(PHOTO BY AMY WENDT / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
2025 ARCHBOLD VILLAGE COUNCIL … From left to right: Gary Dominique, Vaughn Bentz, Kevin Eicher, Aaron Babcock, Chad Kern, and Karla Ball.
By: Amy Wendt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
amy@thevillagereporter.com
Archbold Village Council met on Monday the 3rd for its first regular meeting of February with Councilors Gary Dominique, Vaughn Bentz, Kevin Eicher, Aaron Babcock, Chad Kern, and Karla Ball at the table.
On hand on behalf of the village’s admin team were Mayor Brad Grime and Village Administrator Aaron Alt.
Addressing its only legislative item of the evening, the council approved a resolution to accept “Change Order #1, Final” for the East Lutz Road Agricultural Runoff project.
The first phase of the wetland project, which serves approximately 200 acres of the Flat Run area, is nearly complete.
However, according to Alt, a $3,000 change order was necessary due to a miscalculation in material quantities by project designers. The village is in discussions with the consultant to share the cost of that increase.
Councilor Bentz asked if grass and plantings were included in Phase I of the project and Alt confirmed they were.
The administrator also emphasized that Phase I of the project primarily focuses on water treatment and retention, while a potential future Phase II could add pathways. “It’s a good project. I think – it’s not going to eliminate the flooding, but it’s going to help it,” added Mayor Grime.
In routine matters, the council approved minutes from its January 20 regular meeting. Before the council authorized payment of bills and payroll, Alt pointed out that in recent reports, expenses appear to have decreased.
He clarified that spending is still occurring, but the newly installed payroll system’s reporting function is still being developed.
He hopes that the reporting component will be operational by the next meeting and once restored, the council will receive a report reflecting the last four payroll periods. The council authorized payment of payroll and bills in the amount of $191,109.86.
Moving on to reports, monthly income tax numbers reveal that collections are down 12.45 percent (approximately $70,000) for January 2025 compared to January 2024.
The council then reviewed an S&P Global Rating Publication. The village recently underwent a review process with a firm to determine its bond rating, which is used to assess a community’s financial health and its ability to repay debt.
The firm introduced a new rating scale, which resulted in a downgrade of the village’s bond rating from AA- to A+. While still a good rating, this downgrade indicates a slightly higher perceived risk, which could impact future borrowing costs or conditions for the village.
With regard to the rating downgrade, Alt stated, “It’s nothing that we’re doing – I firmly believe. It’s partly because we don’t want to take on debt. We have no desire to take on bonds.”
The council also reviewed a Roundabout Consultant Selection Memo, which outlined the scoring criteria for proposals from three firms seeking to work with the village on the State Route 2/Township Road 24 intersection project.
Tetra Tech was chosen to take the lead and will be collaborating with the firm that conducted the original safety study, DGL Consulting Engineers. “They understand our desire to not make this (roundabout) overelaborate,” added the village administrator.
Before adjourning, the council discussed whether there had been any feedback on the implementation of the temporary four-way stop at the intersection. While no additional public feedback has been received recently, some council members noted that traffic flow has improved.
Archbold Village Council will reconvene for its next regular meeting on Monday, February 17, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. at the municipal building.