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Summit County is named for the highest point along the Erie-Ohio Canal and is located in the northeastern part of Ohio (see map below). Summit County was created on March 3, 1840 from sections of Stark, Portage and Media counties. The population of Summit County (as of the most recent census in 2010) was about 541,000 people, making it the fourth-most populous county in the state. The county has 412.8 square miles of land within its borders. The county seat of Summit County is located in Akron which is also the county’s largest city with a population of about 217,000 people.
Together with Cuyahoga County, Summit County is one of two of the state’s 88 counties with a charter government formed pursuant to Article X of the state constitution. The charter government form in Summit County means that it has an elected county executive and an 11-member county council. Eight members of the county council are elected from individual districts and the other three are elected at large. This arrangement is in contrast to the three elected commissioners that are used in the state’s other 86 counties. In addition, Summit County appoints a medical examiner rather than using an elected coroner, as well as other elected officials including the county clerk of courts and the count fiscal officer who is described further below.
The role of the Summit County Auditor is performed by the county fiscal officer who also serves as the chief assessor, chief payroll officer and sealer of weights and measures. The responsibilities of the Summit County Auditor are divided between four main divisions: (1) Auditor Division, (2) Recorder Division, (3) Services Division and (4) Treasurer Division as described below.
This division includes the Summit County Finance Department which is subdivided into four main sections: (1) Accounting and Financial Reporting (this section maintains the county’s general ledger and files the comprehensive annual financial report), (2) Accounts Payable (this section ensures the timely payment of all of Summit County’s non-payroll obligations) (3) Payroll (this section performs the bi-weekly processing of county payroll and benefits for approximately 4,000 employees), and (4) Budget and Settlement (this section provides assistance in preparing the county’s general tax list and calculates the county’s voted and non-voted tax rates for 74 political subdivisions).
This division is tasked with the safekeeping of important county records concerning real estate ownership as well as all liens and encumbrances thereon. All of the documents maintained by the recorder division (i.e., deeds, mortgages, easements, plats, financial statements, releases and assignments, land contracts and condominiums) are indexed to facilitate their location and all documents are viewable online (with the exception of DD 214, military discharge certificates). In addition, the recorder division in the process of redacting all personal information from county records that are viewable online to protect residents’ privacy.
The services division is tasked with issuing various licenses as well as maintaining records of manufactured and mobile homes. This division also ensures strict compliance with state laws concerning weights and measures throughout the county. In addition, the services division includes the weights and measures department which is responsible for testing scales and other measuring devices in retail stores and gas stations to ensure their accuracy. It is noteworthy that Summit County is the only county in the state that tests fuel for water content as well as octane levels, sediment and contamination. The services department also issues various licenses, including those for dogs, cigarettes, firewood and vendors.
The treasurer division is responsible for the collection of all county real estate taxes which are billed on a semi-annual basis. At present, the county has 74 tax districts with about 270,000 tax bills mailed during each collection cycle. The value of all taxable real property in Summit County exceeds $10 billion with more than $8 billion in residential properties alone. Although real estate and personal property taxes account for the majority of revenues in Summit County, the treasurer division also collects taxes on mobile homes, inheritances, hotels, motels and special assessments.
Ms. Kristen M. Scalise
175 S Main Street
Akron, Ohio 44308
(330) 643-2636
summittreas@summitoh.net
7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays
The half million-plus residents of Summit County, the fourth-most populous county in Ohio, enjoy the professional services provided by the elected county auditor who also serves as chief assessor, sealer of weights and measures and chief payroll officer for the county’s 4,000 employees. The wide array of financial services that are provided by the Summit County Auditor make this position an especially important one which is currently performed by Ms. Kristen M. Scalise. In sum, the Summit County auditor plays a vital role in protecting the interests of consumers and businesses throughout the county well as ensuring that timely administration of all county tax rolls.
