PHOTOS BY AMY WENDT / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
2026 ARCHBOLD VILLAGE COUNCIL … Members (left to right) Gary Dominique, Mike Evans, Kevin Eicher, Aaron Babcock, Chad Kern, and Karla Ball.
By: Amy Wendt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
amy@thevillagereporter.com
On Monday, February 2, the Archbold Village Council met for its first regular meeting of the month at the village’s municipal building with Councilors Karla Ball, Chad Kern, Aaron Babcock, Kevin Eicher, Mike Evans, and Gary Dominique at the table.
Mayor Brad Grime, Village Administrator Aaron Alt and Clerk Cassie Storer were also on hand. Before opening the floor to guests who wished to speak, the council approved minutes from both the regular and special meetings held on January 19, and authorized the payment of $412,564.55 in bills and payroll.
Mayor Brad Grime welcomed German Township Trustees Jay Pursel and Brad Short, who were in attendance and wished to share concerns about what they believed to be plans for a data center. Also seated in the audience area was Cory Rufenacht of Rufenacht Farms.
Trustee Pursel shared with the council that approximately three weeks ago, he received a call asking if he was aware of a developer buying or obtaining contracts on farmland.
Pursel was unaware at the time, but upon researching, he found that three or four German Township properties were under contract, and one property owner recently sold land to developers.
“The price they’re paying, it obviously has to be the data center wanting to come in. I don’t know anything else paying that kind of money,” Pursel said.
“That Friday, then we received an email from the developer asking us to meet with him so we could sign NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) and get up to speed, to which we politely replied, ‘that’s not happening,’” Pursel continued.
The email was allegedly received from developer Boyers Construction/Iron Ridge Development. “We’re not signing an NDA when we’re here to represent the people. We are not keeping secrets from them,” Pursel affirmed.
“I thought it was stupid of them to even ask, but then, when looking online, in other communities, there’s lots of councils, townships, commissioners that have done it (signed an NDA), and the people are furious where they’ve done it.”
“To me, if you’re that secretive about what’s going on – you can’t tell me what’s coming, I don’t want nothing to do – I don’t care how much more money it’s going to bring, possibly – but not interested.” Trustee Brad Short echoed Pursel’s sentiments, noting “All three trustees were inagreement.”
Councilor Eicher asked if the trustees would be passing legislation to address the potential development.
Trustee Pursel responded that any proposed building would require rezoning and that the trustees will not rezone the area as industrial.
Trustee Short noted that while the township is currently zoned, Fulton County is in the process of revising zoning for unzoned townships, and German Township can adopt some of the same language if needed.
Pursel added that if a data center were to come to the area, it would likely seek to annex into the village since sewer and water would be needed.
Councilor Eicher asked the trustees what impact moving forward with efforts to block a proposed data center would have on local farmers, particularly the one who already sold his property.
“They just bought a $24,000 per acre farm that they’re going to farm – or do whatever,” Pursel responded.
Pursel added that he recently spoke to the former landowner who sold his land, who explained that the buyers had not shared details with him.
“They just offered him this price, and so what he told me was, ‘I told him, I’m not signing a nondisclosure. I’m not doing that. If you want it, you buy it now, or be gone. I’m not doing – I’m not signing that stuff.’”
Councilor Eicher asked the trustees about a timeline for adopting a resolution. Alt explained that it likely would take time since it is not a simple, one-page document but rather a more complex legal process.
Pursel added that the trustees are working with Luke Jones of the prosecutor’s office on the matter. Addressing the trustees, Mayor Grime said, “to be honest with you, you folks probably know as much or more than what we do.”
Alt shared that the village officials have discussed reviewing Archbold’s zoning code to determine what authority the municipality has to ensure that future development works for the community.
“If something’s going to come to the community, we want it to be done right. At least that’s my take on that. I’m not speaking for the mayor or council,” Alt offered.
“I know for a fact, when it comes to sewer, if somebody has high sewer use, it’s going to be a problem, because Archbold doesn’t have the capacity when ConAgra is pushing 30 million gallons a month through the system. So, that’s going to be a real challenge,” Alt continued.
“The plant can generate the water usage for something like that, but we don’t know if we have the capacity to pull from the Tiffin River or our reservoirs to keep up, beyond the 50 million gallon a month that we do send out through the system to four counties, essentially. We send water all over the place.
“So we are just studying our needs, so we understand where we are at. We were going to do this before we heard any of these conversations because we have to understand everything, but we know for a fact that we’ve got a subdivision going in and sparing some space for ConAgra, it would be a challenge for us to take, you know, a few tens of thousands of gallons a day.”
Pursel asked if the village would have to expand the sewer system at the taxpayers’ cost, and Alt clarified that any expansion would be paid out of utility fees rather than tax dollars.
