Filer Information

Who is required to file a financial disclosure statement (FDS) with the Ethics Commission?

State officials and employees:

• Elected officials and candidates for state office;
• Appointees to unexpired terms of state elected office;
• All members of the state board of education;
• Directors, assistant directors, deputy directors, division chiefs, and “persons of equivalent rank” serving state administrative departments;
• State employees paid a salary or wage in accordance with schedule C or E-2;
• Members of the Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline of the Supreme Court of Ohio and of the Ohio Ethics Commission;
• Members and chief executive officers of state boards and commissions that exercise the powers of the state [List];
• Trustees and presidents or chief executive officers of every state college and university [List];
• Technical college trustee selection committee members;
• Members and director of the capitol square review and advisory board;
• Members, director, professional employees, and all technical employees who perform an internal audit function of the Ohio casino control commission;
• Members and chief executive officers of the state retirement systems;
• Licensed investment officers of the state retirement systems;
• Each member of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Board of Directors;
• Administrator, Chief Investment Officer, and Director of Investments of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation;
• Members appointed by the governor and staff of the Retirement Study Council;
• Members and some upper level employees of JobsOhio;
• Members appointed to the Ohio livestock care standards board; and
• Entrepreneurs in residence assigned by the LeanOhio office.

Local officials and employees:

• Elected officials and candidates for city and county offices;
• Elected or appointed board members and candidates for school board or educational service center (ESC) governing board in districts/ESCs with a total student count of 12,000 or more [List];
• Appointees to unexpired terms in any of those elected offices;
• Business managers, treasurers, and superintendents of all school districts and educational service centers;
• Appointees to the board of education of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and any other municipal school district;
• Directors of community based correctional facilities; and
• Members of the board of directors of a sanitary district established under R.C. Chapter 6115 that includes two municipal corporations in two counties (Mahoning Valley Sanitary District).

Does a candidate who withdraws before the election still have to file?

A person who voluntarily withdraws from an election within twenty days after filing his petition of candidacy is no longer a candidate within the purview of Section 102.02(A) of the Revised Code and, therefore, is not required to file a financial disclosure statement. Advisory Opinion 75-031.

If a person who would otherwise be required to file dies before the filing deadline, does his family, his estate, or the public agency have any responsibility for his statement?

No. The agency should, however, notify the Commission of the individual’s death. If the Commission is not notified by the agency, and has no knowledge of the circumstances, it may send a reminder to the filer’s address, which could be upsetting to the decedent’s surviving family members.

Are village and township officials and employees required to file financial disclosure statements?

No. These officials and employees are specifically exempted from the filing requirement under R.C. 102.02(H).

Is a person elected or appointed to the office of precinct, ward, or district committee member required to file an FDS?

No. They are specifically exempted from the filing requirement under R.C. 102.02(H). You can find more information about precinct, ward, or district committee members in R.C. Chapter 3517.

I am an employee of a state department and I serve on a state board as a “designee” of my department director. Do I have to file an FDS?

Yes. If you serve on a state board or commission that exercises the power of the state [List], you are required to file an FDS, even if you serve as a designee of your department director.

My state agency has told me that I am a “voluntary” filer. What does that mean?

Some state agencies require that some employees of the agency file FDS as a condition of employment. If you are in that situation, check the “Voluntary Filer” box in Section B Status on the cover of the form.

Do members or employees of a county board of elections have to file disclosure statements?

No. For more information, read Advisory Opinions 74-003 and 75-001.

If I am serving in an elective office on an interim basis, as opposed to a person who has been appointed to the unexpired elective term, do I have to file?

No, a person who serves as an acting, or interim, county or city office holder, and performs the duties of the office between the occurrence of a vacancy and the time when a person is appointed to the unexpired term, is not required to file a financial disclosure statement. The Ethics Law does require any person appointed to fill the unexpired term of an elective county or city office to file a financial disclosure statement. For more information, read Advisory Opinion 2000-03.

I served for two months as a treasurer for a school district. Am I required to file a financial disclosure statement?

Yes. In contrast to the answer above, a person who serves as a business manager, treasurer, or superintendent of a school district (or for that matter most other elected or appointed public officials required to file) is required to file a financial disclosure statement regardless of the length of time he or she served in the position, and regardless of whether he or she was an employee of the school district or a contractor working for an outside party. For more information, read Advisory Opinion 2000-01.

If I am an elected village council member and during my term the municipality status of my village changes to a city, do I have to file during the remainder of my term?

A person who was elected as a village council member is not required to file a financial disclosure statement with the Ohio Ethics Commission during the remainder of his term when, as a result of the decennial federal census the municipality’s status has changed from a village to a city. However, once the person is serving in a city office, he is required to file a disclosure statement. More information is available in Advisory Opinion 90-014.

If I am on disability for an entire calendar year of public service, and then go on disability retirement, do I have to file an FDS for that year?

If you still officially remain in the position while you are on disability, you are required to file a financial disclosure statement for the year. You are also required to file a statement for the calendar year in which you retire if you served in your position for any portion of the year.