The Athens County sheriff's proposal to move his office outside the Athens city limits has spurred the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association to work to change the law requiring all sheriffs' offices to be in the county seat.
The Ohio Attorney General blocked Sheriff Pat Kelly from building a new office outside of Athens city limits May 17, citing the Ohio Revised Code.
Kelly said he planned to keep his own office in the city, but move other operations to the roughly 26-acre site of U.S. Route 33 in order to have an office within the city limits and follow the law. He said at least eight other counties have done the same.
Bob Cornwell, the association's executive director, said he wants to protect other sheriff's offices in the state.
Kelly said he is not surprised that sheriffs' association is behind him.
Of course they'll be behind me. There are 88 sheriffs
they are all in the same boat we're all working in concert together he said.
Kelly said he also plans to try to amend the Ohio law requiring sheriffs' offices to remain in the county's seat of justice.
It's pretty much out of the hands of the (county) commissioners and in the hands of the legislators at this point
he said.
Many sheriffs' offices provide a large amount of income taxes to the cities in which they reside, and that could stir up opposition to the possible new legislation, said Athens County Commissioner Lenny Eliason.
Although the city of Athens would not lose much income tax revenue if the office moved because the office is so small, larger cities such as Columbus in Franklin County would be greatly affected if the sheriff's office were to move outside the city limits, he said.
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Gail Burkhardt
