PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
EMERGENCY SERVICES … Zak Merschdork and Heather Mercer discuss EMA and 911 Communication roles and duties within the county.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Mayor’s Association meeting was held on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 6:30 p.m., at Sam’s Place in Blakeslee, Ohio. Eric Jenkins of Blakeslee, Duane Thiel of Edon, Pamela Clark of Holiday City, Steve Yagelski of Montpelier, Don Leu of West Unity, and Commissioners Terry Rummel and Scott Lirot were in attendance.
After approving the previous month’s session, the Association reviewed the financial statements for the month of September. There was no old or new business to discuss.
Heather Mercer and Zak Merschdork attended the meeting as guest speakers. Mercer gave a brief overview of the differences between the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and 911 Communications, and the services they offer.
While they both manage emergency dispatch and disaster response coordination within the county, each has key differences and responsibilities. The 911 Communications division manages all cellular and landline emergency calls, including text-to-911 services.
They dispatch law enforcement, fire, and EMS to incidents. Staff also answer administrative phone lines for multiple local departments and agencies, maintain data in the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS), and receive National Weather Service alerts.
Additionally, they participate in the Next Gen 911 Committee, which works to improve emergency response efficiency by integrating text, photo, and video technologies into the dispatch system.
The Emergency Management division, or EMA, oversees the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), coordinating inter-agency collaboration to prepare for and respond to major emergencies.
The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) focuses on hazardous materials incidents and includes representatives from public safety, health, transportation, and industry sectors.
Williams County also operates the Alert86 public warning system, which distributes emergency notifications.
Following severe weather or hazardous events, staff conduct damage assessments, coordinate with state and federal agencies such as the Ohio EMA and FEMA, and work with the Red Cross to assist displaced families.
Mercer mentioned that the YMCA in Bryan is currently the only place pre-screened and approved for disaster relief within the county.
She is currently searching for other suitable locations, and the Association brought up the possibility of using the fairgrounds, senior centers, and even schools.
The mayors continued to discuss emergency disaster plans of action. Mayor Yagelski of Montpelier stated, “My suggestion and recommendation is this: every municipality needs to get a plan in place to document everything on any kind of disaster. Not just natural disasters, but any type, because you never know.”
The Association mentioned the recent wind storm in March of 2025 that displaced a trailer court. Due to the limited amount of destruction, the area did not qualify for FEMA assistance.
“When it comes right down to it, unless it is a catastrophic event – you’re on your own. Meaning the villages, county, we all help each other out,” Rummel said.
“I’d like the public to recognize how Heather, Zac, and the team have come together. We went through some trials and tribulations in that department, and there was some turmoil and turnover, but Heather has brought it together, and I couldn’t be prouder of it now,” stated Rummel. He explained that collaboration throughout the county entities is invaluable for smooth operations.
“There will be a lot of collaboration if the property taxes go away,” Lirot mentioned. “We are already looking to see what we can do to help taxpayers and ourselves. The increase of the actual tax on property taxes was astronomical.”
“It wasn’t our fault – it’s what the State of Ohio evaluated it to,” said Rummel. “We were selling properties at a ridiculously high value, and it just raised all of our taxes. So, about $640,000 went into our bottom line.”
Lirot went on to explain the steep increase in property taxes throughout the last few years. “So, what is our budget increase on property values since 2019? It stayed the same in 2020, but in 2021 it went up 8%, 2022 went up 8%, 2023 went up 1%. In 2024, went up 2%, and in 2025? It went up 29%.”
They discussed potential steps they could take to relieve pressure from local schools, libraries, and EMA services if the property tax reform bill passes.
With no further business, the Williams County Mayor’s Association adjourned at 7:27 p.m.