By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Commissioners met on March 12, 2026, to discuss routine business and attend a Williams County monthly Landbank meeting.
Commissioner President Scott Lirot, Vice President Bart Westfall, and Terry Rummel were in attendance after their monthly meeting with Hillside Country Living Nursing Home.
The minutes from the March 10, 2026, meeting were approved alongside the payment of bills.
The Maumee Valley Planning Organization submitted a State of Ohio Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Critical Infrastructure Grant Agreement. This agreement will grant $500,000 worth of funds to assist the City of Bryan’s sewer improvement project.
The current collection system experiences “substantial stormwater inflow and infiltration due to deteriorated catch basins, failing sanitary taps, and misaligned joints and cracks in the original clay tile.” This causes the wastewater treatment plant to operate at or above its capacity level.
The project will replace the sanitary sewer mainline, residential taps, and manholes. A stipulation has been implemented stating that the funds cannot be used for individual tap-ins and those will remain the responsibility of the residents.
This project is projected to benefit 1,335 residents. The total estimated cost is $881,947. With the grant funds, the City of Bryan is estimated to pay $381,947.00 verify against total cost and $500,000 grant].
The Commissioners’ executive session held on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, reported action taken. Katherine Zartman, Williams County Prosecutor, recommended the county participate in a new Opioid Settlement and allow Anne Retcher to sign all documents on the Commissioners’ behalf.
A subgrant agreement has been successfully approved for the Greater Ohio Workforce Board and Williams County Job and Family Services to provide comprehensive business-workforce development services at no cost. The term limit is from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028.
The Williams County Landbank met at 11:00 a.m. with all Commissioners present, Chair Brian Wieland, Todd Burkholder, Jason Rockey, and Vickie Grimm in attendance. The Maumee Valley Planning Organization and several representatives from WEDCO were also present.
During the meeting, the board entered executive session before deciding to accept a $250 bid from the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post for the recently demolished parcel at 220 Empire Street.
The lot used to house the First Church of the Nazarene and the House of Prayer, located directly across the street from the Montpelier Police Station.
The decision came despite a higher offer of $6,000 from St. John Church.
According to Landbank Chairman Wieland, “Discussion ensued regarding what each application had noted for their intended uses for the properties.
Montpelier representative Jason Rockey noted that the Legion Post was directly adjacent to this lot and their project was ‘shovel ready’ and would make a nice addition to their current property.”
Wieland added that the board did not intend to diminish the church’s proposal to construct a bell tower, but noted that St. John Church did not provide a timeline for the beginning of the project.
“The veterans proposal will also be a nice addition to the neighborhood as well as their property,” said Rockey. “Also, the church does not own property that is adjacent to the Landbank’s lot.
“Historically, the Landbank has prioritized adjacent property owners when considering property disposal.” The VFW will also cover all closing costs associated with the transfer.