Ohio Auditor of State Awards Village of Rutland Highest StaRS Rating

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16, 2026

MEDIA CONTACT

Delaynie Potts

Village Clerk-Fiscal Officer and Assistant to the Executive

Telephone: (740) 742-2121, Ext. 1000

delaynie.potts@villageofrutland.org

RUTLAND, Ohio — Mayor Tyler M. Eblin and Village Clerk-Fiscal Officer Delaynie Potts jointly announced today the Village of Rutland has received a four-star rating, the highest possible rating, and the Highest Achievement in Open and Transparent Government Award, from the Ohio Auditor of State's Office through the agency's Star Rating System (StaRS).

"Clerk-Fiscal Officer Delaynie Potts and I are pleased to jointly announce the Village of Rutland has been awarded a four-star rating by the State Auditor's Office through the State's Star Rating System" comments Mayor Eblin. "This four-star rating, the highest rating possible, reflects the Village's ongoing commitment to meeting the requirements of the Ohio Sunshine Laws, and serving as a model community for open government and transparency, an award we are truly grateful to receive."

According to the Ohio Auditor of State's Office, the StaRS Program "provides the public a good measure of government transparency and, at the same time, have benchmarks and best practices for governments to improve the transparency within their own organization. StaRS will reflect a rating for each public office, which not only measures compliance with Sunshine Laws, but also encourages public entities to be more open and transparent to those they serve by implementing identified best practices."

"It is a very humbling honor to receive the StaRS rating for the 2023 and 2024 audit period," comments Potts. "When I came into the position at the beginning of January, 2023, there were many things to learn, and with the support of not only Mayor Eblin, but with previous clerks of court and fiscal officers, including Tonya Miller and Rose Mary Eskew, and LGS consultant E. Chris Kerby, I am proud to see the efforts of everyone's work to support good fiscal usage and judgement throughout not only the 2023 and 2024 audit period, but subsequent years as well."

"Without their guidance and leadership, as well as the training provided by the Auditor of State, Local Government Services, the Ohio Municipal League and other organizations, the Village could not have achieved this success. I am only one cog in the wheel, and I can only hope that I can continue to set the standard for future fiscal officers here in Rutland, as a standard of excellence to strive for," concludes Potts.

Entities receiving four stars are those which implement five or more best practices to open and transparent government. As a four-star government entity, the Village of Rutland was recognized for its method to track public record request forms, standard request forms, public records request acknowledgment, identification and training of public records custodians, and the completion of certified public records training.

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