The current Ohio state budget bill could change the way MetroParks commissioners are appointed.

House Bill 96 makes state operating appropriations for the 2026-2027 Fiscal Year. The bill has passed through the house and has been introduced in the state senate.

The Mill Creek MetroParks Board has sent a letter to State Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, requesting an amendment to remove the provision from the bill.

According to the letter, the Board has asked specifically for an amendment removing the lines 32284-32320.

You can read the lines they want removed below:

(C)(1) A park district that was a township park district created before the year 1892, and converted into a park district under section 1545.041 of the Revised Code on or before January 1, 1989, shall have a board of park commissioners with members appointed by a majority vote of the board of county commissioners of the county in which the park district is located. The board of county commissioners shall appoint five commissioners, one of whom is a member of the city council of the most populous city in the park district, one of whom is a member of the village council of the most populous village in the park district, one of whom is a member of the board of township trustees of the most populous township in the park district, one of whom is a citizen who lives in the most populous township in the park district, and one of whom is a citizen who lives in the most populous city in the park district, who shall take office immediately and whose terms shall expire one, two, three, four, and five years, respectively, from the first day of January next after the date of their appointment. Thereafter, their successors shall be appointed by the board of county commissioners for terms of three years.

(2) If a park district with members of a board of park commissioners appointed under division (C)(1) of this section does not contain a city, village, or township, the board of county commissioners shall appoint any remaining members that are otherwise unable to be appointed according to the requirements of division (C)(1) of this section in accordance with division (A) of this section.

(3) Before entering upon the performance of the duties of the office, each commissioner shall take an oath to perform faithfully the duties of the office and, except as otherwise provided in section 3.061 of the Revised Code, shall give bond for that faithful performance in the sum of five thousand dollars. The bond shall be approved by and filed with the county auditor. The commissioners shall serve without compensation, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.


The Mill Creek MetroParks Board claims the provision is "what appears to be a singular, targeted attack against the MetroParks."

Currently, a citizens advisory committee is part of the park board appointment process. Under HB 96, County Commissioners would appoint five commissioners from municipalities that lie within the park district.

The letter argues that current board members are a result of the citizens advisory committee and have provided consistent leadership over the past decade. They say this has resulted in the trust of the community, which is supported by the growth of the MetroParks Foundation.

"AM. Sub. HB 96 threatens our continued success and if approved, would have a foundational altering impact on our ability to continue with a mission that has stood the test of time by lasting over 134 years," MetroParks Board Members wrote.

Mill Creek Metro Parks Executive Director Aaron Young said the proposal specifically targets Mill Creek to appease local special interest groups.

"We are aware of the proposal within the current State Budget Bill that would change the way MetroParks Commissioners are appointed, specifically targeted to Mill Creek MetroParks and remain opposed to such a change," Young said in a post on the Mill Creek MetroParks Facebook Page. "As written, the proposal is a blatant attempt to politicize the functionality of Ohio's first park system in order to appease a few local special interest groups. We believe that it is best to keep politics out of parks and leave the current law as it is. With the City of Youngstown Mill Creek Sewer Improvement Project scheduled to begin it 2026, it will have taken over one hundred years to correct the previous wrong that politics placed upon the MetroParks. This politically charged proposal could take infinitely longer to correct and have just as dire consequences."