By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
The Metamora Village Council held their meeting on Monday, June 15, 2026. The meeting began at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by council approving the minutes from the June 1 meeting as written.
Troy Najarian was present as a guest and introduced himself to council. Najarian stated that he was attending the meeting to learn more about concerns within the village and explained that he is interested in politics at the county level as a commissioner. Council also reviewed the Sheriff’s report for May.
Village Administrator Keith Torbet updated council on several items, including sidewalk work within the village.
Council approved spending up to $11,600 to replace ADA ramps and mats on village sidewalks. A second quote will be obtained before the project moves forward, with Torbet being given authority to decide which company to use.
Torbet also gave council a brief review of the most recent comprehensive plan meeting. Members of the committee would like to see more information added to the plan before it is completed, including demographics, a better picture of the downtown and industrial park, and community organizations that were not mentioned. The steering committee would like the plan to be more detailed.
Mayor Cathy Mossing then gave a review of the Memorial Ceremony and Party in the Park. It was noted that the village sold out of 500 chickens in 1 hour and 45 minutes. Mossing said the village may need to see if the chicken order can be changed closer to Party in the Park in future years, depending on the weather.
The mayor also informed council that Village Fiscal Officer Heather Lumbrezer moved $800,000 from the village’s checking account into a new money market account at Bank 419 in order to earn better interest.
Lumbrezer then reviewed information from a RITA meeting she attended the previous week and provided council with several updates.
One important update involved the village website, which will need to be ADA compliant by 2027. Mossing stated that she will reach out to the chamber’s web designer to see if she could help with the matter.
Council also learned that a Goodwill truck will be parked at the Methodist Church for donations on Sunday, June 21, the day after the town garage sales. Council then approved paying the bills as read.
In old business, council approved hiring Roque Tree Service for $3,800 to remove and grind the stumps of three trees in the park. Council also discussed conducting an income survey to see what kinds of grants the village may qualify for, with Torbet set to follow up.
Also discussed was the upcoming July 15 Chamber meeting in the park, where Brett Kolb will be the speaker. Kolb will be talking about how getting rid of property taxes would impact the village.
It was noted that the effort to remove Ohio property taxes failed and will not be on the ballot this year, but signatures can carry over to next year.
In new business, council received an update on plans for movie night. The village will be showing the movie “Cars” and is working to line up race cars to have in the park for children to see.
During the zoning report, concerns were brought up about zoning nuisance violations. Torbet stated that he has been in contact with the property owners and is continuing to work on the issues.
With no further business, council adjourned at 7:50 p.m.