The court’s order also bars Matthews from entering township offices unless he is attending a public meeting.
Matthews was elected fiscal officer in November 2023 and took office in April 2024. He is one of three people running for two seats on the township’s board of trustees.
“Once again, the undisputed actions taken by Bob Matthews in March 2025 and in the lawsuits since have been determined to not only be illegal, but demonstrate a serious danger to the township and its citizens,” Trustee President Terry Posey Jr. told this news outlet. “I hope for a quick and conclusive resolution to these lawsuits so that everyone can move on appropriately.”
Trustee Vice President Doug Barry the court system is “obviously working.”
“With Bob Matthews attempts at breaking the law, the court system is acting to protect Miami Twp. and hopefully getting closer to a resolution of removing him from office.”
Trustee Don Culp declined to comment.
“We appreciate the court’s attention to this matter and look forward to a final resolution of the issues raised by the attorney general’s office in their complaint against Mr. Matthews,” said township Administrator Chris Snyder. “The Board of Trustees will discuss appointment of a deputy fiscal officer pursuant to their statutory obligation, given the suspension of Mr. Matthews by the court.”
Matthews said the ruling “just reinforces the action of removing me from the township office, not the elected position.”
“This is supporting the action the trustees did six months ago by blocking me from coming into the office,” he said, adding that he views the action as being taken by the court Monday “as a precaution against further issues, not a conviction of doing anything wrong.”
“The court will still evaluate the actions I took back in March,” Matthews said. “We still consider people innocent until proven guilty. We’ll let the courts make the final decision. I will, of course, follow what the courts decide.”
In late September, a complaint was filed in the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court accusing Matthews of illegally moving $9.7 million in township funds to buy gold coins without approval. The money came from a township investment account and had already been budgeted for other uses.
Matthews allegedly tried to wire the funds to coin dealers, but a bank employee flagged the transfers. When the township’s finance director said the transfers weren’t authorized, Matthews allegedly tried to fire him.
Under state law, township fiscal officers are limited to clerical duties, including keeping accurate records of meetings, accounts and financial transactions, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Fiscal officers cannot distribute township funds unless they’re authorized by at least two trustees and countersigned by the fiscal officer.
Last week, Matthews was barred from entering his township office and conducting its duties while the court considered the complaint by the Attorney General’s Office.
Also last week, Matthews filed a response to the case, denying the accusations in the complaint and arguing it should be dismissed. He said the complaint doesn’t explain what law he supposedly broke and was improperly filed using township’s law director and public money, which violates state rules.
He said the township’s trustees and administrator filing a complaint with the auditor of state using the township’s law director amounted to using township resources for personal use.
Matthews, in the complaint, also said no one was actually harmed, that he acted in good faith and that trustees had long accepted the financial decisions being challenged. He said the complaint is politically motivated, misuses legal process and should be dismissed with possible penalties for filing it in bad faith.
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