January 2016
The Auditor’s Ledger
Mike Kovack
Medina County Auditor
PRSRT STD
144 North Broadway St.
Medina, Ohio 44256
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
CLEVELAND OH
PERMIT #2015.
Tel. (330) 725-9754
Toll Free (844) 722-3800 ext. 9754
www.medinacountyauditor.org
Count on us to be here
when you need us.
•View and appraise property
•Determine eligibility for tax reduction programs
•Issue licenses-dogs, vendors and more
•Distribute tax revenues to governmental units.
•Present annual tax budgets to Budget Commission
•Custodian of funds received each year by the county
•Paymaster for nearly 1,400 county employees
Beth Kilchenman & Kim Fetty Newsletter Editors
The Chocolate Festival Tradition Continues!
Faith in Action Medina County Caregivers has taken over
the helm of the community’s ever popular “For the Love
of Chocolate” festival. As usual, the event will be held
the first Saturday in February on February 6, 11 am to 3
pm at the Medina Performing Arts Center at Medina High
School, 851 Weymouth Road, Medina. The event had
previously been presented by American Red Cross.
This event is perfect for family members of all ages and
features chocolate sampling from over 30 chocolatiers,
a Children’s Chocolate Cookie Contest, a Decadent
Chocolate Dessert Contest and bake sale. Sponsors
and chocolatiers are still needed. For more information,
contact Donna Theis at (330) 952-0342 or dtheis@
fiamedina.org. All proceeds benefit older adults and
provide free services to those with disabilities in Medina
County so they can remain
independent.
Ticket prices are $10. Advance
tickets will be available at
all Medina County Buehler’s
stores.
A newsletter by Medina County Auditor, Mike Kovack
1st Place Winner Olivia
Czarnomski and her
dog Cece reading the
winning essay with
Auditor Mike Kovack
A newsletter from Medina County Auditor, Mike Kovack
January 2015
Sale
Dog Licenses on2015
Duties and Responsibilities:
•Certify accuracy of all measuring devices
The Auditor’s Ledger
l
a
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i
t
s
cI e Fe
It is that time of year again to renew your dog’s
license. Why should you license your dog?
First, it is Ohio law. Second, if your dog is
found unlicensed by the Medina County Dog
Warden, you may be fined up to $100.00. A
license tag attached to your dog’s collar proves
ownership and it’s your pet’s ticket home if they
get lost.
One-year licenses will be available for $10
but owners will also be able to purchase a
three-year license for $30 or a permanent tag
for $100. Licenses are dog specific and no
refunds can be issued for any tag sold. If your
pet was registered
last year, you
should receive a
renewal form in
the mail. You may
purchase or renew
your dog license
in person
at Auditor
Kovack’s
Office in
Room 303
The
22nd Annual Medina Ice Festival will be held
February 12-15. This is a free family-oriented event
featuring ice carving contest and demonstrations
throughout the weekend. There will be over 75 this
year making this the largest ice festival in Ohio.
Most of the carvings and demonstrations will take
place during the afternoons, however don’t miss the
illuminated LED color-changing fixtures lighting up the
night! Make sure to check out the fire and ice tower!
2015 Top Dog Essay Contest
Kicks off Dog Licensing Season
Olivia Czarnomski’s dog, Cece, is
the Top Dog in Medina County for
the coming year! Olivia’s essay
on why her dog is tops bested
entries from over 400 other fourth
graders this week and she was
recognized along with four other
children whose essays were the
best in the county. This is the
21st year for Auditor Mike Kovack
hosting the contest to kick off
the 2016 dog licensing season.
Olivia, a fourth grader at H.G.
Blake Elementary School in
Medina and the daughter of Steve
and Loretta Czarnomski, brought
her pooch for a visit to Auditor
Kovack’s office to read her
winning essay. Olivia’s teacher
is Amy Rosenwald. Cece was a
rescue who led a hard life as a
puppy when she was neglected
by her previous owners. Cece was
rewarded for her victory with Dog
Tag Number One in the county
and 30 pounds of dog food from
Medina County manufacturer BilJac, Olivia and the other authors
received prizes from Amazone
Entertainment Center, Kitten
Krazy, Medina AMF Bowling
Center, Medina/Seville Dairy
Queen and Medina Skateland!
