PHOTO BY AMY WENDT / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
TIME TO UPDATE … Village Administrator Aaron Alt (right) makes a statement to the council, press, and audience outlining the importance of updating water agreements with communities outside of Archbold village limits.
By: Amy Wendt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
amy@thevillagereporter.com
Archbold Village Council convened for its second regular meeting of the month on October 20 with councilors Gary Dominique, Vaughn Bentz, Kevin Eicher, Aaron Babcock, Chad Kern, and Karla Ball in attendance.
Also on hand were Mayor Brad Grime, Village Administrator Aaron Alt, and Clerk Cassie Storrer on behalf of the village’s administrative team.
Tackling the lengthy agenda, the council began by approving minutes from the October 6 meeting and took a look at the expenses paid since the last meeting.
Councilor Bentz questioned why the village reimburses mileage for an engineering department employee to travel to the Toledo area. Alt explained that the employee is required to take stone, concrete, and asphalt samples to Bowser-Morner for testing. Since the employee uses his personal vehicle, drives to the testing facility, and then goes directly home afterward, the village only reimburses one-way mileage.
Upon a motion to approve by Ball, which was seconded by Kern, the council authorized the payment of $821,559.51 in bills and payroll.
Passing on the third and final reading was Ordinance 2025-37, which raises water rates effective the January 1, 2026, billing period for December 2025 use. Under the updated schedule, customers will be charged $4.74 per 1,000 gallons of water, which equates to a 5% increase, and the flat minimum usage of 1,000 gallons has been removed.
A monthly “Ready-to-Serve” fee was adjusted based on meter size to help cover system operating and infrastructure costs.
“The Ready-to-Serve fee is the cost to manage and maintain the distribution system. It’s not a plant fee. It’s a distribution fee. The usage cost is what it costs to produce the water, and there’s some built in there to help build reserves because we have a lot of debt payment right now,” Alt explained.
Users outside village limits will pay at least 150% of the base rate, with Ready-to-Serve fees set at up to two or three times the village rate, depending on system ownership.
Alt added that the increase will also allow the replacement of meters without the village taking on more debt to do so.
“So, the idea and the objective is to get behind it so that we – as we start replacing these meters again, because they only have a lifespan of so much – we have funds that are built up so that we’re not looking and scrambling.
“So, we’re doing a correction, but we’re also not making the residents pay a substantial amount of money to offset the cost of some of these really big meters,” Alt elaborated.
The ordinance also allows the village to negotiate alternative rates with large industrial users.
Alt continued, “It does put a burden on the commercial customers, but these burdens aren’t as substantial as what it could be to every single resident.
“So, trying to find balance, and then again, this legislation also gives us the ability, the right to make it a three-time rate for the ready-to-serve (fee), three times the standard Archbold rate for ownership has been assumed by the Village of Archbold, where ownership responsibility is not clearly established.
“So, it does also give us this strength to ensure that when we get into some of these other water service agreements, it’s not the Archbold taxpayer, the Archbold customer who’s subsidizing those lines outside of Archbold.”
Upon a motion by Dominique, which was seconded by Babcock, the measure was approved by all council members unanimously.
Wastewater rates will also see a change with Ordinance 2025-38 passing following its third and final reading, establishing new rates effective with the January 1, 2026, billing for December 2025 usage.
Under the new schedule, customers will be charged $5.15 per 1,000 gallons of wastewater flow, along with a monthly Ready-to-Serve fee based on meter size to support system operating and infrastructure costs.
Users outside village limits will pay at least 150% of the base rate, and industrial customers with high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels will face additional surcharges of $0.35 per pound for excess waste.
Alt explained that the restructuring of fees includes removing the fixed $4.90 monthly charge, so customers now pay strictly for the sewer service they use. While a 5% increase will still take effect, it will be based on actual consumption.
Revenue collected will go into a dedicated Wastewater Revenue Fund for system operation, maintenance, and improvements.
Upon a motion to approve by Kern, which was seconded by Dominique, the matter was approved unanimously by all council members.
Continuing with the water discussions, following third and final readings, the council unanimously approved Resolutions 2025-39, 2025-40, and 2025-41 authorizing Administrator Alt to enter into new water service agreements with Brunersburg Water District (for Evansport water service), Fulton County (for Pettisville/Burlington/Elmira water service), and Ridgeville Township Water & Sewer District (for water service to Ridgeville Corners and other Ridgeville Township locations).
Regarding public feedback, Alt offered, “So, before I start getting into some specifics, I know it was brought up by one of you that it was mentioned by a resident in Ridgeville, one of our customers, that this was just sprung upon them.
“Back in July, I have a record of email that I notified the board that we need to begin this discussion,” Alt began. “And again, nothing drastically is changing.
“Yes, the ready-to-serve charge is going up quite a bit to make some corrections. The usage is not changing other than the 5%.”
“I do have some thoughts that I typed up that I just want to share for a record, because I think I’ve been trying very hard to find every opportunity to connect with the (Ridgeville Township Water and Sewer District – RTWSD) board, but also in looking at this from a big picture. And I’m just going to read what I’ve typed up, because I think it’ll be easier to stay on track. Alt read the following statement:
“Agreements that were made 30 to 35 years ago may have worked at the time, but they no longer reflect the financial realities or expectations of today. Open-ended or not, they are outdated, and we have the responsibility now to either renegotiate them or explore our legal options.
