Brimfield Trustees appoint Jasmine Golden as fiscal officer, effective Aug. 1

The Brimfield Board of Trustees appointed Jasmine Golden as the township fiscal officer, effective Aug. 1, 2025, in a unanimous roll-call vote during a special meeting July 28.

Board members said the appointment followed interviews with three candidates and input from a panel that included representatives from the Portage County Auditor’s Office and the police department. Trustees said Golden’s background in government accounting, auditing and forensic evaluation distinguished her among the applicants.

Trustees discussed that the job posting drew three applicants — Randy Porter, Jennifer Liotta Harris and Jasmine Golden — and reviewed interview feedback from a panel that included the Portage County auditor’s office staff and Police Captain Chris Atkins. Holly (business manager and HR director) summarized Golden’s qualifications, saying she holds a Master of Science in forensic and fraud evaluation and a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a concentration in business management; Golden has worked since 2019 as a business management superintendent at Portage DD performing payroll, vendor payments, billing, requisition systems, monthly financial closings and board reports, and assisting with budgets, spending oversight, compliance and internal training. Meeting remarks also noted Golden serves as CFO/treasurer for the United Church of Christ in Ravenna and has prior experience as an assistant auditor with the Ohio Auditor of State and as a senior accountant.

Trustees emphasized that government accounting differs from for-profit accounting and said Golden’s public-sector experience was an important factor. The board also noted that the minimum statutory requirements for the fiscal officer position, as cited at the meeting, are residency and voter eligibility and that the salary is set by Ohio state code; the specific salary amount was not specified during the meeting.

During discussion trustees said Golden presented a 30-day plan and intends to produce monthly reports to the board and the public to improve transparency. The board scheduled a swearing-in ceremony for the incoming fiscal officer on the upcoming Friday; Holly was asked to advertise that event.

Votes at a glance: The board voted on a motion to appoint Jasmine Golden as Brimfield Township fiscal officer effective Aug. 1, 2025. The motion passed by roll call: Mike — yes; Nick — yes; Sue — yes. The motion was seconded before the roll call. The meeting adjourned at 8:08 a.m.