(PHOTO BY BRIANNA BALOGH / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
SCHOLARSHIP AWARD … AMP representative Harry Phillips presents Edgerton graduate Heidi Meyer with the Lyle B. Wright scholarship. From left Kimberly Meyer, Village Administrator Dawn Fitzcharles, Harry Phillips, Heidi Meyer, and Mayor Bob Day.
By: Brianna Balogh
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
Edgerton Village Council held its regular scheduled meeting on Wednesday, June 18 at 5:30 p.m. Mayor Bob Day called the meeting to order, then proceeded to lead all attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance and a short prayer of guidance.
Fiscal Officer Denise Knecht followed with roll call. Present members were Leslie VanAusdale, Jason Gruver, Pam Wampler, Sharon Blinzler, and Lance Bowsher. Council member Chuck Wallace was absent.
Also in attendance were Village Administrator Dawn Fitzcharles and Administrative Assistant Amanda Knecht, as well as a few community members.
First on the meeting agenda was approval of the minutes for the June 6 meeting. With no questions or discussion, VanAusdale made the motion to approve and it was seconded by Wampler. The motion was approved by all members.
Mayor Day then invited Harry Phillips, a representative of AMP, to the front. Phillips was present to award Heidi Meyer with the Lyle B. Wright scholarship in the amount of $3000.
First, Phillips touched on AMP and what they do. AMP, American Municipal Power, works with nine states and over 130 members, providing power portfolios to several municipalities, customized to their individual community needs. This totals over 600,000 meters.
Since 1988, two scholarships honoring public power leaders Richard H. Gorsuch and Lyle B. Wright have awarded a total of $528,000.
Meyer was one of five Lyle B. Wright scholarship awardees. Requirements for the scholarship include students residing in one of the AMP member communities and taking a public power knowledge test. Recipients are selected based on their scholastic records and personal achievements.
She exemplifies these traits as the valedictorian of the 2025 graduating class, an active member of the National Honor Society, a volunteer with Catholic Heart Work Camp, a member of Future Educators of America and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and captain of the cross country and track teams.
Meyer plans to attend the University of St. Francis to study physical therapy. AMP Director of Strategic Communication and Public Relations Michele Lemmon wrote in a news release, “It is gratifying that a dedicated public power community like Edgerton is home to one of this year’s Wright Scholarship recipients.”
Administrator Fitzcharles followed with notice of an upcoming blood drive to benefit the American Red Cross.
The blood drive, organized by Eric Gruver, a 2020 graduate of Edgerton, will coordinate with his capstone research project regarding sickle cell anemia which often requires a blood transfusion and is one step of his journey to becoming a physician assistant.
A capstone project is a culminating academic assignment, often at the end of a degree program, where students integrate and apply the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired throughout their studies.
The blood drive will take place on June 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the training room at the town hall. A QR code, 1-800-Red-Cross, or the website RedCrossBlood.org can be used to make an appointment, using code Edgerton.
Another guest, Eddie Bohn, was invited to the front to address the council. Bohn was informing the council of two upcoming projects that he had become involved with. Bohn informed everyone of the impending storm, approximately 40 minutes out for the local area.
Bohn continued, stating that after his retirement, he met with Fitzcharles to discuss ways he could give back to the community.
The first project would be in coordination with the recent repaving. Downtown clean-up day is scheduled to take place on July 13. Volunteers should meet at the village park next to the fire station at 1:00 p.m.
Volunteers can contact Bohn for information on what items to bring; some examples would be brooms and leaf blowers.
After the cleanup is complete, there will be pizza and drinks. Bohn stated that more information would be released via the press.
The second upcoming item is an Eagle Scout project, hopefully taking place within the village. Bark in the Park is being organized by two Boy Scouts from Local Troop 29 and aims to provide a safe place for residents and their dogs.
Not just a regular dog park, an obstacle course is also planned. The scout troop will be raising funds and managing the project. More information will come on this project closer to the fall, as the troop leader is out of town for Boy Scout camp.
Mayor Day followed with a brief statement on his recent trip to the Association of Mayors in Columbus, which he found enlightening but would discuss at a later date.
The administrator’s report was next. Fitzcharles started by informing the council of three employment status requests, not needing action from the council because the changes were already written into the wage and compensation plan.
Dakota Burke, recently passed his CDL training and licensing test. He will start hands-on line working training in Columbus in October.
Devin Herman and Luke Gary have successfully completed the Ohio EPA Lab Certified Analyst training, granting them certification to conduct water and sewer testing.
The remaining team members also earned their certifications, ensuring the entire group is qualified to operate for the next three years.
