A board of three County Commissioners serves
as the general administrative body for 87 of 88 Ohio counties; the exception is Summit
County with its charter form of government. County Commissioners are elected to office like
other county officials, such as the Sheriff, Engineer and Auditor. However, they are seen
as the leaders of county government, and their authority goes a long way toward supporting
that viewpoint.Given specific and limited authority by the state legislature, County
Commissioners hold title to all county property, serve as the sole taxing authority for
the county, and control county purchasing. Most importantly, Ohio's 87 Boards of County
Commissioners are the budget and appropriating authority for county government, meaning
every agency, every court, every other elected office holder depends on County
Commissioners for their budgets.
This means that County Commissioners must take a broad view when making public policy
and budget decisions. Given their impact on the work of many other elected officials and
different departments, they must be astute in matters of law enforcement, correction
facilities, human services, business development, and other areas. Given their budget
making authority, they must have a good business sense matching available revenue to
service needs.
County Commissioners also have statutory authority for providing water and sewer
services as well as solid waste (trash) disposal. They hold hearings and rule on
annexations. And, as noted earlier, County Commissioners today are being given
responsibilities, such as making public assistance work, that were once held by the state
and federal government.
