William D. Leicht
Boardman Township Fiscal Officer

 (term expires 3/31/08)

 The township clerk is an elected official and is independent of the township trustees, yet, by law, the clerk must work closely with the trustees. The trustees have the legislative authority in the township and the clerk is the legally designated township fiscal officer and must keep an accurate record of all township accounts and transactions. It is the responsibility of the clerk to comply strictly with the legal requirements set for the clerk’s duties, to establish and practice rules for efficient management of the clerk’s office, and to follow good accounting practices in maintaining records and accounts.

The Ohio Revised Code states several required duties of the clerk including, but not limited to: 1) keeping accurate record of the proceedings of board of township trustee meetings; 2) keeping accurate records of all the accounts and transactions of the township trustees; 3) issuing all checks; and 4) preparing payroll.

Each year the clerk’s office must prepare an estimate of the revenues and expenditures for the next succeeding year and submit it to the county auditor. Once this is done, a resolution is passed by the trustees which formally adopts the budget as revised and approved by the County Budget Commission.

Accounting and all financial affairs of the $21 Million annual budget of Boardman Township are handled by the Clerk’s Office, directed by elected Clerk William Leicht. Monies are obtained from personal and property taxes, local government fund, gasoline and motor vehicle taxes, motor vehicle permissive tax, motel permissive tax, fees, fines and assessments.

The clerk’s office is responsible for all accounting transactions for police, fire, road, zoning and administration. Purchase orders and warrants must be written for every purchase, from pencils to fire trucks, on a daily basis. All payroll and personnel matters are also handled in the clerk’s office. Not only are the paychecks printed here, but also records for salaries, retirement, taxes, miscellaneous deductions, vacation leave, sick leave, Worker’s Compensation, hospitalization and a multitude of other areas are maintained by the clerk’s office.

The Uniform Accounting Network (UAN) is a computer system designed to automate many of the accounting responsibilities. In 1990, Boardman was one of six "pilot" townships to use this new program. There are now 945 townships, 115 villages and 32 libraries in the state of Ohio using this system developed by the Auditor of State and Anderson Consulting.

All Lighting districts are processed by the clerk’s office. When a residential area petitions the board of trustees for street lights, the clerk verifies all property owners by checking court records, notifies Ohio Edison of the need for lights, advised residents of a public hearing and levies assessments.