Councilor Babcock asked if the other landowners who haven’t signed contracts know what the project is all about.
Cory Rufenacht of Rufenacht Farms addressed the council, sharing that he has spoken with some of the other property owners.
“We were approached to sell our 136 acres that butts up to the Brush Creek Plant from C to 21-3 and C to the half mile, and we’ve said ‘No.’ We’re not interested. Our stance is, we’re not for it,” Rufenacht stated.
“But as far as I know – I can’t speak for the Short place – but everything else they’ve asked for is under contract.
“So basically, I’m here tonight to listen to see where you guys are at. As farmers, we don’t buy ground to sell it, but we also understand the fact that it is next to town, and we are for the community, too,” Rufenacht clarified.
“But, I – we are against what this is, and that’s why we’ve said ‘No.’ That’s why we have not signed an NDA with the developer, so he will tell us what it is.
“Because we told him there’s no way we’re signing unless we know what this is. And we’re still – it’s still a ‘No.’
Mayor Grime interjected, “You know, like I say, on our part, I just don’t think we have any information to offer up.”
“And I think that’s the whole idea,” Rufenacht responded. “They try to bring it in without anybody knowing. “That’s what the NDA’s all about, and then they’re like, ‘well, we’re here, and we already bought, and we’re going to build. And I think it’s time that people know.”
Closing out his comments, Rufenacht added, “So, I mean, I would not need an answer from you guys tonight, but we are interested in knowing where you guys stand.”
Village Administrator Alt offered, “I think from the financial standpoint, we need development, and it needs to be done right.”
He added that while he agrees that property tax reform is needed, Alt is concerned about the possibility of property tax elimination and how that revenue would be replaced for both the village and the township, since townships cannot levy income taxes.
“That’s obviously my biggest thing, in the data center, or whatever it could be, depends on what it is and how it would benefit the community.
“It’s job growth that we need to get figured out in this area to help us ride a storm, because I see potentially, unless the state comes in with funding for the township, a significant shortfall that might have to have Archbold carry the weight of the fire and EMS and anything else for a while until we get stuff figured out.”
Alt continued, “I’m just cycling from a standpoint that we need growth in our community. We need jobs…I can’t offer a whole lot more than what I’ve heard on the street.
“But economic growth is going to be critical, or there will be just massive slashes to services in the community. So that’s really my biggest focus right now.
Pursel noted that in his research, he found that data centers typically bring anywhere from 50 to 100 jobs.
Mayor Grime said to the trustees, “At this point, it’s just probably too preliminary to pass judgment…until more information comes our direction. Maybe this conversation will facilitate that.”
“Aaron’s door is always open and keep the line of communications open…I mean, we’re interested in knowing what you know, and I think vice versa, but like I say, at this point, I really don’t think we have a whole lot to add to it.”
Councilor Ball thanked the German Township Trustees for speaking with the council because “people on the street are talking about it.”
Alt added, “I think it’s important for the press and for you guys to know. You heard recently that someone said the government’s buying up all this land around their home over on (County Road) C.
“I promise you, if Archbold had that kind of money, we wouldn’t be stressing right now with the elimination of property taxes. It would not be even a question.”
Councilor Ball noted, “I think that people – I’m sure that even all of us that are sitting here, we don’t have a really clear understanding of what exactly a data center is truly bringing into a facility, because they keep those doors locked so tightly, right?”
“So nobody can get in to see what they’re actually doing. And I think that it’s important that people understand that it’s not the government that’s dropping these big facilities in these communities. It’s the bigger corporations that are – that are doing that.”
“The reality of it is…there’s communities and townships and cities that are putting, you know, moratoriums in on these. They’re having these conversations. We’re just starting to have these conversations,” Ball continued.
“What’s to keep, you know, the smaller communities around here, too, from our north to our west, that are also going to be dealing with the same thing.”
“Now, they’re as close to the turnpike and everything else as we are. What’s to say that Fayette, West Unity, Montpelier, they’re all not going to be having the same conversations as…maybe they already have.”
“So it’s not just the community of Archbold that needs to be concerned with that, but everybody around needs to be starting to keep their eyes open and ears to the ground.”
“Property owners, specifically, who are just getting crazy offers for their property,” Councilor Ball concluded.
IN OTHER MATTERS
Moving on to the rest of the agenda, Council then heard Resolution 2026-09, which authorizes the transfer of funds from the General Fund to the Paramedic Fund, Police Fund, and the Cemetery Fund.
Alt clarified that when the 2026 budget was prepared, the transfer was accounted for. Review of the January 2026 Income Tax Report revealed an 11.18% increase to $557,713 in January 2026 compared to $501,639 the same time last year.
The Ordinance Committee meeting, which was scheduled to take place immediately following the regular meeting, was cancelled.
The next regular council meeting is slated for Monday, February 16, at 5:30 p.m.