All the award winning
essays may be read at
www.medinacountyauditor.org.
Top Dog Runners Up
at the Medina County Administration Building,
144 N. Broadway Street in Medina, or at
the Animal Shelter, 6334 Deerview Lane
in Medina. For your convenience, you can
purchase your license for an additional $.75
at several satellite locations listed on our
website at
www.medinacountyauditor.org.
If you have questions, please
call our office at
(330) 725-9760.
2nd:
Brianna Perkins Dog: Olive
Wadsworth Isham
Elementary
3rd:
Mathew Jackson
Dog: Abby
Brunswick Huntington
Elementary
4th: Adam Zayed
Dog: Wobbles
Cloverleaf Elementary
Left to Right: Brianna Perkins, Olivia Czarnomski,
Barrett Dillon, Mathew Jackson, Adam Zayed,
and Mike Kovack
5th:
Barrett Dillon
Dog: Hercules
St. Francis Xavier
School
The Auditor’s Ledger
January 2016
Pg. 2
W.S. Bicksler Electric a Mainstay
in Wadsworth for over 100 Years
“To be successful, you have to have your heart in
your business, and your business in your heart.”
- Thomas Watson, Sr., American Industrialist.
That would be the case for husband and wife team, Paul
and Annie Bicksler, who own W.S. Bicksler Electric, Inc.,
a Wadsworth mainstay since
1914. “We love our customers
and most of them are repeats,”
said Annie. “We like being a
small independent dealer.”
“Because we pay monthly dues, we are able to get
our products at reasonable prices, and the group
provides buyer incentives as well,” said Annie. “Paul
and I are the ones who pushed this idea 30 years ago.”
The perks of dealing with a local small business owner
include individualized attention
and customer sevice. Bickler’s
utilizes local servicemen who
do warranty and non-warranty
work. According to Paul, he’s
not surprised when customers
who could not receive service
from the big box stores are
amazed at how quickly and
efficiently he can help them.
“Unlike some of our bigger
competitors, we continue to
give the personal service that
has made us a success,” said
Paul.
Celebrating over 101 years in
business in the same town,
W.S. Bicksler, was started by
Paul’s grandfather, Wesley
Sylvester Bicksler.
“When
grandpa was 12, he started
working at the Ohio Match
Company, and at the age
of 16 earned his electrical
Paul and Annie Bicksler assist a customer
engineering degree through
a correspondence course,”
Both Paul and Annie are graduates of the University of
said Paul. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Paul
Akron. They met when Annie worked at an accounting
began to work at the family business in 1971 when he
firm that was upstairs from the Bicksler store. Paul
was a sophomore at Wadsworth High School. He worked
asked her out and 30 years later, they are still
side by side with his father, Elden, and his uncles Wesley,
together, working 50 to 60 hours a week. They have
Jr. and Bruce. He took over management of the store in
two children, Drew who is 17, and Olivia who is 12.
the 1980’s and took over ownership in the early 1990’s.
Bicksler’s is active in the Wadsworth Chamber of
When Bicksler Electric opened, it was Wadsworth’s first
Commerce
and
the
Wadsworth
electrical store. In 1984 it moved to 114
Merchants
Association.
The
High Street for its sixth move in 70
business gives back to the
years. Over the years it has sold
community by supporting
and serviced well-known names
prom and post-prom activities
like Amana, Maytag, MagicChef,
at Wadsworth High School,
Quasar,
Zenith,
Kelvinator,
ringing the bell for the
Admiral, Ben-Hur, Westinghouse,
Salvation Army and supporting
Speed Queen and Whirlpool. Today
the city’s annual Scare on the
it features Energy Star Products like
Square.
KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana,
and Danby.
Today, the company has six
employees besides
Many people believe that to
Paul and Annie.
get the best deal on appliances
There is a good
they must shop at the big
reason for the
box stores, but Bickler’s has
store’s
longevity
been part of a buying group
and it has a lot to
since 1985, calledNationwide
do with customer
East,
which
gives
its
service and quality
customers a clear advantage.
merchandise.
Paul Bicksler (r) met the Maytag Man, Jessie White, in 1974.
Pg. 7
The Auditor’s Ledger
January 2016
Medina County Recorder Launches
New Website
The recorder’s project was six years in
the making due to the staff reviewing
millions of pages to redact Social
Security numbers to protect individuals
from fraud and identity theft. Since
2006, Social Security numbers have
not been printed on mortgages and
deeds. Prior to that they were standard
information on all important documents.
County Recorder Colleen Swedyk’s
office launched a new website in
December that allows residents to
review and print deeds and mortgages
on the internet, instead of having to visit
her office. The new website is at www.
recorder.co.medina.oh.us. By printing
the documents on their own, residents
can save time, gas and resources.
Homestead Exemption Program
The
Medina County Auditor’s Office
now has applications for the Standard
Homestead Exemption Program and
the Disabled Veterans Expanded
Homestead
Exemption
Program for 2016.
The
Standard
Homestead Exemption
allows low income
senior citizens and
permanently
and
totally
disabled
Ohioans, to reduce
their property tax bills
by shielding some of
the market value of their
homes from taxation. The
exemption, which takes
the form of a credit on
property tax bills, allows
qualifying homeowners to
exempt up to $25,000 of
the market value of their
homes from all property
taxes. 2016 qualification
requirements include owning your
own home as your principal place of
residence on January 1, 2016, being at
least age 65 or totally and permanently
disabled (proof of age or disability
required) and have an adjusted gross
income of $31,000 or less.
The application forms
for both programs
are available on the
Medina County
Auditor website at
medinacountyauditor.org
or at the auditor’s
offices in the
Medina County
Administration
Building
Applications must
be filed in the
auditor’s office
by June 1.
For more information
contact:
Mike Kovack
Medina County Auditor
144 N. Broadway Street
Room 301
Medina, OH 44256
Monday - Friday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
330-725-9754
or
toll free
1-844-722-3800
Pg. 6
The Auditor’s Ledger
January 2016
The Auditor’s Ledger
Pg. 3
January 2016
Girl Scout Cookies
Help Provide a Proven
Leadership Experience
Brunswick’s Mackey, Buckeye’s Pinzone Honored
December was a very good month for Medina County high
school coaches as Brunswick High School boys basketball
coach Joe Mackey set the county all-time record for wins and
Buckeye High School football coach Mark Pinzone was named
the Cleveland Browns 2015 High School Coach of the Year.
Mackey’s 291st win was against Elyria on December 11
pushed him past Wadsworth’s Dave Sladky who coached
from 1972-1993.
In his 20th season, Mackey graduated
from Strongsville and was a Hall of Fame basketball player
at Baldwin Wallace before taking the reins at Brunswick.
What do Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos and Tagalongs have to do
with a strong sense of self and practical life skills? A lot… if
you are a Girl Scout. The Girl Scouts of America’s annual
Cookie Program helps our local Medina County troops do
activities like community service projects that benefit us all.
Buckeye football coach Mark Pinzone (third from right) and members
of the Buckeye football team hold a check at FirstEnergy Stadium
after Pinzone was named High School Football Coach of the Year.
(Courtesy BrownsYouthFB Twitter account)
Pinzone, in his third year at Buckeye, is the reigning two-time
Gazette Coach of the Year in Medina County. He led the Bucks
to an undefeated regular season and their third consecutive
conference championship.
Prior to taking over the Bucks’ program Pinzone was head
coach at Holy Name after serving as an assistant for 15 years
under Rich Nowak and Tom Fasko at Brunswick High School.
