Agencies: ‘Pack your patience’ for eclipse

Officials expect as many as 500K visitors to Ohio on April 8.

It’s all hands on deck for safety concerns when it comes to the April 8 solar eclipse, Ohio agencies say. They’re urging preparation, patience, and caution when it comes time.

“Don’t call 911 because you are stuck in traffic,” said Phil Clayton, regional supervisor of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

Anywhere from 125,000 to more than 500,000 people are expected to visit Ohio on April 8. Because of this influx, including many who will hit the road after the solar eclipse ends, motorists should anticipate traffic delays, particularly in the areas of totality.

People should select and map out their viewing destinations before leaving home, Clayton said, and they should have a plan in place in case dangerous weather occurs.

The total eclipse in the Dayton area will begin at about 3:08 p.m. and last two minutes and 42 seconds on April 8, according to

Public Health — Dayton and Montgomery County.

“Always pack your patience,” Clayton said.

In addition to a full tank, Ohioans and visitors to the region should be prepared with emergency kits and snacks in their vehicle if they’re traveling the day of the solar eclipse and get stopped in a traffic jam.

It’s possible there will be traffic jams that last for up to 13 hours after the eclipse, according to Public Health.

“We are trying to remind those who will be traveling and also those in the area to expect a very busy roadway that day and long delays,” said Mandi Dillon, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Eclipse

issue “findings for recovery” for identified misspent funds, and rates compliance with Sunshine Laws on a five-star system. Of the 478 audits released in 2023 and so far this year in this ninecounty region, 138 of them received zero stars, meaning they weren’t in basic compliance with the law.

Statewide, of 7,677 audits released since 2022, there were 2,374 found noncompliant with Sunshine Law requirements. That means nearly one-third of Ohio governments fail to meet state standards for complying with those laws.

Asked what the auditor’s office is doing to improve compliance, Kovac said the auditor’s role is limited to checking for compliance.

“While we do offer options for local officials to complete their mandated public records training, the onus is ultimately on those officials to understand what the law requires and fulfill their obligations,” Kovac said.

“We expect (and) intend our (Sunshine Law) ratings and information included in audit reports to both inform the public and to prompt local officials to action to address areas of deficiency.”

Agencies expose themselves to civil lawsuits from members of the public if they don’t comply with the laws. But there is no body responsible for enforcing Sunshine Law violations identified in state audits.

Julio Mateo, a local activist who advocates for government transparency and participatory democracy, said he wishes local governments would comply with Sunshine laws “because it’s the right thing to do, not necessarily because they’re afraid of getting sued, but unfortunately that’s not, I guess, the world we live in.”

“I think it’s beneficial not just for us outside of government, who need to know how government operates, but also I think it’s beneficial for public officials who are wanting to act in the public interest,” he said.

Local examples

Local government agencies that were not compliant with Ohio Sunshine Laws last year included Dayton Early College Academy. DECA had problems with administrators and board members who either could not provide documentation of attending, or did not attend, mandatory Sunshine laws training.

DECA administrators and board members completed the training for this school year, a spokeswoman for the school said.

Middletown Schools was cited in audits released in 2022, 2023 and 2024 for being out of compliance because the administrators and board didn’t attend public records training. The district said public records training is scheduled for April.

Montgomery County was also cited in its past three released audits for not having public records available for inspection and copying.

In 2022, the problem was specifically with the board of county commissioners and departments of environmental sciences and job and family services failing to provide written acknowledgment that the public records

GOVERNMENTS NOT COMPLIANT WITH OHIO SUNSHINE LAWS

Below is the number of local governments found not compliant with Ohio Sunshine Laws in state audits released in 2023 and this year.

County

Butler

Champaign

Clark

Darke

Greene

Miami

Montgomery

Preble

Warren

Audits finding noncompliance

24 9 6 20 15 10 25 14 15 138

SOURCE: DAYTON DAILY NEWS

ANALYSIS OF OHIO AUDITOR

OF STATE DATA

custodian/manager received the public records policy.

Montgomery County spokeswoman Deb Decker noted the citations were considered “insignificant and immaterial.” The county has made several improvements to the portal that requestors use and technology to improve the redactions were made.

“Since August of 2021, we have one dedicated employee to track all records requests we receive for departments under the Board of County Commissioners,” Decker said. “We received 505 requests in 2023 alone, and we have 138 requests so far this year.”

Centerville Schools was cited in an audit released last year for not creating a records retention schedule and for not having a public records commission. District administrators said the district has corrected this. A spokeswoman said the public records commission had been established during the audit but hadn’t been meeting regularly.

In Clark County, state auditors reviewed public records requests at Greenon Local Schools for an audit released in January.

“For one out of five public records requests examined, the response provided by the school district included redactions which were plainly visible; however, no explanation or legal authority was given to the requestor for the redactions made,” the audit says. “Failure to provide all required information for public records requests could result in legal action against the school district.”

Greenon’s superintendent, Darrin Knapke, told this news organization the violation occurred because the district did not cite legal authority to redact social security numbers, students’ names and health information, which he said was “obvious information to redact.”

“This year, we have complied with citing the legal authority when redacting public records,” he said.