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                                  EXHIBIT 31.1

                                  CERTIFICATION

I, J. William Stapleton, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of
Home City Financial Corporation, certify, that:

1.       I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSB of Home City
         Financial Corporation;

2.       Based on my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue
         statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
         to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which
         such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
         covered by this annual report;

3.       Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
         information included in this annual report, fairly present in all
         material respects the financial condition, results of operations, and
         cash flows of the small business issuer as of, and for, the periods
         presented in this annual report;

4.       The small business issuer's other certifying officers and I are
         responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
         procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)
         for the small business issuer and have:

         a.       Designed such disclosure controls and procedures or caused
                  such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under
                  our supervision, to ensure that material information relating
                  to the small business issuer, including its consolidated
                  subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those
                  entities, particularly during the period in which the annual
                  report is being prepared;

         b.       Evaluated the effectiveness of the small business issuer's
                  disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days
                  prior to the filing date of this annual report (the
                  "Evaluation Date"); and

         c.       Disclosed in this report any change in the small business
                  issuer's internal control over financial reporting that
                  occurred during the small business issuer's most recent fiscal
                  quarter (the small business issuer's fourth fiscal quarter in
                  the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or
                  is reasonably likely to materially affect, the small business
                  issuer's internal control over financial reporting; and

5.       The small business issuer's other certifying officer and I have
         disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over
         financial reporting, to the small business issuer's auditors and the
         audit committee of the small business issuer board of directors (or
         persons performing the equivalent functions):

         a.       Any significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
                  design or operation of internal control over financial
                  reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the
                  small business issuer's ability to record, process, summarize,
                  and report financial information;

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         b.       Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management
                  or other employees who have a significant role in the small
                  business issuer's internal controls over financial reporting.

/s/ J. William Stapleton
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J. William Stapleton
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer
March 24, 2004

A signed original of this written statement has been provided to Home City
Financial Corporation and will be retained by Home City Financial Corporation
and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon
request.

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