Carroll County Board of Developmental Disabilities organizes

Officers of the Carroll County Board of Developmental Disabilities were re-elected, and a new five-year contract for the superintendent was approved at the board’s Jan. 23 meeting. 

Kristen Long and Diana Strader were returned as president and vice president, respectively. Deborah Postlewaite was renamed secretary, while remaining board members include Katie Bailey, Sally Ferrell, Denise Steffey and Renee Moran. 

Regular board meetings for the remainder of 2026 were set for 5:30 p.m. at the county board office, 540 High St. NW, Carrollton, on the following dates: Feb. 26, March 26, April 23, May 28, June 25, Aug. 27, Sept. 24, Oct. 22 and Nov. 18. No meetings will be held in July or December. 

Regular board meeting 

During the regular board meeting, members approved a new five-year contract for Superintendent Matt Campbell, who has served in the position since March 2007. 

The contract includes Campbell’s current salary of $138,620, along with an addendum for Service and Support Administration director duties that remains unchanged at $30,000. 

In other business, the board: 

— Approved setting aside $2,000 for awards for the March Developmental Disabilities banquet.

— Approved a resolution establishing waiver ceilings for calendar year 2026 at 70 Individual Options waivers, 50 Level 1 waivers, and three Self-Empowered Life Funding waivers.

— Held an executive session to consider the employment of a public employee or official.

— Approved payment of November bills totaling $20,697.58 from the General Fund and $22,095.58 from the Residential Services account, along with December bills of $57,812.26 from the General Fund and $5,668.95 from the Residential Services account.

— Approved program division reports.

— Approved the CCBDD program calendar for the 2026–27 school year.

— Heard Campbell report on attending the Dec. 11 Superintendent Executive Committee leadership meeting at the Ohio Association of County Boards office, which focused on future funding.

Campbell also reported attending the Dec. 12 Superintendent Executive Committee meeting, during which Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities Director Lindsay Nash addressed citations related to waiting list rules, the new MSS launch, the hardship rule, and state-funded waivers. 

Campbell said superintendents have requested that the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities align Level 1 waiver match funding with Self-Empowered Life Funding and Individual Option waivers. Funding the Future, a mandate for change, was discussed regionally and will continue in January. 

The board’s strategic plan includes an objective to maintain fiscal responsibility through annual review of waiver ceilings. Campbell noted that the board set ceilings in 2025 at 70 Individual Options, 50 Level 1, and three Self-Empowered Life Funding waivers, and any requests exceeding those limits must receive board approval. 

Regarding program funding, Campbell said: 

“There is concern since some county boards have approached the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities to utilize the hardship rule due to funding issues. They have asked DODD for state-funded waivers to meet their waiver match obligation. 

“County boards are also facing issues with property tax scrutiny. The current system is unsustainable with the current funding and match obligations for Home and Community-Based Services. 

“Superintendents and the Ohio Association of County Boards are working on ways to protect services based on needs, for the future of county board services,” he added. 

The board’s next meeting is Feb. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the county board office.