(PHOTO BY BREANA RELIFORD / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
SENIOR SENSATION … Montpelier senior, Jada Uribes, (center) was awarded the Richard Gorsuch scholarship at Monday’s meeting for demonstrating high scholastics and abundant school involvement.
By: Breana Reliford
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Montpelier Village Council held their meeting on Monday, May 12, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
The meeting began with a roll call. Council members Heather Freese, Nathan Thompson, Chris Kannel, Kevin Motter, Mayor Steve Yagelski, Village Manager Jason Rockey, Clerk of Council Molly Collert, and Director of Finance Nikki Uribes were all present this evening. A few high school seniors also joined the meeting to observe how their local government functions.
Next, there was a moment of silence for prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited. The council went on to approve the agenda for May 12 as well as the minutes from the April 28 meeting. They also approved the April 2025 financial reports.
The next item on the agenda was the presentation of the Richard Gorsuch Scholarship by special guest Harry Phillips of AMP.
The scholarship is presented to high school graduating seniors who plan to attend college and have demonstrated strong academics as well as have a parent or guardian who is an employee of the village as they are partnered with AMP, or in a career relating to AMP.
The scholarship is awarded in the amount of $3,000 and the fund has given out a total of $528,000 since 1988.
This year, 26 students were nominated for the Gorsuch scholarship. Finalists for the award took a test about public power to determine the winner.
The AMP board of trustees approved five recipients based on their scholastic record, personal achievements, and public power test scores.
The award this year was presented to Jada Uribes, daughter of Aaron and Nikki Uribes. Her mother, Nikki is the director of finance for the Village of Montpelier.
Jada is planning to attend Bowling Green State University to study Inclusive Early Childhood Education. Jada is actively involved in several activities at Montpelier High School including the varsity volleyball, basketball, and softball teams.
She is also a member of the National Honor Society, is the class and student council secretary, and participates in show choir and musical theater.
Phillips stated at the meeting on behalf of the AMP Board, “We find Jada to be a talented student with a promising future.”
The council meeting continued with comments from the audience and council. A few concerns were brought up about water meter issues, which the council addressed.
During the committee reports, it was discussed that the new monument for the Williams County Veterans Memorial order was placed. The addition will be made once parts are received, weather permitting.
The Main Street Park fountain was also replaced, and the council thanked Village Manager Rockey for getting that project done.
There was a motion to approve the bid for the 2025 Asphalt Program on the floor for multiple street repairs throughout the village, including North Platt Street and North Pleasant Street.
Gerken Materials came in with the lowest bid at about $25,000 less than the engineer’s estimate. Gerken has also done previous pavements in the village, so the bid was accepted by the council.
The project is anticipated to start around late summer but could happen anytime between the end of May through early October, as an official time has not been determined yet.
As the meeting progressed, the council moved on to their next item which was to approve the final change order for the Iron Horse River Trail. This amount is a decrease due to a mathematical error. The council approved this motion.
The council also approved the utility write-offs as of May 15, 2025.
There was also an application filed for a liquor permit by Golden Indian Creek LLC, the restaurant formerly known as Drop Time in Montpelier.
They applied for a D1, D2, and D3 license, which allows them to sell beer, wine, and spirits until 1:00 a.m., Monday-Saturday. Chief of Police Daniel McGee did not have any concerns with the license, as noted by the council.
The motion to not have a hearing for the approval of the license was approved by the council unanimously.
Resolution 1432 was discussed, seeking approval for tax rates and amounts for the county auditor, which is approved annually. This resolution was passed following a suspension of the rules.
Council also passed Resolution 1433 which approves the OHM Proposal for design engineering for the Wabash Cannonball Trail. OHM was the highest-scoring consultant according to ODOT’s criteria.
The Income Tax Report was shared. The Income Tax Collections at the end of April was $742,769.16 and the average for the previous three years at the end of April was $737,913.70, showing an increase of 0.66%.
At the end of the meeting, the Village Manager’s Report shared that the new softball press box was dedicated last Wednesday to honor local donors at the park board meeting.
Rockey also shared that he attended the AMP Regional Power Supply Conference in Bowling Green last Thursday with a few colleagues, noting key information that is useful to reference for the village.
He explained that while energy prices in the market have fluctuated a lot lately, the village hasn’t seen significant changes in costs.
This is because the village primarily uses local public power, purchasing less than 10% of its energy from the market, which shields it from the price changes affecting other towns and cities.
This was good news to share with the council and for the citizens, knowing they would not see a large jump in the cost of energy within the village.
As there were no further items to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 7:02 p.m.