Photo courtesy of Miami Township Fire-Rescue
Miami Township— MTFR battles third fire of the year, fiscal officer resigns
- Published: February 12, 2026
Miami Township Fire-Rescue battled yet another house fire of the year last week — the third such structure fire in as many weeks.
According to an email from Fire Chief James Cannell, firefighters were dispatched to 4710 Snypp Road shortly after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28. Cannell wrote that the Miami Township Fire-Rescue on-duty crew arrived at the scene “within six minutes.”
“Upon arrival, we encountered a significant fire burning inside a single-family residence,” Cannell wrote. The three residents of the home had discovered the fire in their ceiling “after smelling smoke and investigating its source.”
“We immediately entered the house and focused our efforts on attacking the fire, which was primarily located in the attic and had spread to the roof,” Cannell wrote.
Cannell reported that the fire was under control by around 10 p.m. No injuries were reported, but the home’s residents were “unable to reoccupy the house due to the extensive damage.”
Cannell lauded firefighters Mark Murphy, Daniel Watt, Casey Brewer, Payton Cooper and Capt. Nate Ayers for their work in extinguishing the fire. Because there were no fire hydrants in the area of the homed, MTFR received water tanker support from Cedarville Township, Xenia Township, Fairborn, Hustead, Bethel and Springfield Township.
The cause of the fire was still under investigation at press time; Cannell said no foul play is suspected.
At the Feb. 2 regular meeting of the Miami Township Trustees, Capt. Ayers reported 68 total runs in January; he also noted that MTFR responded to two structure fires in January 2025, compared to this year’s three.
GunderKline resigns
The meeting also brought formal notice of the resignation of Fiscal Officer Jeanna GunderKline, effective at the end of the day March 31, which will mark two years of service in a four-year elected term.
According to GunderKline’s resignation letter, which was submitted to the News and is printed in full on page 4 of this week’s issue, GunderKline said the position is “not the best fit for [her] long-term priorities.”
“Over the years, the scope and complexity of the [fiscal officer and clerk] role have continued to expand, particularly with the transition of the fire department from volunteer to paid staff,” GunderKline wrote, adding a recommendation that the Township consider outsourcing payroll services.
“Implementing this change could make the position more manageable and sustainable,” she wrote.
With that in mind, the Trustees voted to begin seeking bids for a contracted payroll service — a change Trustee Chair Marilan Moir said could “take some of the burden off the fiscal office” and help with compliance.
“We have had the idea of going to a contracted payroll service for quite a while,” she said. “We might have done well to have done this earlier.”
With regard to GunderKline’s resignation, Moir said the outgoing fiscal officer is “committed to helping us have a smooth transition and training,” and said she had offered to continue to provide guidance beyond her last day in the office.
The trustees noted that they will appoint another person to serve out the remainder of GunderKline’s term, though they have not yet named a successor. They also thanked GunderKline for her service thus far.
“We wish her all the best,” Moir said.
After accepting the resignation, trustees voted to expand the hours of Cyndi Pauwels, who was appointed as fiscal officer assistant in July last year. Trustee Lori Askeland said the extra hours would support “making that transition, and working with the current fiscal officer on the audit that’s coming in.”
Pauwels will also attend the annual Ohio Township Association conference in Columbus this month in GunderKline’s stead.
In other Township business:
• Trustees approved a new purchasing policy, which Moir described as “the first time we’ve had a purchasing policy here at Miami Township,” and which she said will require trustees and staff to “be less casual and more accountable” with funds. The new policy, a draft of which may be read in full at miamitownship.net, will be enacted April 1, 2026.
• Zoning Administrator Bryan Lucas told trustees that the Township is on track to consider adoption of 15 proposed text amendments to the Township Zoning Resolution in April; public hearings on the proposed amendments will be held in March/April. The News will follow up with dates and times for these hearings when they are available.
Because Presidents Day will be observed on Monday, Feb. 16, the next regular meeting of the Miami Township Trustees will be held Wednesday, Feb. 18, beginning at 5 p.m.
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