Pinzone has degrees from Ohio University, the University of
Akron and a law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
Brunswick head Coach Joe Mackey talks to the team during a t
ime out in the first half of the Blue Devils game against Elyria.
Photo by Aaron Josefczyk
Girl Scout Cookie Story Continued...
“They’re learning, at young ages, that they can and do
make important differences in others’ lives and in the
community,” said Kosar.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program aims to empower girls
through the development of five essential skills: goal setting,
money management, people skills, decision making and
business ethics. Once a year, Girl Scouts venture into the
entrepreneurial world to learn business and financial skills
and earn money to fund their Girl Scouting goals. The girls
can earn various levels of incentives and Pathway Passes
that can be used toward programs and camp for their troops.
“Our Council gives back more money from the
Cookie Program to the troops than any other council,”
said Kimberley Graves, Director of Marketing,
Communications and Recruitment Strategies for Girl
Scouts of North East Ohio. “Girls as young as five are
doing community service with those dollars,” she added.
The mission of Girl Scouts is to build girls of courage,
confidence, and character who make the world a
better place. “The girls explore the world around
them and become leaders in their own lives,”
said
and
Lizbeth Kohler, Manager of Registration
Customer Service and Seville resident.
Girl Scout cookie orders begin in January and delivery is
in March. So when that little girl from your neighborhood
knocks on your door in January to ask you to buy some
cookies, remember that it’s much more than just a midwinter treat. Just $4 per box helps to connect a girl to
a world of possibilities in a positive and inclusive girl-led
environment. And besides, the cookies taste really good too!
For more information about Girl Scouts of North East
Ohio, log on to www.gsneo.org or call 1-800-852-4474
GSNEO Cookie Money Breakdown
9.25% Administration
14.5% Outdoor &
Other Girl Programs
3.75% Volunteer
Programs
30% Product Sales
Program including
cost of cookie
25% Membership
& Troop Soupport
17.5% Payments
to Troops
Over 190 local troops range from Daisies (kindergarteners
to first graders), Brownies (second and third graders),
Juniors (fourth and fifth graders), Cadettes (sixth to eighth
graders), Seniors (ninth to tenth graders) and Ambassadors
(eleventh to twelfth graders). Girl Scouts earn badges, hike
and camp, participate in the cookie program and much
more. They improve neighborhoods, protect the planet,
design robots and establish sports clinics. The girls may
choose any one, all, or some of the options – camp, events,
series, troop or travel – within a single membership year.
2015 Top kies
oo
C
g
n
i
l
l
e
S
Thin Mints 860,230
7
Flavors
Samoas
590,229
Tagalongs
566,936
Do-si-dos
441,582
One local troop, 90502, busy helping to keep Brunswick
beautiful. “We definitely get our hands dirty,” said troop
leader Larissa Kosar about the girls’ service mission.
Small, but mighty, the girls who range from ages 6 to 8
have performed cleanup at Brunswick Lake and assembled
memorabilia for a memorial site, honoring Brunswick
teenagers who died in a 2012 car crash. Their next project
is a memorial garden at The Avenue in Medina.
The Brunswick Girl
Scout Troop 90502
performs community
service like Brunswick
Lake cleanup and are
pictured here at The
Avenue in Medina
where they will
plant a memorial
tulip garden for
late resident Ng
See Wong. (Left
to right) Anna
Kosar, Mya Kosar,
Samantha Keller,
Emma Aycock
and Isabella
HeinbaughMcCroskey (front).
2015 Employees
of the Year
Congratulations
to auditor’s office
employees of the
year Erica Graffein
and Judy Rogers!
Nominations
for
the award come
from the employees
of the office for
the
outstanding
performance
they
Pictured from Left to Right: Erica Graffein,
had
during
the
past
Mike Kovack and Judy Rogers.
year. Erica works in
real estate and specializes in special assessments,
the annual auditor’s sale and transfers. Judy also
works in real estate, and specializes in the homestead
exemption program, transfers and customer service.
