By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Commissioners convened for their regular session on October 9, 2025, in the Commissioners’ Session Room. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a roll call, with Commissioner President Terry Rummel, Scott Lirot, and Bart Westfall in attendance.
The board moved forward to approve minutes from the October 2 and 7, 2025, sessions. Several amendments were requested; Westfall asked for a discussion on the First Net proposal, Lirot asked for a discussion on OMI, and Rummel asked for an executive session to discuss compensation.
Under new business, the Commissioners approved transfer appropriations for the Auditor’s Office, Commissioners’ Office, Common Pleas Court, and EMS.
They approved a permit to work within the county and township right-of-ways on behalf of the Village of Pioneer.
It was noted that Administrator Anthony Burnett signed earlier in the morning, along with Todd Roth, and presented letters with concerns that still needed to be addressed.
The construction time was updated from September 23, 2025, to October 2025 through October 2026.
Westfall brought up the recent proposal from First Net – a national wireless network primarily used by U.S. first responders and emergency personnel alike. It would improve tracking and dispatch issues experienced in dead zones around the county.
26 units were included in the quote: 21 sheriff vehicles and 5 EMS vehicles. The monthly cost of maintaining these systems would be similar to the current plan through Verizon.
“It’s really going to cause us no extra money to gain a lot better service,” comments Rummel. The commissioners voted to move forward with the offer.
Lirot brought up the current progress with OMI water-well baseline testing. He stated it will be over $100,000 to test eight various wells across the area. Indiana, Michigan, and Defiance County were noted not to be interested in contributing to the payment.
Lirot said that the USGS Current Water Data meeting was cancelled due to the government shutdown, but they will reschedule and gather more information.
Rummel continued to make a motion to not enter the $100,000 agreement, and the motion was carried unanimously.
At 10:21 a.m., the board entered into an executive session to discuss compensation. They returned to open session at 10:29 a.m. with no action. They adjourned directly after at 10:29 a.m.
A work session was held with the county auditor’s office staff, Vickie Grimm, and Parker Houk.
They provided analysis reports, general fund financial results, and an overview of all accounts, including year-to-date revenue, year-to-date expenses, and current cash.