Finishing out the report, Fitzcharles gave an update on the Tree Commission which recently met and approved 56 trees to be planted, beginning on July 7. The village interns will be utilized to help with tree watering bags and maintenance.
Lastly, an update was provided on the ongoing street project involving ODOT. All work is slated to be mostly complete by June 30 despite a few delays due to weather and material shortages.
Once paving is complete, catch basins, manholes, concrete collars, road striping, and signage will be completed.
Fitzcharles said, “ Gerken crews and ODOT crews have been exceptional to work with, and they have worked really hard to minimize disruption.” Fitzcharles shared a few upcoming events to note and provided flyers to the press.
The Truck Pulls will be hosted in Edgerton on June 28 at Miller Park, starting at 6:00 p.m. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
The second event mentioned was the homecoming parade on July 19 that will be a part of the larger village Homecoming celebrations.
The parade lineup will begin at 9:00 a.m., with the parade starting at 10:00 a.m. Sign-ups for the parade are open now and can be completed online.
Also taking place as a part of the Homecoming festivities will be the Clem Awards. Instead of a Citizen of the Year award, Mainstreet Edgerton would like to celebrate the best in Edgerton’s businesses, industries, and citizens.
Nominations are currently open and can be submitted via the Mainstreet Edgerton website. As Mayor Day said, “That’ll be desirable, everybody will want a Clemmy.”
Fiscal Office Knecht followed, first asking for a motion to approve the credit card review from May 16 to June 15, which had been distributed to the council.
Next on the report was the RITA annual cost analysis. RITA is a company that collects tax revenue on behalf of the village. A refund of approximately $22,000 was provided to the village from RITA.
The expected cost was to be around $44,000, but it came in lower at approximately 1.29%. Historically, over the last five years, the average percentage has been 1.41%.
The resolution passed to accept the amounts and rates as determined by the Budget Commission for 2025 real estate tax collection was taken to the Williams County Courthouse and was certified by Vickie Grimm. This fell in well ahead of the October deadline.
The final item on the fiscal report was updates to the 2026 fire levy, which was recently certified via a resolution.
The resolution was then sent to the Board of Elections and will go before the board on July 15. After review, they will send the ballot language back to the council to be approved.
This bill list had one additional invoice that was written in because it was received after the expense list was distributed to the council. Bowsher made the motion to pay the bills, which was seconded by Gruver and approved by all.
As business moved to resolutions and ordinances, council members kept one eye on the agenda and another on the darkening skies outside.
The first ordinance, 1155, provides for supplements to 2025 annual appropriations. Explained by Fitzcharles, this was to accommodate two projects within the village.
The first project is 32.487 acres, which had been approved for purchase through legislation passed on May 21 of this year. The property is currently held in two trusts, and the village was asked to provide $5,000 in earnest money.
Earnest money is typically around 1% – 3% of the sale price and is held in an escrow account until the deal is complete.
Funds would be moved from both the general fund, income capital tax outlay fund and the sewer fund. The property is expected to close on July 18.
Fitzcharles stated they have performed some financial strain testing recently. Even with the appropriations suggested, there is still approximately 15 months of operational funds and expenses available.
The general fund would be operational for 18 months. Since the start of the year, cash balances have been increased by almost $750,00, with current balances being around 9.95 million.
The second appropriation is for the Community Center in Miller Park. Originally, the project was submitted to the legislature for funding in 2017 and was not successful.
In July 2024, the community was notified that they were receiving $425,000 from the state, which was received in August.
Some of the funds have already been used on design and bid advertisements. Currently, approximately $330,000 is remaining.
There is still $150,000 in pending grant match money that has not been collected. In the budget, there is a total cash match of $129,560.
To fund the remaining cost, it is proposed to pledge $220,00 of the $309,000 listed from the income tax capital fund and $782,229 from the general fund, which currently holds 3.36 million.
Also, $575,000 had been raised with the anticipation of more funds being raised. The motion to approve was made by VanAusdale and seconded by Wampler. The ordinance was passed by all members.
The second Ordinance, 1156, was to accept the bid of the Mel Lanzer Company for the Edgerton Community Center project, authorizing the village administrator to take all action necessary to complete the project and providing for an immediate effective date.
Bids were advertised in January, and this was one of five bids received and was the lowest and most responsive.
The scope of the work includes the general construction of the community center. Alternates added to the plans by request of the state are a family restroom and a patio area.
The motion to suspend the rules was made by VanAusdale and seconded by Wampler. The motion to approve was made by Wampler and seconded by VanAusdale. All members approved.
Adjournment was swift, with VanAusdale quickly putting the motion on the floor, and Wampler seconded as the rain started to pour outside. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 2 at 5:30 p.m.