A Trustee's Obligation: What I Know, What I've Asked, and What I Still Need Answered

Amy Heutmaker, Russell Township Trustee

Russell Township residents deserve to know what I know. This post is my attempt to lay out the full picture, as I understand it today, on three connected matters: a police levy placed before voters in 2025, the township's carryover balance, and a governance structure that I believe leaves the Board of Trustees without the tools it needs to do its job. None of what I am sharing is speculative. It is drawn from documents I have reviewed, meetings I have attended, and questions I have asked.

Background: Why I Started Asking Questions

Since news of the township's carryover balance became public, my sole goal has been to answer one question: how did this happen?

That question led me to review UAN system reports, budget commission records, and meeting documentation going back through 2025. It also raised additional legal and ethical questions that I want to make sure we do not repeat while I serve on this Board. I am raising these matters now to formally document my concerns, place them on the record, and facilitate a constructive Board conversation, rather than have the matter continue to be characterized in the press as a personality conflict.

I want to be direct on that point: This is not about personalities. It is about transparency and whether the Board fulfilled its fiduciary responsibilities to the residents of Russell Township.

The Police Levy

My last meeting with the Fiscal Officer was on March 15, 2026. During that meeting, she shared a document reflecting the township's cash position as of August 2025. That document showed the township was flush with cash, and that the Police Department had the funds available to accomplish its stated goals without an additional levy.

After reviewing that document, I watched the Geauga County Budget Commission hearing at which Trustee Port, Police Chief Swaidner, and Fiscal Officer Walder were present. With the benefit of hindsight and the information I received on March 15, I reached the same conclusion as the Budget Commission.

I have since received UAN reports from the summer of 2025 that reflect significant intrafund transfers from active to inactive accounts affecting the Police Department. Based on the record and a comment made by Matt Mesok during our open meeting on March 19, 2026, I believe the following conclusions are reasonable and supported by the evidence.

First, the Fiscal Officer made intrafund transfers within her authority. I am not disputing that. However, as a resident during the summer and fall of 2025, I question why those transfers were made at that time, and what effect they had on the financial picture that was presented to the Board and to voters.

Second, regarding the prior Board's decision to place a levy of approximately $1,000,000 per year before voters, I want to be precise about how I view each trustee's role, because I do not think the responsibility is equal across the three of them.

Trustee Hare was, like me, in his first year on the Board. I know from my own experience what it is like to be a new trustee navigating complex financial processes without full visibility into the township's fiscal picture. That context matters. I extend to him the same good faith I would hope others extend to me as I find my footing in this role.

Trustee Port and former Trustee Mueller are a different matter. As Matt Mesok made clear in his comments at the March 19, 2026 meeting, experience and tenure carry an obligation. Trustee Port attended the Geauga County Budget Commission hearing directly. Former Trustee Mueller had years of institutional knowledge about Russell Township's finances. In my view, both of them were in a position to know, or to ask, whether the township's financial picture warranted placing a $1,000,000 annual levy before voters. Under ORC 5705, I believe it is fair to ask whether they met that obligation.

My hope is that the question of Board responsibility can be resolved through an honest internal conversation. However, given the documentation provided to the Board on March 30, 2026, and the ongoing difficulty in getting direct answers about the police levy and the carryover process, I am not confident that will happen without continued pressure.

The Case for a Township Administrator

The Fiscal Officer has documented her desire to align our budget process with ORC 5705 rather than with custom practice. That is a legitimate position. But doing so places the full burden of the appropriation process on the Board of Trustees, and currently the Board does not have direct, independent access to the financial reporting tools it needs to carry out that responsibility.

I believe the answer is a Township Administrator with statutory authority to access UAN reports on the Board's behalf. This would give the Board the independent financial visibility it needs to fulfill its fiduciary responsibilities under the applicable provisions of the Ohio Revised Code, and would reduce the Board's dependence on a single point of contact for financial information.

This recommendation is consistent with guidance I received earlier this year regarding the complexities of running a township like Russell, particularly in anticipation of staffing transitions. I did not share that guidance directly with my counterparts at the time, though I do not believe it would have changed the outcome of our discussions.

What I Am Asking For

I am asking the full Board to have a direct, substantive conversation about the following:

1. The process by which the 2025 police levy was placed before voters, and whether the Board had the complete financial picture it needed to make that decision responsibly.

2. The intrafund transfers in the summer of 2025, specifically the timing and rationale for those transfers.

3. The path forward on township governance, including a serious discussion of the Township Administrator model.

I would prefer to have these conversations in the context at the next Board of Trustees meeting on May 7. But I am also committed to keeping residents informed, which is why I am publishing this post.

A Note on the Record

Everything I have described here is drawn from public documents, meeting records, and communications I have been a party to. I am happy to discuss any of it. If you have questions, please reach out or attend our next public meeting.

Transparency is not a crisis. It is the baseline. Residents of Russell Township deserve nothing less.

Sources: UAN system reports (summer and fall 2025); Geauga County Budget Commission hearing records; Board of Trustees Meeting March 19, 2026; Russell Township Board Special Meeting, March 30, 2026; Ohio Revised Code 5705.