Residents press commissioners over pulled ordinance and treatment of elected treasurer; recall threat raised

A series of public commenters used the townships courtesy-of-the-floor period to demand answers about an ordinance that was pulled from the evenings agenda and to accuse commissioners of mistreating the elected tax collector.

Chair announced early in the meeting that bill 17-2026 had been pulled for additional information and would not be discussed that night. Resident Joni Tedesco asked, "So it will never be voted upon?" The chair replied that the item had been pulled for the night and might return once more information is available.

A later public commenter, Dawn Saginawitch, linked the pulled item to a broader dispute over the treasurers office and publicly threatened a recall petition. "The harassment and abuse of our elected treasurer, Tina Koren, will be addressed with a recall petition to remove the mayor, Joe Marks, and commissioners Lee Chrisman, Ken Snyder, Tom Sloniger, Jeff Warren, Randy Atia, Liz Fox, and Taylor Stakes," Saginawitch said, and asked commissioners to state their positions.

Commissioners and staff responded in sequence that the item was pulled because more information was needed, including legal review, and that no sponsor was present for the ordinance that night. One commissioner summarized the boards handling: "The system worked exactly how it was supposed to," adding that issues had been discussed at a workshop and in executive session and that no one had been named as sponsor that evening.

The tax collector, who was repeatedly referenced in public comments and addressed directly during questioning, explained duties and staffing pressures. In response to a residents questions, the collector said: "My number one duty is to answer the phone calls and the people at the window to assist them with paying their tax bills," and noted that temporary staffing requests had been made by email after an employee was out for health reasons.

Township leadership did not take formal action on the pulled bill during the meeting. The chair repeated that first hearings do not include deliberation and that items placed on the agenda are sometimes pulled for further review. Residents seeking more information were advised to use official channels and staff indicated they would follow up on billing and staffing concerns raised during public comment.

Next steps: staff and the board will clarify the procedural history of bill 17-2026 and confirm whether and when it will return to the agenda; the treasurers staffing and billing-process issues raised by residents will be followed up by township administration.