GRAFTON, OH — Grafton’s village administrator said the investigation into the village’s finances continues one day after the surprise resignation of Clerk-Treasurer Stephanie Barnhart.
Barnhart resigned right before village council members voted on a resolution expressing a loss of confidence in the clerk-treasurer.
RELATED: Grafton Village clerk-treasurer accused of failing to pay bills resigns
Grafton Mayor Charles Duke said Barnhart failed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills on time, resulting in lapses of insurance coverage for the village and other issues.
“That’s the part that was mind boggling,” said Village Administrator Andrew Lipian, “we have sufficient funds to pay these bills but the clerk-treasurer office was not responding to multiple attempts to reach her so the bills weren’t getting paid.”
The mayor said that it included an invoice from a utilities contractor that completed work last summer but still hadn’t been paid.
“What the Sam Hill?” said Duke during Tuesday’s village council meeting. “$203,000 still outstanding?”
Duke also asked how many tens of thousands of dollars taxpayers have paid in interest, late fees and reinstatement fees.
Lipian said Wednesday that it’s not clear.
“While I can’t speak to the exact amount, what I can say is we’re going to find it and when we find it, we’re going to report it to the auditor and determine next steps,” said Lipian.
Barnhart, who was elected to the office in 2023, resigned and then walked out of the council meeting Tuesday.
She has not responded to a message offering her the opportunity to tell her side of the story.
Following the resignation, council appointed Grafton resident Sorya Chan “Yaya” Grace to serve the remainder of Barnhart’s term, which expires at the end of next year.
Lipian said Grace has a finance degree and worked as a financial analyst. She had been working as a consultant for the village since January.
Currently, the village administrator said there are no educational or work requirements for a candidate to run for the clerk-treasurer’s office.
Lipian said he’s not aware of any missing money from the village.
Instead, he believed the job became too much for Barnhart to handle.
However, he said the village is investigating everything that happened and confirmed that the investigation included Grafton police resources.
