GEAUGA COUNTY, Ohio — Questions surrounding Geauga County’s relationship with the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency continue to surface, as the county’s volunteer planning commission says repeated attempts to engage the Board of Commissioners controlled by Brakey and Dvorak, have gone unanswered.
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 713.22, county commissioners may establish a planning commission to guide long-term development. Such commissions are tasked with evaluating land use, infrastructure, zoning, and growth strategies—tools widely considered essential for shaping economic development and preserving community priorities.
In Geauga County, that responsibility falls to an 11-member, all-volunteer Planning Commission appointed by the Board of Commissioners. Members say their role is to represent the long-term interests of county residents, particularly as outside regional planning initiatives increasingly intersect with local decision-making.
Longstanding Tensions Over Regional Planning
Concerns about NOACA are not new. As far back as March 13, 2014, the Geauga County Board of Commissioners formally expressed opposition to certain regional planning efforts tied to the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium and its “Vibrant NEO 2040” framework.
In a resolution and accompanying letter, the board stated that the plan’s goals were “largely at odds with the principles of individual economic freedom and local government autonomy.” Nearly a decade later, the Planning Commission says those concerns have only deepened.
Recent Letters, No Response
On December 4, 2023, the Planning Commission sent a letter to the Board of Commissioners asserting that policies promoted through NOACA—particularly those outlined in its eNEO2050—could negatively impact rural counties such as Geauga. The commission urged the board to “make a bold public statement” rejecting participation in certain NOACA-led economic development and climate planning initiatives.
No response was received
The issue resurfaced in late 2024 after the Planning Commission reviewed additional materials and surveys tied to earlier regional planning efforts. On December 23, 2024, the commission held a special meeting and unanimously approved a second letter to the Board of Commissioners.
That letter warned that “each plan and effort produced by NOACA is to the detriment of rural counties like Geauga,” and called on county leaders to either reconsider their participation in NOACA or explore forming a separate Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
As of now, Planning Commission members say they have again received no reply from the board controlled by Brakey and Dvorak.
The 2 Complete letters sent to the commissioners in their entirety follow. In addition a resolution that was signed by the commissioners in 2014 follows.
2014 Resolution Sent by the County Commissioners to NOACA.
LETTER TO COMMISSIONERS OCTOBER 2023
LETTER TO COMMISSIONERS DECEMBER 23, 2025
Why are these letters important?
Because they demonstrate a long term trend, wherein former County Commissioners and/or the Geauga County Planning Commission recognized and attempted to take action opposing NOACA.
It is clear from recent events that two Commissioners: Carolyn Brakey and Jim Dvorak are working with NOACA and this author says against the best interest of the citizens of Geauga County. Why? You would have to ask the Commissioners.
