ST. PARIS – Two candidates are vying for the Johnson Township fiscal officer position on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Gina Verlaney and incumbent fiscal officer Nicolette (Nikki) Sarver each responded to candidate surveys sent to them by the Urbana Daily Citizen leading up to the election.
Below are their responses in the alphabetical order of surname:
Nicolette (Nikki) Sarver, 12654 W. U.S. Highway 36, St. Paris,
What skills and experience do you have that qualify you to be a township fiscal officer?
I retired after 37 years from Wright-Patterson AFB with financial and budgetary experience where I handled payroll, accounts receivables and payables, budget formulation, and implementing requirements. Since February 2017 I have been the elected Fiscal Officer for Johnson Township.
What is the biggest challenge facing townships in Ohio?
For many townships in Ohio financial stability is a challenge because of rising costs of day-to-day operations. However, the bigger problem I see is the residents’ lack of understanding of what their township can and cannot do. All residents need to get involved through attending the meetings and/or joining the Zoning Commission and the Board of Appeals.
Please explain the relationship between Johnson Township as an entity and other governmental entities in the area.
Johnson Township is classified as a local government which is strictly governed by the Ohio Revised Code. In a township three individuals are elected as Trustees and one person is elected as the Fiscal Officer each elected to a four-year term. All elected officers are non-partisan. The officers fill their roles on a part-time basis; however, their intimate knowledge of the community, its needs of its citizens enable them to offer more personal service than any other unit of government.
What do you hope to accomplish as fiscal officer?
My goal is to be a good steward of all assets as I have been since 2017. Additionally, I will continue to ensure that all records and accounts are efficiently and accurately maintained. Lastly, I will continue to attend training sessions and seminars offered by the State of Ohio Auditor’s office and the Ohio Township Association.
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Gina Verlaney, P.O. Box 361, St. Paris
What skills and experience do you have that qualify you to be a township fiscal officer?
The role of a fiscal officer is to keep accurate records of all accounts, transactions, and proceedings of the township. I majored in accounting at Phoenix College. I later switched my major to Education, because of my passion for teaching, and graduated from Arizona State University with a minor in mathematics. I later earned a master’s degree from ASU West. With my accounting background, I have kept books for several small businesses over the years. Currently I am the utility clerk for the St. Paris Water Department. I create monthly water/sewer bills for our residents and keep accurate records of their payments.
What is the biggest challenge facing townships in Ohio?
The biggest challenge facing townships is the rising costs of materials. Townships in Ohio maintain 41,000 miles of roads. The price of asphalt has risen 50% in the past 4 years. The rising cost of fuel makes it more difficult to stay within budget when it comes to plowing roads in winter and chip sealing roads in the spring. The rising cost of EMS and fire are a problem for many townships because many must contract those services. Zoning is another problem because it’s hard to enforce. It’s hard to get support when violations are ignored.
Please explain the relationship between Johnson Township as an entity and other governmental entities in the area.
St. Paris is located within Johnson Township which is in Champaign County. Communication between them is vital to the growth of the area. There are 12 townships located in Champaign County and knowing how others are facing their challenges and the ability to share information with each other is very beneficial. There is a quarterly Champaign County Township Association meeting. At these meetings townships learn about available resources. The county fiscal officers meet occasionally to discuss what is happening and try to solve any issues they might have. All these entities collaborating in various ways makes our community stronger.
What do you hope to accomplish as fiscal officer?
As I mentioned before, the role of a fiscal officer is to keep accurate records of all accounts, transactions, and proceedings of the township. I am there to make sure that all recordkeeping is completed accurately. If I am asked to do more than that I will approach each task with enthusiasm
