(PHOTO BY AMY WENDT / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
2024 ZONING REPORT … Grant Schaffner provided a year-in-review of zoning in his 2024 Annual Report.
By: Amy Wendt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
amy@thevillagereporter.com
Archbold Village Council met on Monday, February 17, at the municipal building for its second regular meeting of the month, with all council members in attendance.
Mayor Brad Grime and Village Administrator Aaron Alt sat in on behalf of the village’s administrative team, while department heads Grant Schaffner of the planning and zoning division and Dexter Krueger from the engineering department were on hand to deliver 2024 Annual Reports to the council.
ZONING 2024 ANNUAL REPORT
Schaffner highlighted that the total number of permits issued in 2024 remains consistent with previous years. According to the report, 96 permits were granted, including 20 for fence construction, 18 for accessory structures, and 13 for engineering permits.
He noted a growing interest in mobile food vending, with 11 permit requests submitted last year. In order to operate within the village limits, each vendor must pay a $100 annual fee.
While no permits were issued for new home construction, three commercial projects were approved: new office space at Black Swamp Equipment, commercial renovations at H&K Chevrolet in the former Shopko building, and an industrial addition at ConAgra.
A considerable change in the planning and zoning department is the implementation of GOgov, an online permitting software that allows residents and businesses to apply digitally.
The village began with a soft launch, giving applicants the option to apply either online or through the traditional process, allowing the village time to “work out the kinks” in the new system.
“It’s been going very well,” added Schaffner. “Better than expected, to be honest.”
The Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals were recently merged into one entity. The new board looks forward to its first meeting in April, where they will review zoning ordinances and code changes and address general housekeeping matters.
Following his presentation, Schaffner took a moment to demonstrate GOgov, the new online permitting software.
Multiple departments can access the system, allowing each team member to complete their portion of the project before passing it to the next. Users can check a project’s status at any time.
“It’s very nice, especially when we have permits that go outside of the planning and zoning department,” noted Schaffner. “When they (permits) involve engineering or the water department, it’s just very transparent.”
According to Schaffner, many businesses requested the ability to pay zoning application fees online, and the new system allows for this. Community members and contractors can access the GOgov system by visiting the village’s website, www.archbold.com, and navigating to the “Permit” tab at the top of the screen.
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT 2024 ANNUAL REPORT
Village Engineer Dexter Krueger took his turn at the podium to share his report with the council. The engineering department is responsible for many tasks, including infrastructure planning and development.
This involves preliminary engineering, data collection, project design, bidding and contract administration, construction inspection, and materials sampling.
The office also oversees private development plan reviews and GIS development and maintenance. It provides the village with engineering and project administration support, including infrastructure planning, five-year capital planning, and grant writing and administration.
In 2024, the department operated with seven full-time staff members and one part-time employee. After listing all department employees and their years of service, Krueger added, “I just want to point out there how much experience we do have. I think that goes a long way, and how much thought and stuff we put into these village projects.”
“It’s not something we are farming out to different consultants who are gonna show up and not know the whole backstory whereas, as we do.”
Five major projects were completed in 2024, including sanitary sewer lining in the northwest section of the village, improvements to West Mechanic and Pleasant Streets, multiple sidewalk enhancements, and the construction of an agricultural runoff treatment system (wetlands) on East Lutz Road.
The department also supported smaller village projects such as the Ruihley Park Splash Pad and the SR2/CR24 Safety Study.
In his report, Krueger highlighted a list of grants obtained for village projects over the last five years. “I think that speaks highly of the aggressiveness we look at — going out, getting additional grants.”
“As you can see, there is almost five and a half million dollars. Overall, we’re constantly looking at what grant opportunities are available and trying to take advantage of those.”
In 2024, the village saw several other developments, including an update to its Subdivision Regulations, replacing the outdated 1966 version.
Optimized use of the village’s Geographic Information System (GIS) has contributed to better data access, storage, and map development.
The improvements have increased efficiency, reduced duplicate data costs, and improved communication between departments and the community.
Krueger shared the Municipal Building Renovation was largely completed last year, with engineer Brad Meyer providing valuable input during plan reviews and inspections.
With the introduction of QuestCDN, the online bidding process for infrastructure projects also became more efficient, allowing contractors to access plans and specifications online.
The engineering department continued to utilize the Pegasus software to manage projects. Field reports, payment applications, and change orders were organized in one digital system, which improved efficiency and record-keeping for ongoing and future projects.
Krueger noted the system was implemented in 2023. However, village departments continue to add information into it to utilize it to its full potential.
In 2025, the engineering department plans to focus on the development of access management regulations to establish guidelines for the number, size, type, and placement of access points along streets and roadways.
Work is also underway on the 2025 Thoroughfare Plan, a long-term transportation strategy to accommodate future growth.
After closing out his presentation, Krueger shared a brief overview of the Pegasus project management software, noting, “This software basically replaces Excel files, Word documents—just a whole other gamut of separate filing systems that we would have to use.”
According to Krueger, the Pegasus program likely pays for itself by allowing staff to complete paperwork in the field rather than returning to the office to finish the project in a separate computer program, saving both time and overtime costs.
The system also allows for the collection and tracking of project information so the village can generate payment to the contractor every month.
Furthermore, the village admin team and contractors may also have access to the program to receive real-time budget and project status information.
“The Village of Archbold handles this differently than most other communities,” Krueger shared. Rather than the contractor submitting an invoice to us and telling us the work that they did for the past month…we are the ones keeping track of the quantities,” Krueger explained.
“We know exactly how many feet of 8-inch waterline they installed. We know exactly how many square yards of six-inch concrete they put in.”
“So, not only is Chuck (Lehman, Engineering Technician) out there, overseeing the construction, making sure it is done according to our specifications, but he’s keeping track of quantities.”
Moving on to mapping, Krueger gave the council a brief overview of GIS, which is used daily by multiple departments. The system was implemented between 15-18 years ago as a utility map used to track waterlines and sewer systems.
It has since been expanded to include other layers such as parcels, floodplains, watersheds, the village cemetery, and even village-owned trees. The public may view the village’s utility and zoning maps on GIS by going to the village’s website.
ROUTINE MATTERS
The council approved the minutes from the February 3 meeting and authorized the payment of $188,892.72 in bills and payroll.
Alt added that because the payroll software reporting was not yet functioning properly, the amount stated in the agenda was less than the actual expenditure.
Legislative items addressed included the approval of Resolution 2024-05, which accepted a bid from Dengler Excavating for the construction of an all-concrete parking lot on Ditto Street. The new lot will feature two ADA-accessible spaces.
Krueger offered a letter of recommendation in support of the project detailing bid amounts received from various contractors in the area.
Alt added that $210,000 was budgeted for the project. Dengler’s bid came in at $140,900, which was significantly lower than the engineer’s estimate of $175,000.
Council also approved Resolution 2025-06 authorizing the village administrator and finance director to advertise for bids for an upcoming waterline replacement along the South Defiance Street alley. The location has experienced several waterline breaks over recent years.
Council took a look the Street and Sidewalk Committee minutes of February 3 and reviewed the January 2025 Police Report, January 2025 Fire & EMS Report, and the January 2025 Street Labor & Fleet Report.
The next Archbold Village Council meeting is set for Monday, March 3, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. at Council Chambers in the municipal building.
