DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES
MEETING MINUTES
Date: March 10th 2025
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Deerfield Township Hall
IN ATTENDANCE
Trustees: Charles “Ed” Dean, Tiffany Havens (Chair), Laura Lindberg
Fiscal Officer: Tracey Dean
Assistant Fiscal Officer: Nancy Cowan
Road Supervisor and Cemetery Sexton: Tim Suderman
CALL TO ORDER
Tiffany Havens called the meeting to order at 6:00. The Pledge of Allegiance began the
meeting.
A PPROVAL OF MINUTES /R EPORTS
The minutes from the February 10, 2025, meeting was unanimously approved.
The most recent financial report was unanimously approved (subject to audit).
COMMUNICATIONS
● Tracey Dean: Sedgwick Worker’s Comp renewal ($1,375). The motion to renew was
moved, seconded, and passed unanimously.
● Ed Dean: Matt Kelly (Portage County Auditor) alerts people to dispute property values
for a reduction. The DTE-1 form must be submitted to the Auditor by 3/31. Retirees and
Veterans are encouraged to apply. Forms are available on the website. Laura Lindberg
noted that you can also get a private appraisal – the more documentation, the better.
She also added that you can reclaim funds if a discrepancy is found. If you miss the
3/31 deadline, you can reapply the following year.
● Tracey Dean: We need to send our list of records on file to the Ohio State Preservation
Office to be able to shred documents in line with yearly retention requirements. The
motion was moved, seconded, and passed unanimously.
D EERFIELD T OWNSHIP T RUSTEES
MEETING MINUTES
Date: March 10th 2025
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Deerfield Township Hall
PUBLIC COMMENTARY
none
DEPARTMENT UPDATES
Road Department/Maintenance
● Ed Dean: an accident occurred at the circle on 3/9. There were no injuries or property
damage. Ed will get a police report.
● Tim Suderman: there is an opportunity for a 10% discount at Marlboro Supply for 6
pieces of 12” double-wall culvert pipe. A motion to accept the reduced payment was
made and passed unanimously.
● Tim: (an FYI) There are maintenance issues with backhoe pins and bushings; we are
working on pricing. Ed noted that the backhoe is ~22 years old; it has been
indispensable for salt, but we can really use a front loader. We will get numbers
together for the next meeting.
Buildings and Grounds
● One of the buildings had a skunk issue, but it has aired out, and there are no recent
tracks. Another building was patched due to bees.
● We will need lawn products soon (e.g., fertilizer, topsoil, seed). A motion was made,
seconded, and passed unanimously to appropriate $1,500 for lawn needs.
● Ed found that Marc’s had deeply discounted 5K sq. ft. bags of weed-n-feed for $12.99
each. This represented an amount of 45% cost compared to other local sources. A
motion was made to reimburse Ed for 25 bags. The motion was seconded and passed
by unanimous vote. Tiffany suggested that we investigate tax exemption status with
Marc’s.
● Ed said that the previously approved contract with Mike Barringer for work on the Fire
Station roof needs to be signed. A motion was made, seconded, and passed
unanimously to sign with the assumption that the agreement is correct.
● Ed: Blinds and toilets upgrade is on hold as our building and equipment insurance rates
rose from 33-34K to ~48K. The “Ohio Plan” that insures townships offered a competitive
quote covering everything at an equal or better rate for $24,636. The Ohio Plan, based
in Toledo, insures over 300 townships, does not farm out work, and will cover us
retroactively for 5 years in the case of lawsuits. Ed has noted the presence of this
company at Columbus gatherings for the last 15-20 years, and that they are growing.
He will share company contact info. Our current company will still be responsible for
coverage of claims at Deerfield Circle. Ohio Plan are happy to come and present to us;
we will invite them to our next meeting. We held off on our 2/28 insurance premium for
this discussion. A new contract could be reconsidered in one year. A motion was made,
seconded, and passed unanimously to retain the Ohio Plan for a minimum of one year.
● Tim: There were two full cemetery burials since the last meeting. One stone was
mislocated and will be moved, and the family informed.
Fire Department
● Chief Scott Dean: (1) In February we answered 22 calls (11 EMS, and 11 services/fire
investigation). (2) We will need updates to the MARC system by July to meet mandatory
requirements, likely resulting in new/updated radios. (3) Thanks to the planning
committee and the community for the successful fundraiser for Dave Hardesty. (4) A
radio antenna needed replaced. There was a motion (seconded and unanimously
passed) to cover the cost of the bill for $202. (5) Chief Scott requested exec session for a
disciplinary issue. Tiffany motioned to move to executive session, under ORC 121-22 to
consider disciplinary measures of a public employee. The motion was seconded by Ed
and passed unanimously.
EXEC SESSION AT 5:38
Return to Regular Session at 5:56
In individual and unanimous votes, trustees voted to terminate four members of the fire
department based on several criteria, and in consultation with the Portage County
Prosecutor. Criteria included failure to meet required attendance, failure to meet
required shift availability, failure to meet with Chief, and failure to complete required
sexual harassment training. The members were Andrew Zerkle, Lindsay Davis, Daniel
Young, and Stephanie Sutcliffe. Termination is immediate; any attempt to retrieve
belongings is contingent upon request. Official letters will be sent by certified mail. They
have a right to a hearing if so desired.
OLD BUSINESS
none
NEW BUSINESS
● There was a question about the use of personal golf carts and side-by-sides when
conducting work on township property. There was no objection, but this is a question for
the new insurance carrier.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and passed at 7:07pm