After today it's recess, but Ohio lawmakers won't have the summer off quite yet. Both chambers will have to return for session at least one more time on June 10 to approve a conference committee report on the appropriations bill.

One part of that report will be finding a compromise between the chambers on Cuyahoga County government reform. Legislation originally introduced in the House would have allowed Cuyahoga County commissioners the opportunity to vote a measure onto the November ballot that would restructure the county's government. The Senate Finance Committee then removed the restructuring plan that the House had attached to bricks and mortar legislation last week.

Senate President Bill Harris (R - Ashland) spokesperson Maggie Ostrowski said Harris and other legislators on both sides of the aisle had concerns about the measure.

"Some members expressed concerns about taking elected officials out of the county government and it was felt that more discussion was needed before we made that change," she said.

House Majority Leader Jon Husted (R - Kettering) pushed for the legislation after Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan, a Democrat, proposed to halt electing the county auditor, recorder and treasurer in favor of a county assessor appointed by the commissioners. Hagan also proposed ceasing to elect the sheriff, coroner, engineer and clerk of courts. The legislation would allow Cuyahoga County voters to decide the matter this fall.

Husted spokesperson Karen Stivers said Husted took up the proposal after the office was contacted by Hagan. "We worked with Commissioner Hagan to put together language, along with Rep. Josh Mandel, to address their concerns." Mandel (R - Lyndhurst) has also called for Cuyahoga County government reform.

"Clearly this is an item of difference between the two chambers and we'll address it in the conference committee," Stivers said.

The conference committee will include two Republican and one Democratic member of each chamber. The legislators will choose a version of the bill to start with and work out differences from there. Once those differences have been worked out, the committee forms a report that must be approved by both chambers and is then sent to the governor.

On the Senate side, it's expected that Finance Chair John Carey (R - Wellston) and senior Democrat on the finance committee Capri Cafaro (D - Hubbard) will participate on the conference committee as well as one other Republican senator. On the House side, it's expected that Finance Chair Jay Hottinger (R - Newark) and senior Democrat on the finance committee Michael Skindell (D - Lakewood) will participate, along with one other Republican representative. None of these legislators have been named officially.

Cuyahoga County has seen numerous attempts at reform before, to no avail, with the reform either failing to get on the ballot or failing to be approved by voters. There have been at least 11 attempts at reform since 1929.