“We owe that to the residents and taxpayers of Archbold. We’ve lost time not addressing this sooner, but we are not looking backward. We’re focused on moving forward.
“And part of that is making sure that Archbold is no longer carrying the financial burden for infrastructure that serves other jurisdictions.
“A key example of this is the waterline from Four County Career Center through Ridgeville Corners. And what I’m trying to accomplish in this agreement, (is) that waterline should not be the responsibility of the Archbold taxpayers.
“The agreement does not specifically state who truly owns that, and that’s what I’m trying to correct.
“Ridgeville Township, Water and Sewer District needs to step up and take ownership and become accountable for it. We’re willing to continue to operate and maintain this line, but the costs of responsibilities must be clearly and fairly defined.
“There’s also the issue of the surcharge that Ridgeville Township Water and Sewer collects on customers that we supply. So, for every thousand gallons, they’re collecting, I think it’s 46 cents per thousand gallons.
“I did bring this up with a (RTWSD) board member, and I don’t think that they quite had a true understanding of what that surcharge was for. And I’m not faulting them.
“It is a volunteer board, but we need to get this sorted out to make sure that it’s correct going into the future.
“To be clear, we value the customers outside our boundaries, many of whom have supported our initiatives over the years. This is not about cutting people off or making it a threat.
“It’s about creating fair, updated agreements that reflect how these systems should work today and not how they were imagined decades ago.
“I would ask that Ridgeville Township Water and Sewer District accept a share of the responsibility. Archbold can’t and won’t continue to carry the financial weight for systems that no longer serve just our community.
“We’re ready to work together, but it must be on the terms that are financially responsible, transparent, and fair to the people of Archbold.
Continuing beyond the statement, Alt added, “And to go up a step further on that, just so the press understands, so you understand, so the few people in the audience understand.”
“Water distribution and wastewater collection improvements have been made by the income tax fund. The 1% income tax that we have, we use to make those repairs.
“If we didn’t have that, our rates would be substantially higher. But because we have that, we have very few water main breaks. Our roads are in good shape because we’re not constantly making patches or corrections, and repairs.
“But when it comes to waterlines that are outside of Archbold, I think the reason I’m most passionate about making sure these agreements start reflecting true ownership is.
“I can’t – I just do not want to sit here when the day comes when we need to replace a water line into Henry County that is not owned by the Village of Archbold – or that’s maybe assumed because the agreement wasn’t explicitly stated. But why should Archbold tax dollars go outside of Archbold to maintain and care for these lines?
“So, one step, we’re going to implement some fees to help us recoup the cost of maintaining that line.
But the long-term solution, and again, these are 30-year-old lines, the major repairs and replacements are all decades away, but for those who sit here, I don’t like the idea of – I don’t want to point fingers and say, ‘well, this person should have gotten it right,’ or so forth.
“We’re moving forward, and we’re going to correct it so in 50 years from now, it’s in black and white, and we’re not sitting around these tables trying to correct it.
“So, I apologize if I’m windy on this, but I think I’ve been pretty close and intimate with this situation and trying to work on behalf of the Archbold residents, but also to make sure that everything is an alignment and is just clearly and explicitly stated on who’s responsible.
“Because at the end of the day, we’re providing a service for those customers outside (of Archbold), and Fulton County accepted full ownership. They accept that ownership of those lines.
“We still continue to make improvements, but again, would we have spent $8 million on a GAC line – or a GAC plan, and the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year it takes to maintain it for the carbon if we didn’t have customers outside of Archbold?
“…It can’t just be a take, take, take. It’s got to be a give and take. And I think all of us are at that point where we want a give and take, but we have to correct.
“The opportunity to get some of this stuff ironed out was five – six years ago when we started talking about THMs. The only way this can go on…is that if we correct these situations and start billing accordingly.”
Following Alt’s comments, council members held a lengthy discussion regarding the proposed agreement with the Ridgeville Township Water and Sewer District.
The conversation included updates on system repairs and improvements related to water and sewer service south of Archbold, as well as concerns about communication between the two entities.
Some council members also inquired whether Ridgeville Township planned to pursue legal action; however, it was later clarified that the township was believed to be having its attorney review the agreement as a routine step, rather than preparing for litigation.
Ridgeville Township officials were not present to offer a response at the meeting, and the township has not publicly commented on the proposed agreement.
The council also approved the following resolutions after suspending the rules and declaring an emergency:
-Resolution 2025-42 Supporting an Application to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Funding for the Improvement of Ruihley Park Playground Equipment.
-Resolution 2025-43 Accepting “Change Order #1 Final” for Short Buehrer Road Sidewalk, Contract 1-2025.
-Resolution 2025-44 Accepting Bids for the Purchase of Chemicals for the Water and Wastewater Departments for the Year 2026.
-Resolution 2025-45 Accepting the Recommendation of Finance Committee for a 3% Employee Wage Increase Effective January 2026.
The council also reviewed minutes from several recent meetings: the October 1 Park Board meeting, which included an overview of completed 2025 projects; the October 6 Finance Committee meeting regarding proposed wage adjustments; and the October 6 Ordinance Committee meeting, where speed limit changes were discussed.
Discussion in the mayor and council comments section of the meeting focused on potential collaboration with Sauder Village for walking path improvements, concerns about unsightly signs in the right-of-way, and general updates on housing growth within the town.
Village Planner and Zoning Inspector also reminded the council of an upcoming Planning Commission session scheduled for November 10.
The next Archbold Village Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 3, at 5:30 p.m.