November Levies to
Raise January Bills
Nine levies requiring additional tax money will appear
on Medina County bills for the first time in January
2016. Additionally, an increase in a library bond levy
will affect most homeowners throughout the county.
Lodi Village will see the largest increase in the county
with an additional Fire/EMS levy of 3.5 mills making its
debut as well as a Harrisville Township EMS levy and
road and bridge levy. The new cost to homeowners
in Lodi will be approximately $183 per $100,000 of
valuation. Harrisville Township residents will see an
increase of approximately $60 per $100,000 of valuation.
Wadsworth Township passed an additional fire/EMS
levy in November of 2015 that will cost the homeowner
$105 per $100,000 of valuation. Montville Township,
Sharon Township and Gloria Glens Village all added
levies that will result in smaller increases to tax bills.
A small increase in the Medina County District Library’s
bond fund will cost homeowners across the county
(except Wadsworth) approximately $8 per $100,000
of valuation. Property owners in Wadsworth City will
see a decrease of approximately $28 per $100,000
of valuation due to the expiration of a fire levy.
Pg. 4
The Auditor’s Ledger
January 2016
October County-Wide Students of the Month
Gillian Hagen
Highland
Gillian has taken several
advanced placement
classes, and has been
involved in an array of
clubs. She has won
numerous awards during
her school career. Her
activities include Girls
Cross Country, the
Cleveland Orchestra
Youth Chorus and
musical theater. She
enjoys giving back to her
community through her
volunteer work.
Christian Gerding
f
o
s
t
n
e
d
u
St
h
the Mont
Highland
Christian has taken
advanced placement
courses, serves as
Captain on both the
Varsity Track and Cross
Country Team, he has
also has held down a job
at Subway, working eight
hours a week. He has
received several awards
and honors, and held
numerous leadership
positions. He gives
back to his community
through his volunteer
work.
Each student of the month has been
selected as the Medina County
Kiwanis Student
of the Month for
their home High School by a panel
of their peers.
December County-Wide Students of the Month
Lydia Mainzer
Highland
Maison DeWalt
Highland
November County-Wide Students of the Month
Courtney Ozanich
Brunswick
Courtney is very
involved with
band. She an
officer on Student
Council, Volunteer
Opportunities for
Teens and National
Honor Society;
she takes several
advanced placement
classes, and she
enjoys volunteer
work, while also
working part-time.
October Students of the Month
Black River-Gina Vanderver and Curtis Roupe,
Medina- Sunoma Levine and Andrew Newman,
Buckeye-Rachael Shaw and Korey Huskanen,
Wadsworth-Erin Kilbride and Darrin Gilkerson,
Cloverleaf- Jodi Klotzle,
Brunswick-Rachel Miles and Tony Monczewski
January 2016
The AARP Foundation TaxAide Program is offering its
services for low- to moderateincome taxpayers out of the
Medina County Auditor’s
offices for the second year
in a row, starting February 1.
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is the nation’s largest
free
tax
assistance
and
preparation
service,
giving special attention to the older population.
Dan Shumaker, local volunteer coordinator for the
Medina program, is setting up shop with his six volunteer
counselors, six computer operators, two quality reviewers
and a greeter on the third floor of the Medina County
Administration Building, 144 N. Broadway St., Medina.
Locally,
Shumaker’s
team
provided
over
500
people in Medina with the free service last year.
“People are pleased to be able to get their taxes
done for free, and we can answer their questions in
layman’s terms,” said Shumaker. You do not have to
be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this service.
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is offered in conjunction with
the IRS. Taxpayers who used AARP Foundation Tax-Aide
last year received $1.3 billion in income tax refunds and
more than $257 million in Earned Income Tax Credits.
Joseph Wiencek
Highland
Joseph is active
on the Soccer
team, while
taking advanced
placement courses.
He has participated
in wind ensemble,
won the National
Merit Commended
in college boards.
He is a five-year
varsity letter winner
in baseball and
football.
