PHOTOS BY AMY WENDT / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
OATH OF OFFICE … (left to right) Council members Chad Kern, Mike Evans, and Gary Dominique are sworn in by Mayor Brad Grime (far right).
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION … Wastewater Department Superintendent Mike Short (right) recognized Mason Siegel (left) for obtaining the OEPA Class III Wastewater Operator certification.
By: Amy Wendt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
amy@thevillagereporter.com
Convening for the first time in 2026, the Archbold Village Council held its regular meeting on Monday, January 5, at the village’s municipal building.
Returning Councilors Gary Dominique, Kevin Eicher, Chad Kern, and Karla Ball were in attendance, along with newly elected Councilor Mike Evans. Councilor Aaron Babcock was absent.
On behalf of the village’s administrative team were Mayor Brad Grime, Village Administrator Aaron Alt, Clerk Cassie Storrer, and Village Planner and Zoning Inspector Grant Schaffner.
Before addressing regular agenda items, Mayor Brad Grime administered the oath of office to Kern, Dominique, and Evans for their new terms. Upon a motion by Dominique, which Kern seconded, Karla Ball was elected to serve as Council President.
Addressing routine matters, the council approved the December 15 meeting minutes as well as the payment of bills and payroll in the amount of $999,152.63.
Village Administrator Alt noted that December’s expenses included a sizeable payment toward ODWA debt for the wastewater treatment plant.
Also included was an indigent cremation expense, which Alt explained the village is required to cover when a deceased individual claimed residency within the village and had no assets, as was the case.
“If somebody claims for residency in the community, there is a level of obligation, as the municipality, to take care of those final expenses. All that we take care of is the cremation, and we did sign an agreement with Krills to do that for the $1,000 that’s listed on here, and we’ve applied for reimbursement from the state through that fund.”
Before moving on, Mayor Brad Grime took a moment to recognize Wastewater Superintendent Mike Short, who was in the audience, accompanied by employee Mason Siegel.
Short shared with the council that Siegel passed the OEPA Class III Wastewater Operator exam on December 19. Employed by the village’s wastewater department since May 2024, Siegel earned his Class I certification in August and passed the Class II exam on November 6.
Siegel cannot yet assume full Class III operator duties since he has been with the department for less than four years, so he will be serving as an operator in training in the interim.
“So we’re really happy with him. He’s done a tremendous job. He’s got all three licenses this year,” added Superintendent Short.
Addressing annual housekeeping matters, the council appointed officers and board members in service to the village for the upcoming year in Ordinance 2026-01, and Mayor Grime noted that some people have stepped up to serve, and there will be new faces.
In Resolution 2026-02, the council authorized the sale of village-owned personal property (vehicles and equipment of value) by internet auction through the GovDeals website.
Also accepted was a bid from S&S Directional Boring for the State Route 2 waterline replacement project (Contract 1-2026) in Resolution 2026-03.
The project involves the replacement of approximately 2,000 feet of waterline that has a history of failures and breakages, which disrupts service to Sauder Village and the Elmira-Burlington area.
The Council then held a public hearing regarding a rezoning request submitted by Boyers Construction on behalf of the property owners of two 50-acre parcels located north of 405 E. Lutz Road, where the proposed Peacefield Subdivision and Peace Mennonite Church are planned.
The request seeks to rezone the parcels from S-1 Special to R-2 Low Density Residential, R-3 High Density Residential, and B-2 Highway and General Business.
The Archbold Planning Commission reviewed the request and recommended that the Village Council approve the modification.
Village Planner and Zoning Inspector Grant Schaffner spoke, offering background on the proposed changes, “This is the last step for the rezone, but this is not the last step for the plat as a whole.
“So, at the last planning commission meeting, we did approve the preliminary plat for all three phases of this development,” Schaffner shared before going over the highlights of the project in its entirety.
“When this land was annexed in, it was all brought in as ‘special,’ (S-1) and now one of the steps as part of the subdivision process is to get it zoned appropriately for residential development,” he continued.
In Phase 1 of the development, the church will remain zoned as Special, the condo-style lots will be zoned R-3, and the larger single-family home lots will be zoned R-2.
Two of the lots in the development will be designated as B-2 to allow for future business development. The subdivision plans also call for a park-like green space along E. Lutz Road.
One audience member asked for clarification on the intended use of the lots at the corner of E. Lutz Road and N. Defiance Street.
Schaffner responded that those lots would be zoned R-2. The audience member then asked about the difference between R-2 and R-3 zoning.
It was explained that R-2 zoning is intended for larger single-family residential lots, while R-3 zoning allows for higher-density residential development with smaller lots, and that each designation has different setback requirements.
Schaffner went on to explain that after the Council approves the rezone, the next steps will be the final plat approval for each independent phase.
“You’ll actually start seeing some groundbreaking this spring, likely. They’ll start road construction,” Schaffner added.
Once a “substantial” portion of road construction is complete, major plat approval for Phase 1 will be reviewed by the Archbold Planning Commission, and upon approval by the Village Council, developers may begin surveying and selling lots.
Councilor Kern raised concerns about existing flooding issues in the area and asked how the proposed development would avoid worsening those conditions.
Schaffner explained that the plans include a large, oversized stormwater detention area, addressing concerns shared by the property owner, developer, and the village.
The project also includes extending an existing ditch from Sauder Village to the detention site and coordinating stormwater improvements near the northeast corner of the Sauder Village property.
Administrator Alt added that a stormwater study identified the need for these improvements. He noted that the development is expected to retain more stormwater than the area does currently, reducing flooding onto Lutz Road and relieving pressure on the N. Defiance Street storm sewer system.
Moving on to his next question, Councilor Kern also asked if the proposed green space would become a part of the village’s park system, and Schaffner confirmed that it will remain owned and maintained privately by the subdivision.
It was further noted that once construction is complete, the “No Trespassing” signs that are currently at the site for safety reasons will be removed.
With no objections during the public hearing, and following a suspension of the rules, the council unanimously approved Ordinance 2026-04, accepting the rezoning recommendation from the Archbold Planning Commission.
Committee, Board & Department Reports before council for review included the Appointment Worksheet, December & 2025 Year-End Income Tax Report, Fire & EMS Call Response December 2025, Fire Chief Year in Review 2025, Street Department Labor & Fleet Report December 2025, and November 10, 2025, Planning Commission Meeting Minutes.
The Archbold Community Garden also submitted an annual report.
Before closing for the evening, Mayor Grime asked former council member, Vaughn Bentz, who was seated in the audience area, to step forward to receive a token of appreciation for his 26 years of service as a council member.
Mayor Grime read a portion of the plaque presented to Bentz, “for your selfless service, to our beloved community, you have our gratitude. Our village is a better place because of you.”
Upon acceptance, Bentz shared, “It’s been nice because we keep it service, not politics, and we respect each other.”
Following the regular meeting, the council met for a brief Finance Committee session.
The Archbold Village Council will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, January 19, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
