CCAO testifies in support of county hospital board clarity
 
CCAO this week provided testimony in support of House Bill 405, which would clarify the appointment process for county hospital boards of trustees. Sponsored by state Reps. Brian Stewart and Mark Johnson, the legislation explicitly states that the hospital board appointing authority is comprised of three county commissioners each having one vote, the senior Common Pleas Judge having one vote, and the Probate Judge, if they are separate people, having one vote.
 
The need for this legislation arose out of Morrow County, where there was a dispute over whether the three county commissioners each had their own vote, or whether the board possessed a singular vote. The litigation eventually rose to the Ohio Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the commissioners having three votes on the appointing authority. This legislation codifies the court’s ruling.
 
Also testifying in support of the legislation was Morrow County Commission and CCAO First Vice President Tom Whiston.
 
CCAO thanks Reps. Stewart and Johnson for their sponsorship of this legislation.

Work begins on state legislative redistricting following Supreme Court order
 
Following the Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling last week invalidating Ohio’s state legislative district maps, the Ohio Redistricting Commission reconvened this week to attempt to draw new maps in compliance with the court’s order.
 
In the court’s ruling, it held that the new maps must comply with voter preferences over the past 10 years, which are approximately 54 percent Republican and 46 percent Democratic.
 
One of the pressing issues for the commission is the 10-day deadline to produce new maps, which legislative leaders interpret to mean Saturday, September 22^nd. The commission is also up against rapidly approaching candidate filing deadlines and other statutory requirements for county boards of elections. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a member of the Redistricting Commission stated, “Without finality on maps, that starts to become mechanically impossible quite soon,” referencing the looming statutory deadlines.
 
In terms of delaying candidate filing deadlines, House Speaker Bob Cupp indicated that lawmakers were not inclined to delay the deadline, but certain statutory deadlines indicated by Secretary LaRose.
 
On Thursday, the Redistricting Commission met again to consider changes to the legislative maps. The commission considered changes on a regional basis, with changes being proposed for the Franklin and Hamilton County areas.
 
The Redistricting Commission met once again Friday morning, but as of publication, no resolution on maps had been reached.