The Auditor’s Ledger
Pg. 75
Pg.
Lydia is vice
president of her
class, a member
National Honor
Society, and
president of Medina
County Jr. Fairboard.
She has spent four
years on speech
& debate team,
and played golf
for three years. A
Rube Goldberg team
co-captain, she also
is participating in
Hornet Mentoring this
Maison is a
Buckeye Boys
State delegate and
Business Editor for
the Yearbook, He
has been in choir
for three years,
cross country &
track, He is also a
member of National
Honor Society. A
Peer Leader for
three years he also
participated as a
six grade camp
counselor.
year.
November Students of the Month
Wadsworth-Heather Sommer and Bret Baker,
MCCC Gabrielle McNeil
Brunswick-Spencer Brodie
Highland-Lauren Tecco Buckeye-Marissa George
and Aidan Gallapher, Medina-Alyssa Kurkul and
William Turrittin,
Black River-Rebecca Schie,
Cloverleaf-Sarah Oakes and Michael Martin
December Students of the Month
Black River: Paige Lutz;
Brunswick: Vanessa Pasadyn, Brian Spahnie,
Valerie McFarland (MCCC);
Buckeye: Stephanie Rusinko, Vincent King;
Cloverleaf: Gabrielle Rusinko, Benjamin Rusinko;
Highland: Justin Fousek (MCCC);
Medina: Megan Towne, Logan Usher;
Wadsworth: Peri Turk, Reilly Dearth.
To take advantage of the Medina program, call the Office
of Older Adults at (330)
723-9514 to set up
appointments.
Tax
preparers will be available
on
Mondays
and
Wednesdays until April 11.
Property Appeals Being Accepted
Do you think your property value is too high? Do you
have specific information to support the claim? You may
want to consider filing a formal appeal of your valuation
with the Medina County Board of Revision (BOR). The
deadline to do so is March 31st.
The Medina County BOR is composed of three members
tasked to review, investigate and decide whether
a property valuation should be changed.
Board
members will review any evidence you submit with your
appeal as well as do their own research on local sales in
your area. You want to make sure to research your own
value before appealing as the Board has the power to
raise, lower or make no change to your value, based on
the evidence it finds as well as the evidence presented.
Remember that the Board of Revision works in terms
of values, not taxes. It is up to the property owner to
present evidence supporting your opinion of value. It
is not sufficient to tell the BOR “my taxes are too high”.
You may want to break down pricing into a “price per
square foot” to compare properties. Keep in mind that
location and type of structure come into play when
comparing properties. You would not want to compare
a ranch and two story home if you can help it. Rather,
if you have a ranch, you would want to look at ranches
that sold in your area.
The state prescribed form necessary to file your
appeal, along with instructions, is available at www.
medinacountyauditor.org. Click on “Forms” on the left
hand side. Please note the appeal must be notarized.
Once received, the BOR will schedule a hearing date
and you will have the opportunity to personally appear
to present your case. A lawyer is not required as BOR
hearings are typically fairly informal.
Auditor’s Accounting Office Honored
For the 23rd consecutive year,
Auditor Mike Kovack’s office has
been recognized for excellence
in accounting.
The Government
Finance
Officers
Association
(GFOA) awarded the Certificate
of Achievement, their highest
form of recognition in the area
of governmental accounting and
financial reporting, to Kovack and his
staff in December.
The GFOA is a nonprofit
professional association serving
approximately 14,000 government
finance professionals around the
world with offices in Chicago and
Washington, DC.
Accounting supervisor Sharon
Creswell and Settlements Clerk
Marybeth Guenther are responsible
for preparing the county’s
Comprehensive Annual Financial
Report (CAFR) every year, which
is judged by the GFOA. “I cannot
emphasize enough the talent and
dedication that these two superior
employees bring to their work,”
Kovack said.
“The auditor’s
office and Medina County are
tremendously fortunate to have
them. They are the bedrock of the
fiscal operations of the county.”