window while awaiting incoming revenue, such as the next major JED distribution and the first property‑tax settlement of 2026.

Fire Chief Craig Mosley warned that if the maintenance and improvement fund cannot legally cover vehicles as previously planned, a future ambulance purchase and other critical apparatus may have to be cancelled, since he built his capital plan on JED support.

To undo the damage and align spending with both the auditor and the township’s needs, Coia said he had contacted Demer Associates, which recommended a formal process to amend the JED agreement language with Tallmadge:

• Brimfield’s attorney would work with the Tallmadge law director to draft identical language changes for both councils, specifically clarifying that vehicles and equipment for police, fire and roads can be purchased from the JED maintenance and improvement fund as part of “maintenance and improvements.”
• The amendment would require approvals from both Brimfield and Tallmadge within a 90‑day window, followed by a formal vote of the JED board.
• The change would be written to apply retroactively to January 1, 2024, allowing the township to legally move the corrected funds back to the police, fire and road accounts once the JED board adopts the new language.

Trustees unanimously authorized counsel to pursue this JED language change with Tallmadge, with all three emphasizing that JED dollars were originally intended to help police, roads and fire keep up with growth driven by development inside the district.

Mileage, Holidays And Pay Structure

The board also took care of several standard annual items:

• IRS Mileage Rate: Trustees adopted the 2026 IRS standard mileage reimbursement rate of 72.5 cents per mile for qualifying business use.
• Holidays: Brimfield will follow the federal holiday schedule for 2026 and again add the day after Thanksgiving as a township holiday for administrative staff.
• Pay Schedule: Trustees and the fiscal officer will continue to be paid monthly as set out in the 2026 budget and Ohio Revised Code.

Board And Committee Appointments

As part of the Brimfield trustee organizational meeting, the board reconfirmed or revised a long list of external and internal committee roles. Among them:

• Portage Development Board:
  • Primary: Economic Development Director Mike Ladd
  • Alternate: Trustee Sue Fields
• Soil And Water Task Force:
  • Primary: Road Superintendent Dave
  • Alternate: Trustee Kevin Scott
• BWC Safety Council:
  • Primary: Kirsten from administration
  • Alternate: IT/operations staffer Joe
• Portage County Regional Planning Commission:
  • Primary: Mike Ladd
  • Alternate: Sue Fields
• Portage County Comprehensive Plan Committee:
  • Primary: Mike Ladd
  • Alternate: Nic Coia
• Portage County Land Bank Revitalization Committee:
  • Primary: Sue Fields
  • Alternate: Mike Ladd
• Subdivision Regulations Board:
  • Primary: Mike Ladd
• Portage County Substance Abuse Community Coalition:
  • Representative: Kevin Scott
• Central Portage County Visitors Bureau Board:
  • Representative: Nic Coia
• TIF Board Representatives:
  • Primary: Mike Ladd
  • Alternate: Nic Coia

These roles dovetail with the township’s broader structure of boards and commissions as outlined on Brimfield’s website. Boards & Commissions | Brimfield Township, OH

Fire Department Donation And Resignation

Under the fire department portion of the agenda:

• Trustees accepted two anonymous donations to the fire department totaling $140 ($40 and $100). The donors specifically declined thank‑you letters.
• Chief Mosley announced the resignation of firefighter Alex Wayne, effective Jan. 19, 2026, after almost six years of service. Wayne is leaving the fire service to pursue a different career path.
  Trustees accepted his resignation unanimously, with all three expressing appreciation for his years with Brimfield and leaving the door open for a possible return.
• Mosley noted the department will immediately post for a new full‑time firefighter/paramedic to fill the vacancy.

With no additional safety concerns or public comments, the Brimfield trustee organizational meeting adjourned after just under an hour and a half of business, leaving a busy year ahead as the township navigates JED corrections, website and communications improvements, and a new evening meeting rhythm.