Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreation District elects officers, adopts bylaws and initial policies

The inaugural board of the Eastern Delaware County Joint Recreation District elected officers, adopted bylaws and approved a set of organizational policies and an initial budget framework at its organizational meeting. The board also authorized staff to pursue a bank depository, insurance quotes and to engage legal counsel as it begins community outreach and planning.

The meeting, called to order at 6:02 p.m., opened with the administration of oaths to the six appointed trustees and a roll call establishing a five-member voting quorum with one member attending virtually. The slate approved by roll call named Hallie Watson as chair, Bernie Coy as vice chair, Jody Greger as secretary, and Greg Elliott as treasurer.

Mike Bridal, attorney for the exploratory committee that helped form the joint recreation district, said the three jurisdictions had formed the district to pool resources. "In short, we can achieve more together than any one of us can do by ourselves," Bridal said, urging the board to begin public engagement and data collection immediately.

The board adopted draft bylaws prepared by the exploratory committee, then approved a public-records policy and a records-retention schedule to comply with Ohio law and to permit submitting materials to the State Archives and the Ohio Auditor of State. The trustees approved a proposed administrative budget framework and an authorization for the treasurer to begin the public depository (bank selection) process. Legal counsel summarized that Sunbury, Berkshire and Galena have initially budgeted a combined $20,000 for start-up administrative expenses to be allocated to the new district.

Discussion during the meeting emphasized next steps: assembling reliable community data (surveys and other sources), meeting with institutional partners such as the YMCA, and consulting people who participated in an earlier, unsuccessful JRD effort. Bridal advised that a community facility would likely require substantial land—he referenced the Westerville rec center as an example that sits on roughly 25 acres—and that a multi-year public-financing process would be necessary if the board pursues a capital project.

Trustees approved a resolution authorizing the chair and treasurer to solicit insurance quotes, including the possibility of a rider on an existing municipal insurance plan, and they authorized the board to sign an engagement letter with general legal counsel to provide on-call legal services. The board also adopted an investment policy limited to the forms of investment permitted under the Ohio Revised Code.

Board members set a follow-up meeting for May 1 at 6:00 p.m. to continue outreach planning and to review consultant scopes of work, possible YMCA engagement, and other community data. Staff and exploratory committee members volunteered to compile existing surveys, maps and planning data to support the board's next agenda.

Votes at a glance - Officer slate (Hallie Watson, chair; Bernie Coy, vice chair; Jody Greger, secretary; Greg Elliott, treasurer): Approved by roll call (Hallie Watson: yes; Greg Elliott: yes; Jody Greger: yes; Bernie Coy: yes; Todd Musacchio: yes). Outcome: approved. - Resolution adopting bylaws (tab 3): Approved by roll call (Watson, Elliott, Greger, Coy, Musacchio — all yes). Outcome: approved. - Resolution adopting public records policy and records-retention schedule (tab 4): Approved by roll call (Watson, Elliott, Greger, Coy, Musacchio — all yes). Outcome: approved. - Resolution adopting proposed administrative budget and authorizing treasurer to pursue a public depository (tab 5): Approved by roll call (Watson, Elliott, Greger, Coy, Musacchio — all yes). Outcome: approved. Clarification in discussion: Sunbury/ Berkshire/ Galena have committed $20,000 in start-up funding (allocation formula discussed later in meeting). - Authorization to solicit insurance quotes and seek options (tab 6): Approved by roll call (Watson, Elliott, Greger, Coy, Musacchio — all yes). Outcome: approved. - Authorization to sign engagement letter with proposed general legal counsel (tab 7): Approved by roll call (Watson, Elliott, Greger, Coy, Musacchio — all yes). Outcome: approved. The group discussed an hourly agreement and a 2025 legal-fee line in the budget (discussion referenced a $10,000 planning threshold for legal fees in 2025). - Resolution adopting investment policy (tab 8): Approved by roll call (Watson, Elliott, Greger, Coy, Musacchio — all yes). Outcome: approved.

Context and next steps Trustees were repeatedly urged to begin systematic community outreach and gather objective data—via publicly available sources, professional surveys or institutional partners such as the YMCA—before contemplating capital plans. The board discussed potential funding tools (levies subject to voter approval, bonds, grants and donations) and heard that forming a capital stack and public-financing timetable could take multiple years. Staff and exploratory committee members will compile existing planning materials and draft a consultant scope of work for the trustees to review at the May 1 meeting.

The board also reviewed procedural obligations under Ohio law, including open-meetings rules, public-records responsibilities, the requirement that trustees complete state-recommended fraud training, and the new General Assembly provisions allowing virtual participation under an adopted virtual-meeting policy. Trustees were advised to coordinate public-records requests through designated public email addresses to limit the risk of records retention or privilege issues.

The meeting adjourned after the roll calls and scheduling items were completed. The board will reconvene on May 1 at 6:00 p.m. to continue community engagement planning and administrative setup.