Council reappoints three members to Summit County Housing Authority

The Summit County Council reappointed three commissioners to the Summit County Housing Authority on March 11, voting unanimously to extend terms to Feb. 28, 2030 for Joan Meixner, Rich Sontag and Jennifer Lewis.

Joan Meichner, an incumbent who said she has served “for like the last year minus a few months,” told the council she has focused on administrative duties and education and advocacy work, and urged the authority to move beyond planning into implementation. “I think it’s a very difficult issue,” she said, “I think it’s gonna take a while to solve, and I’d like to be part of the team that helps us get a little bit further along.”

Rich Sontag described the commission’s property‑prioritization work and urged better coordination between housing planning and the county’s open‑space programs to identify public parcels for development. Jen Lewis, who has served as the housing authority chair, emphasized immediate, practical supports—rental deposits and voucher outreach—as well as continuing to build partnerships to find funding sources.

Council members said they would meet in closed session following the work session to finalize appointments and then publicly announce the results. After returning, Council member Megan moved to reappoint Meixner, Sontag and Lewis; the motion carried without opposition.

The council also noted the housing authority’s ongoing tasks: finalizing a strategic plan, clarifying funding sources, and helping shape attainable housing tools that will require coordination between the authority, county staff and the council’s land‑use decisions. The council said it will follow up with staff on implementation steps and timeline.