Members of the boards of levy agencies in Lucas County will have to show they've received some financial training before they ask for levy increases under a resolution adopted by the county commissioners yesterday.
Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak proposed the rule after commissioners were surprised by generous pay raises for the directors of three agencies and by the failure of the youth mental health agency Connecting Point.
The resolution requires that any agency planning to seek a new levy, add members, or "make large financial decisions" must submit a report to the commissioners showing what training the board members have received.
The resolution applies to the boards of the Toledo Zoo, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Lucas County Improvement Corp., Mental Health and Recovery Services, Toledo Science Center, Area Office on Aging, Children Services Board, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, and Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.
The Blade reported this month that the Mental Health, Children Services, and MRDD boards had approved increases for their top executives, despite wage freezes and jobs cuts elsewhere in gov-ernment. The MRDD and Mental Health and Recovery Services boards last week decided against rolling back those pay hikes. The Children Services Board two weeks ago accepted a proposal by Executive Director Dean Sparks to suspend a $5,000 pay increase he received in December.
Ms. Wozniak said the rule "adds another layer of protection for the public and ensures stable fiscal management in the long-term."Jacqueline Boney, chairman of the planning and implementation committee of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, called it "an excellent idea" and predicted volunteer board members won't see it as a burden.
Mental Health controlled most of the money that went to Connecting Point, which shut down suddenly in February when its bank canceled its line of credit to pay salaries. The agency was unable to recover after it lost $1.4 million in receivables because the billing was done incorrectly.
"Our board is going to include similar requirements I believe in our next contract with agencies so the requirement is passed down to agencies with which we contract," Ms. Boney said. "I think additional financial training cannot be argued with."
Contact Tom Troy at:
tomtroy@theblade.com
or 419-724-6058.
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