Frequently Asked Questions - Filer Information

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, divisions 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 Professional Conduct 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];
• 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;
• Chief Investment Officer and Director of Investments of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation;
• Director appointed by the Workers’ Compensation Council;
• Members appointed by the governor and staff of the Retirement Study Commission; and
• Members and executive directors of the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation and the Southern Ohio Agricultural and Community Development Foundation; and
• Members and some upper level employees of JobsOhio.

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 governing board in districts/ESCs with a total student count of 12,000 or more [List];
• Appointees to unexpired terms in any of these 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; 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).

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.  Adv. Op. No. 75-031.

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.

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

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.

No, the financial disclosure law does not apply to community school officials or employees. However, other provisions of the Ethics Law do apply to these officials and employees.  Adv. Op. No. 2010-01.

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.

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.

No. For more information, read  Adv. Ops. No. 74-003 and  75-001.

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  Adv. Op. No. 2000-03.

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 appoint 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  Adv. Op. No. 2000-01.

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  Adv. Op. No. 90-014.

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.